| CD REVIEW Flashback Of Anger |
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Band: Flashback Of Anger Firenze’s (and you English always contort that beautiful Italian city’s name to Florence) Flashback Of Anger were started in June of 2003 at the initiative of drummer Antonio Sigismondi and rhythm guitarist Matteo Bonini. The two eventually find musically like-minded people with lead guitarist Alberto Amadori, lead singer/ keyboardist Alessio Gori, and bassist Francesco Masini. FOA’s first live activities (then still in their first line-up) come in occasion of the band contest for the Emergenza Rock festival, where the band even reaches the finals (top 4)! The guys then start composing their own songs, five of which are recorded for the December 2004 released demo Panta Rei. Following positive reception and reviews, the band plays a total of 30 shows between January and September 2005 (ending with the band winning one of the more important band contests of the Tuscan region, the Keller Kontest), which ain’t even half that bad for a beginning band, especially since in that same period they added second keyboardist Emanuele Giorgetti to the line-up, and lost the lead guitarist because he wanted to go to University for some serious studies (he still writes lyrics for the band though, and even congured up the story for this conceptual full-length). His replacement would be one Giulio Cercato, and it’s this line-up that recorded and released the 3-track demo Off With My Heart in March of 2006. Later that year another contest won FOA the chance to participate to the Moontale Festival, from which ensued the possibility to play at the Evolution Festival (alongside such big bands as Fates Warning, Kamelot, Nevermore, Virgin Steele, and many others) and are then pushed by their management to record a full-length album at Germany’s High Gain Recording Studios , owned by Arne Lakenmacher (tour manager of Amon Amarth and Nevermore), and Dirk Schächter & Kai Hansen of Helloween. Under Schächter’s guidance, the band starts recordings for the Splinters Of Life album in September, recordings which are interrupted when FOA frontman Gori is invited to join Helloween on their Hellish Rock Tour as their additional keyboard player (dates of which, with some resting intervals during which recordings are continued, lasted into Summer 2008). Eventually, and again thanks to the efforts of the band’s management, the guys were signed to Limb Music Products, German label with a tradition in Symphonic Power Metal! In essence, the album is a re-recording of the band’s two demos (excluding the demo intro “Panta Rei”, replaced on the album by the equally instrumental “By The Graves Of My Dreams”), adding new tracks “Strange Illusion”, “Outer World”, and Back In A Nightmare”. The 11 tracks together are the make up for a concept album, but darned if I know what the story is about (any info on the matter is utterly lacking). In contrast to having two keyboard players in the band, FOA’s music is is certainly not dominated by them, even if they’re present in each song! The guitars have a slight Progressive touch, but never to the extend as to loose the overall melodic side of things. The lead singer has that typical high pitch you’d expect from an Italian band in this genre, but he’s also a warmth in there! Although there’s nothing in his voice (or that of the backing harmony singers) to antagonize the listener (all too often singers in this genre frequently tend to go over the top), I personally feel there’s also nothing specifically typical to Gori’s voice to set him aside from the run-of-the-mill (actually, he doés go over-the-top occasionally anyway, you know). The same, I’m afraid, goes for the music! Although certainly góód, it doesn’t excell, and therefore the album overall comes over as unlikely of winning any nominations to anyone’s year-lists! Nevertheless the album remains worthy for the genre’s fan to have and give a couple of listening sessions, and I’m sure FOA will get excited cheers at gigs and festivals! As influences, the band cites such nice acts as Labyrinth, Vision Divine, Helloween, Sonata Arctica, Edguy, Gamma Ray, Angra, Symphony X, Stratovarius, Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Circus Maximus, Pain Of Salvation, and more of that ilk…but being influenced by and bringing music with equal qualities can be quite different things altogether, and for the moment FOA simply don’t reach that same level of songwriting yet, even if they certainly know how to handle their instruments! Of course, stuff like that can be somewhat personal, so why don’t you check out the two songs and album sampler the band posted at myspace.com/flashbackofangerband? 80/100 Tony. |