A dark prophecy told in a Psychedelic suite. An old Isaac Asimov tale that takes the form of a concept album. This is “End of Light,” the debut album by the Perugian band Opsis, a powerful and sophisticated work, structured in three movements, that ranges between Progressive and Heavy Metal, allowing itself incursions into distant territories, even touching on the borders of Jazz.
Entirely dedicated to Isaac Asimov‘s short story Nightfall (1941), “End Of Light” plunges into the narrative of the planet Lagash, illuminated by six suns, so much so that it knows no darkness. An ancient prophecy claims that darkness and the subsequent appearance of the stars will herald the end of the world. The tale centres on the final moments before a lunar eclipse, when the light of the last sun is extinguished and the first darkness begins to appear. Terrifying the protagonists is the belief, also motivated by prophecy, that darkness leads to madness, a bestial and violent state in which the world is set on fire in order to be illuminated. A journalist investigates the relationship between the ideas promoted by some scientists and exponents of the Cult of Prophecy.
Asimov‘s work closes on an open ending, even though it steers the interpretation towards apocalyptic outcomes. During the development of the story, the theme of the relationship between religious deception, natural contingencies and the course of history is addressed. It is on this aspect that the Opsis have focused in order to render Nightfall in their own way, and this from an Experimental Progressive approach with psychedelic veins. The music restores sci-fi atmospheres through a proposal devoted to digression and extended tempos on purely Heavy Rock rhythms, which do not disdain heterogeneous solutions from other musical horizons (especially Jazz) in the arrangement phase.
The word Opsis derives from Aristotle‘s Poetics and refers to the concept of representation and the practice of staging, a decisive moment in the making of art, especially in theatre, and capable of creating a great seductive force in the spectator. At the same time, Opsis is the favourite place of the mask and concealment, which in its intention to involve the spectator conceals what it does not want to show.
The Perugian trio declares: “The Opsis project wants to reflect on the concept of mask and representation in art as well as in everyday life, on what is revealed and what is hidden, and on the effects that this action produces on others and on ourselves, and on the role that deception and staging play in the success of any aesthetic proposal. It is in this sense that Nightfall, the story by Asimov that we intended to set to music, played as it is above all on the concept of universal and historical deception, seemed to us a perfect starting point.“
Purchase the album on Bandcamp: https://opsisband.bandcamp.com/album/end-of-light
Tracklist:
01. One Voice Under The Stars (13:53)
02. End Of Light (05:56)
03. Wearing Me Out (07:29)
Lineup:
Luca Padalino / Bass
Nico Pagliaricci / Guitar & Keys
David Montyel / Vocals & Lyrics
With:
Marco Severi / Drums
Francesco Angeli / Baritone Sax
Read our Review of the album here: [Review] Opsis – End Of Light
