The Italian Progressive Rock band Barock Project was formed in 2004 and has since released seven albums. The new one entitled “Time Voyager” was released on June 03, 2024 and contains 12 medium-length tracks, the theme of which is time travel. A pompous keyboard intro opens the album’s first track “Carry On,” and then immediately develops the band’s own Prog sounds. The vocals are dynamic and expressive, while musically the track moves into modern Prog territory with symphonic parts alternating with more elaborate ones. The sung parts give a melodic touch to the sound, with the tempo changes and instrumental sections enhancing the technique of the band’s musicians. Good mixtures between keyboards and guitar, with interesting solo cues and with the intensity increasing in the final part, concluding with a musical crescendo first and a dreamy, Symphonic outro. An energetic and engaging interweaving of guitar riffs and keyboards opens “Summer Set You Free,” with a solid and engaging rhythm section. The vocals are energetic and incisive, while the flute enriches the instrumental inserts, which enrich the song’s structure with tempo changes and forays into more progressive Folk Rock. The band explores heavier sounds in “An Ordinary Day’s Odyssey,” a technical track that offers that modern Prog Rock in line with today’s releases. A load-bearing bass line and solid drumming characterise the rhythm section, with the guitar offering granitic riffs and the keyboards melodies that weave quality into the musical context. The atmospheres are darker and the sometimes virtuosic solo inserts take the sound to another level, alternating with the intense vocal parts. All the ingredients are there for an excellent Prog track, enhancing the compositional and performing technique of the band. The album’s shortest track “The Lost Ship Tavern,” which we have already heard as the single introducing the album, is steeped in Folk sounds. Traditional sounds are fused with Rock, between well-constructed guitar riffs and violin interlacing and an energetic and engaging rhythm section. A good song, well chosen as a single as it is both engaging and elaborate, with choral refrains that stick in the mind. The instrumental sections are original and very personal. “Voyager” is a long track that exceeds eight minutes and opens with atmospheric sounds and electronic keyboards that prepare us for the journey. The band develops a sound with a tight rhythm and forays into Prog Metal, between Heavy guitar riffs and keyboards enriched by intertwining effects. Skilled the band exploits a wide range of modern sounds and explores different genres and styles, united by the personal touch of these artists. In the middle part the warm and expressive vocals interpret the lyrics with passion, and the sound takes on more Symphonic traits. In the second part, a long instrumental section takes us back to the initial theme and a more energetic sound, through solo and choral parts always with that fresh and modern touch. Dreamy atmospheres permeate the first part of “Morning Train,” with warm, expressive vocals and gentle piano notes. Loaded with pathos and with an orchestral background, the first part softens the tone after the energetic preceding tracks. In a constant musical crescendo, the band’s prog traits take centre stage between a pathos-laden guitar solo and orchestral orchestral-embellished keyboard phrasing in the middle section. The sound gets heavier in the second half, alternating intense vocals with technical keyboard solos, and an excellent theme development makes this track one of the highlights on the album. “Propaganda” opens with sax and piano and a sound strongly steeped in Jazz, once again showing the different facets of this band. With the entry of instruments and vocals, the song evolves with a killer bassline that is at times funky, deep and driving. The band brings the retro sounds into a modern and distinctly personal context, with the sax playing a fine solo in the middle section. A track full of influences from different genres and styles, whose meeting point is quality as well as the band’s personal touch. Another of the shorter tracks, “Shibuya 3 A.M.” which still exceeds four minutes, is a softer, dreamier passage. The structure of the track is closer to ‘song’ in the first part, evolving then incorporating elements of Prog while maintaining the soft sounds. Keyboards and solid guitar riffs open “Lonely Girl,” a track that returns to the band’s classic sounds, with intense vocals and fine instrumental parts. Between energetic passages, symphonic openings with excellent blends between instruments, the vocal parts alternate with the instrumental sections nicely throughout the song. In the finale, the band concludes with a choral musical crescendo with the addition of orchestrations. Pianofort and vocals open “Mediterranean,” giving a dreamy touch to the intro, with the intensity increasing as the minutes go by. A song that is a dedication to the sea that also bathes their land Italy, passionate and with an excellent use of orchestrations in the central part. Heavier traits permeate the seventh part, where the band evolves the instrumental section with granitic guitar riffs, solid and arboreal drumming and fine melodies that accompany the last verses before closing. “Kyanite Jewel” opens with acoustic guitar and a warm vocal, and is the softest and most delicate track on the album. More of an acoustic sound, it develops interesting guitar twists and arpeggios, which envelop the listener for the duration of the track. The journey ends with “Voyager’s Homecoming” a solid Progressive Rock track with massive guitar riffs and elaborate drumming. Constantly evolving, it explores all facets of the band’s sound, incorporating elements of different genres and styles. Between Progressive Rock, forays into Folk sounds, with excellent mixtures of guitar and keyboards, orchestrations and more traditional sounds. The vocal parts are closer to Folk Rock, and then in the instrumental sections the organ and guitar offer incisive Prog phrasing. A good conclusion to a good album. A mature band both compositionally and performer-wise, who manage to bring out their personal original traits across the 12 tracks on the album. A varied tracklist that explores the different facets of the band while keeping the intensity always high and making the album enjoyable from start to finish. A recommended listen for all lovers of modern Progressive Rock sounds, with dynamic vocal parts and Symphonic traits that are linked to more technical passages.
Tracklist
01. Carry On (6:35)
02. Summer Set You Free (4:44)
03. An Ordinary Day’s Odyssey (6:03)
04. The Lost Ship Tavern (4:40)
05. Voyager (8:08)
06. Morning Train (6:08)
07. Propaganda (6:33)
08. Shibuya 3 A.M. (4:30)
09. Lonely Girl (5:09)
10. Mediterranean (5:17)
11. Kyanite Jewel (5:35)
12. Voyager’s Homecoming (7:36)
Lineup
Luca Zabbini / Keyboards
Francesco Caliendo / Bass
Marco Mazzuoccolo / Guitars
Eric Ombelli / Drums, Percussion
Alex Mari / Lead Vocals
