Monica Guareschi Group “two kingdoms” CD is now on special offer from BTF at bargain price !!!
Once upon a time… and fairy tales usually begin like this. This, however, is a particular fairy tale, and it begins in a completely different way. Monica Guareschi on vocals, Claudio Barro and Paolo Moretto on guitars, Gianmarco Orsini on bass and Gianni Moretto on drums. These storytellers of ours move between two kingdoms, that of the West and that of the East, accompanying Punky Guy, the protagonist of the story, up to the less obvious conclusion of the story: “in the search for oneself lies the greatest wealth of man”. Of course, there is the princess to save, the bad king, good and evil, there are all the ingredients of a fairy tale, colored by the electricity of the most disparate influences: from harmonies to Uriah Heep, up to the echoes of the blockbuster Jesus Christ Superstar (the homage to rock opera in “Invitation” is legendary). A concept album that leaves the flavor of the happiest hard rock, of the brightest progressive, of some passages in full AOR style, which moves on coordinates that could have been the terrain of the best Timoria if only they had not succumbed to egocentrism by Omar Pedrini (present “Journey without wind”?). Among the best episodes are the aforementioned “Invitation”, “The ministrel”, acoustic and sunny, the pairing “The white door” and “Magic charm”. The introduction of “Unreal world”, then, is a perfect liquid Chinese box of guitars and atmospheres before the classically heavy anthemic explosion, the conclusion of the concept seems to have escaped from the atmospheres of “Promised land” by Queensryche (if only that album had been brighter, more positive… almost “yes” without keyboards…). In short, every piece in the right place, between rebounds in the emotions of a certain forgotten classic rock, where neither the technological metal of Fear Factory nor the violence of Strpping Young Lad can find space, bordering on the two realms between the poetry of a certain progressive no-dream-theater and the lost energy of eighties rock. An album by a compact, balanced band, which does not exceed in virtuosity as an end in itself, but puts its own personality at the service of the songs, restoring to the Italian and musical panorama in general a dignity that is light years away from power metal, reiterating the concept that not only the double case may not even exist, but that we dream of certain atmospheres in other stories! This is hard rock, this is a good album, this band is growing very well and already in their second album they have shown that they have what it takes to go far. Assuming it isn’t already, far away… In the kingdom of the East, the West or on the border between the virtual and the truest emotion. PS: the album is self-produced, click on the home page and you will discover its sounds, concepts and booking methods. Have a good trip.