It is with great pleasure that I offer you in this article a review of a band that since their debut album has impressed me with the quality of their sound. The Italian G.O.L.E.M. offers a sound that mixes classic Progressive Rock with a fresh and modern personal touch, granitic and incisive. The second album “Gathering Of the Legendary Elephant Monsters” was released on September 27, 2024 via Black Widow Records and contains seven long tracks including an epic over 11 minutes long. The opener and title-track “Gathering Of The Legendary Elephant Monsters” immediately immerses us in the band’s solid and elaborate sound with interweaving keyboards and Hammond in evidence. Dark atmospheres permeate the track, with a distinctly 70s feel, with the mellotron in the background and dual keyboards driving the sound. The warm and expressive vocals are reminiscent of the masters of the genre, but with a personal and modern touch, interpreting the lyrics with passion. The vocal parts alternate perfectly with the instrumental sections, whose textures enhance the band’s compositional and performing technique. In the middle section, the band offers a weave of absolutely top-notch keyboard solos that literally made me jump out of my chair. The vocals return for the last few verses and, alternating with intense instrumental textures, the track ends. Tracks like these only do music good, an absolute masterpiece. Intense and full of pathos, “Mechanical Evolution” has a melancholic touch in its sound and a masterful vocal performance, set against deep, emotional keyboard twists. The intensity increases as the minutes pass, exploring retro prog sounds with a modern, personal touch and a refined solo insert in the second half. The rhythm section is solid and elaborate, and the track is another excellent proof of the band’s compositional and performing qualities. “The Endless Night of Reason” opens with an atmospheric intro of keyboards and fine synth melodies and dilated sounds. With a change the band incorporates heavy prog elements and a dynamic and expressive vocal, following the continuous tempo changes offered by the rhythm section. The sound is granitic and the keyboards in great prominence in both the melodies and the solo inserts are refined and beautifully crafted. The long instrumental textures are a combination of retro sounds and modern, original traits, while the vocal parts enhance Marco Vincini‘s vocal technique. An interesting organ melody over which a dynamic vocal opens “Life Between the Lines,” uniting the past and presentel prog genre. The rhythm section is solid and full of tempo changes, the instrumental textures are enriched by openings that explore the different facets of the band’s sound with a symphonic and melancholic touch. In the middle section, the synth offers a solo cue that takes us back to the golden years of Prog, then the intense voice returns and in the finale another solo keyboard insert takes the sound to another level. A track we got to know as a single from the album “Tale of the Oblivion Dance,” it is an energetic interweaving of organ and intense vocals. The tempo changes are an added value for the band’s sound, allowing them to switch from heavy moments to symphonic openings with synths in evidence. Once again, the combination of past and present genre has succeeded to perfection, showing songwriting and performing technique of the highest level. In the second half, the band returns to heavier sounds, again with keyboards and vocals intertwining, following the refined tempo changes. The album ends with “Keeper of the Ocean’s Gate,” an elaborate interweaving of keyboards and bass open the track, developed with drumming enriched by tempo changes. The vocals are dynamic and expressive, developing the song in the middle section with a soft, symphonic opening with dilated sounds. The band returns to more energetic and elaborate sonorities, with intricate solo inserts and keyboard interlacing that accompany us to the finale. The vocal returns for the last verses and the track and album come to an end. A band that confirms the good things heard in the debut, offering a second album of absolute level. A granitic Progressive Rock, with keyboards in evidence, solid and elaborate rhythm sections and dynamic and intense vocal parts. Long tracks that enhance the band’s compositional and performing technique, showing a high level of artistic maturity. A recommended listen for all lovers of Progressive sounds with keyboards in evidence, intense vocal parts and rich instrumental textures.
Tracklist
01. Gathering Of The Legendary Elephant Monsters (11:57)
02. Mechanical Evolution (05:41)
03. The Endless Night of Reason (06:51)
04. Life Between the Lines (06:40)
05. Tale of the Oblivion Dance (05:26)
06. Keeper of the Ocean’s Gate (08:16)
Lineup
Paolo Apollo Negri / Organ and Synthesizers
Emil Quattrini / Electric Pianos and Mellotron
Marco Zammati / Electric Bass
Francesco Lupi / Drums
Marco Vincini / Vocals
