Cuneiform Rec.
Deus Ex Machina : Imparis -cd+dvd- (I,2008)***°
When I was in my young thirties I was discovering with enthusiasm all those progressive Italian bands. They fitted with the qualities of ambition, showed (classical) structure and clarity. That inspiration I could hardly find elsewhere. Most of the bands I discovered were of a rather symphonic nature, while the more avant-garde bands I was to discover a bit later. An exception in style was Area, who played in a complex jazz-rock style and with the powerful voice of Demetrio Stratos. I was told that Deus Ex Machina’s singer had a certain power in his voice as well, and how their band included symphonic at the edge of jazz-rock ideas. They proved to be an interesting band although sometimes their complexity but especially their melodic tension in some of their longer (and also later) tracks could be demanding (I didn’t hear their latest and previous Cuneiform release yet). I listened with most pleasure to the lead voice dominated moments, for instance with violin/cello. That’s how I took out the vocal led moments for Area at first too. Suddenly, the band returns after some years, with a new release, also on Cuneiform records, in fact a recording from 2 years ago. Although this is a continuation of where they started, they sound a bit more smooth and fluid from start to finish as before, perhaps a bit more jazz-rock than symphonic, with a fine continuation of elements this time and also no dominance of the melodic mix with heaviness which makes listening and enjoying them easier. I almost forgot to mention how they sang successfully in Latin, as a language which is suited well for rock opera typed inspirations. Their way of composing also improved a bit. Sometimes they are more improvised jazz-rock, and no instrument dominates. And the previous complexity is also not forgotten but sparsely used. So was it interesting to hear how the keyboard led, like a bass a certain complex rhythmic drive, then played more jazz-rock typed or a bit more symphonic or with composed ideas. Electric guitars are more sparsely used. Also the violins are mostly into a jazz-rock area.
The DVD shows little imagination in the presence, no lightshow or costumes and in that way does not add for me much to the CD, even when it features mostly different tracks. The interview, with a few fragments of concerts from the past gives more backgrounds of the band, is a bit long but interesting. One of the two extra live concerts (2002) is recorded with a not too pixel-rich early digital recorder. There’s also a video clip included. My favourite dvd contribution is a live performance for the Italian TV, with also one of my favourite early tracks, “res publica” (1996).
