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MJBrady
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Published on: 30 Jul 2003
Adagio are one of the few bands that are attempting to create the same kind of Neo-classical progressive metal music that would stand confidently next to the icons of that genre Symphony X, who have proven to have all the bases covered when one considers the many attribute that SX displays.
There have been many pale imitations, yet a couple bands have come up with some tangible efforts in comparison, and Adagio proves on this new cd that they are more than a passing fancy. The bands debut cd Santus Ignus showed some huge upsides, and all of those hints of excellence are magnified here on Underworld. They not only provide the necessary over the top musicianship for this style, but now seemingly have the production, compositions, and solid vocal performances to complete the list of competencies to rate as a top band in this genre.
Outstanding keyboard performances are heard through the length of this cd by Kevin Codfert, who sounds like he'd be comfortable on a piano bench in the famous Van Cliburn competition. His display of virtuosity on the many keyboards he employs are stunning to say the least. He replaces the talents of Richard Anderrsson, who performed on the bands first cd. The bands main leader is guitarist Stephan Forte, a diligent student of the instrument, citing the likes of Shawn Lane, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. as influences, his writing and playing are perfectly complimentary to the bands overall concept, and will impress even the most critical ear. His blistering techniques, trading solos with Codfert are as good as it gets. And there is plenty of this to be heard on the cd.
Although the band claims to be of French origen, they are composed of a multi-national group, with the vocalist (David Readman) being from the UK, and the drummer (Dirk Bruinenberg of the band Elegy) from The Netherlands I believe. Bassist Franck Hermanny, also a immensely gifted musician has also appeared with Cyril Achards' Morbid Feeling and has the capabilities to go from fusion to progmetal and anywhere else in between. This is a very formidable group of greatly talented individuals that are creating some outstanding neo-classical music, surely to impress the fans of Symphony X, Artension, or Majestic.
Now with such a line-up, one can and should expect some great displays of musicianship, and you get all that and more, the band is not just trying to make clinical appearances here, the music does stand on it's own s a great product, especially for the discerning fans of the genre's very best. Without trying to pick out the details of what the conceptual aspects of the music are, I will say that this cd can stand on the merits of the music performances alone, but the quality of the singing, production standards, and the overall portrayal of sound gives all the more icing on the cake.
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