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KINGCROW
www.kingcrow.it
The folk at Sensory Records really do need to be more inventive with some of their press blurb. For Kingcrow's previous album, 2013's 'In Crescendo', selling points were limited to an inexplicable factual minimum - the band are from Italy and it was their fourth album. It was actually their fifth, so counting is evidently as much of a strength as their copywriting skills. It's no surprise, therefore, that press blurb accompanying Kingcrow's forthcoming new release touts this as their fifth album (number six, it's album number six, I tell you!). Slightly more embellished selling points this time around inform that this is a "crossover between atmospheric prog rock and metal." and is "RIYL Riverside, Steven Wilson and Opeth". The former point holds a degree of truth, although we'll ignore the latter assertion. Sure, fans of said acts might very well also enjoy the music of Kingcrow, although this is simply about mentioning some of the scene's hegemonists, rather than justified sonic comparisons. These Italians have crafted a distinct identity that's now immediately identifiable as Kingcrow (despite the progression with their aesthetic), thus deserve more than comparisons to others.

I adored 'In Crescendo' and, I have to say from the off, adore 'Eidos' even more. All music has, once again, been composed by guitarist Diego Cafolla which I find astonishing. Astonishing, that is, for the sheer levels of diversity and aesthetic/affective variance he manages to attain with his songwriting. After listening to 'Eidos' and every single one of its twists and turns, it'd be natural to think that several members have contributed to the compositional process, but not so. Cafolla's a very talented chap and, as with 'In Crescendo', he's succeeded in attaining the perfect balance between naturally flowing song structures and progressively, innovative flair within, with some atmospherically absorbing music that is as captivating as it is compelling. Obviously, the atmospheres and naturally progressive textures have also been engendered through the realisation of his songs alongside his bandmates, each of whom deliver flawless performances, although full credit must be given to Cafolla for writing the songs in the first place. I do not say this lightly, but the man's a masterful songwriter. He really is.

There are many moments of spine-tingling sublimity throughout the album, such as the a cappella outro to opening song, 'The Moth'; the arpeggiated staccato mid-section of 'Adrift'; Diego Marchesi's vocals over the intro to 'The Deeper Divide' (just one example actually, as his vocals hit sublime levels on many occasions); the acoustic guitar and synth section that commences album closer 'If Only'... I could go on. In short, 'Eidos' holds many sonic treats and is Kingcrow at their very best. The perfect antidote to the abundance of generic, overly technical, cerebrally forced prog that's churned out annually. Kingcrow are progressive without trying to be progressive. That's the key. They've progressed their own aesthetic in the most natural of ways and the resulting music is phenomenal.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Sensory Records
Album
EIDOS
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Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
61:59
RELEASE DATE:
29th June 2015
TRACK LISTING
1) The Moth
2) Adrift
3) Slow Down
4) Open Sky
5) Fading Out (Part IV)
6) The Deeper Divide
7) On the Barren Ground
8) At the Same Place
9) Eidos
10) If Only
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Italy
"The perfect antidote to the abundance of generic, overly technical, cerebrally forced prog that's churned out annually. Kingcrow are progressive without trying to be progressive."
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