With this new work GOAD returns to break up the ground native to Rock, to say progressive is to say little, since as the traditional resonance of this kind of music of which this Florentine group in Italy is a historical icon – adds impulses of other natures. The orchestral vein, for example, deepens the organ scores that counterpoints with a dirty and insinuating guitar, that appears throughout the record as a sort of trademark. The idea is a ferrous solemn gait. Enough to listen to “Fever Called Living” crossing hard aggression, plays to the point of explosions just pointed out, to have an idea of the capacity of GOAD to remain on the outer limits, to play alternations of a duet. They play strident and wrapping harmonies, good and evil, sunny and telluric. From this dualism GOAD create a space of multifaceted sensations. Or you can listen to the opening of “Eldorado I”, with that tap on the organ that evokes John Lord and makes an incision alla Deep Purple, we would like to note that it draws forth one of the epiphanies of the whole album, in which the lessons from the greats are filtered through an original and all characteristic sensibility. The opening riff of “Eldorado II Heavy Rain” inspired from the seductive culture of the seventies, but not to draw from a simple qoutation: the piece though brief gives the full measure of all the possibilities of this combo, in Italy you don’t find comparisons for musical culture, depth of inspiration, talent that gushes out pure at every segment. We follow the musical phrases “Last Knowledge” we find the sweet work of the ballad, certainly in the best example of this manner, but we hear a liveliness rarely given in the proposal at the start of this millennium: maybe the comments of the violin or perhaps the melody of a muse that immediately takes over the senses, or even the witchcraft of a guitar that cohabits with the organ like in a post modern choral…”The Judge” symphony in the full sense of the word, held together by guitar scratches, nervous bass, classic drumming, sung alla Rush, scattered and acidic. Resting on an organ rug: Around the guitars Maurilio Rossi appears paving a true and proper route of wickedness that ambushes the melody. The flute on “Valley Of Unrest” to take note of another show piece, that avails an extraordinary succession of themes, not only putting forward once again excellent thematics of the most classic rock. Plays and tears up alla Van Der Graff Generator appears here and is a sudden and surprising stamp that reminds one of ancient patronage, otherwise it confronts for the first time this sonic focus. It’s enough to say it’s not lacking in musical surprises like “Highway To Hell” by AC/DC, in a singular version that reinterprets this classic piece of Hard Rock showing a great executive vein, even in the fast parts. Until the conclusive opus, a true opera within an opera that travels from damned evocations to dreamed episodes, from ruined nightmares to unforseen lightness.
Con questo nuovo lavoro i Goad tornano grintosamente al rock, al progressive quello vero, quello sinfonico. La vena orchestrale, ad esempio, unita a contrappunti fra partiture d’organo e sferzate di chitarra sporca e insinuante, rappresenta il marchio di fabbrica dei Goad. Memorie dei Van der Graaf generator si mescolano con il progressive italiano di antica scuola. La cover inusuale del classico degli AC/DC “Highway To Hell”, in una versione singolare che reinterpreta il classico pezzo di Hard Rock mostrando una vena ispiratissima, anche nelle parti veloci. Album originalissimo!
TRACK LIST
Fever called living 6:32
Eldorado pt. I – II (Heavy Run) 5:18
Last Knowledge pt. I – II 6:44
The Judge 5:10
Valley of unrest 6:07
To Helen pt I – II 7:34
Alone 6:00
Masquerade (Fast & Short) 2:23
Intro (classic guitar prelude) 1:36
Slave of the holy mountain 4:26
Dreamland 7:12
The haunted palace 4:43
Masquerade 13:27
pt I (The dream) 4:21
pt II (Incubus) 3:32
pt III (Disturbance) 2:15
pt IV (Sunrise) 2 :31
pt V (Final) 0 :48
Bonus Tracks : (double vinyl only)
Musical Box 10 :18
Highway to Hell 3 :53
Lyrics inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
Maurilio Rossi: lead voice- 4/5 strings Fender- Warwick-Gibson basses- electric/nylon guitars- all keyboards – music-lyrics & arrangements
Francesco Diddi : flute – violin – guitars – sax
Gianni Rossi: Gibson “Les Paul” 70′ guitar
Louis Magnanimo: Bass Guitar
Antonio Vannucci: Piano, Keyboards
Vick Usai: Drums
Tommaso Baggiani: Drums
Giampaolo Zecchi: studio – live sound engineer – editing – mixing
Additional Musicians:
Dave “Nagai ” :
Paolo Carniani
Lorenzo Innocenti
Roberto Masini
Marcello Becattini
Martin Rush
Marcello Masi
“Bronco” Giancarlo Gaglioti
Sasha Morinov
Official GOAD web site: www.goad.it
Official GOAD myspace web page: www.myspace.com/goad2007
