Ad
Maiora began life in Milan in 2009 on the initiative of a bunch of
experienced musicians with a different background but with the common
goal of playing their own original compositions influenced by bands
such as Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Yes, Pink Floyd,
Premiata Forneria Marconi or Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, just to name
but a few. After some line up changes and some live experiences on
the local scene, in 2014 they self-released an interesting debut
album, Ad Maiora!, with a
line up featuring Enzo Giardina (drums), Flavio Carnovali (electric
guitar), Moreno Piva (bass, classical guitar), Paolo Callioni
(vocals) and Sergio Caleca (keyboards). The name of the band comes
from a Latin expression that means to greater things
and in some way describes the band's attitude and their wish to find
a new way by combining vintage and modern sounds. The result of their
efforts is very good and their first album is absolutely worth
listening to.
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| art cover |
The
opener "Diatriba" (Argument) is a tantalizing instrumental
piece filled with dark energy. Every now and again I'm reminded of
Goblin and in my opinion this track might be a perfect score for a
thriller movie. Then comes another charming instrumental, "Sugo
Dance", a lively track with a strong Mediterranean flavour and a
joyful pace.
The
darker "Dream" is the third instrumental in a row and
features some aggressive electric guitar riffs and sparse exotic
touches that take you on a musical journey under the stars for one
thousand and one Arabian Nights, along the Silk Road. It leads to
"Eclissi Orientale" (Oriental Eclipse) where the music and
lyrics depict the atmosphere and the colours of the bazaar in the
city of Aqaba, a sunrise by the Red Sea and a sunset in the desert.
Then you get lost in your dreams when the moon meets the sun and lies
like a bride on him... By the way, despite the Italian title the
track is sung in English and it's a real pity that the band didn't
exploit more their native language.
Goblin's
influence looms large also over the following "Nulla intenso"
(Intense naught), another thrilling instrumental track that evokes
nightmarish atmospheres and restless nights. It leads to the apparent
calm of "Strange", a reflective, melancholic ballad where
the music and lyrics depict a man haunted by crazy dreams and ghosts
from his past that make difficult, even painful to him decide to
change his way of life.
Next
comes the long, complex instrumental "Menate" (the title
could be approximately translated as little, silly problems), a nice
mix of different moods and atmospheres that leads to the jazzy
"Summertime", inspired by George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and featuring heartfelt vocals and a good electric
guitar solo.
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| Ad Maiora on stage |
"Corolla"
is another excellent instrumental track blending rock and classical
influences. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a
corolla... Well, in my opinion this piece evokes a joyful, colourful
Celebration of springtime and makes me think of light birds with red
feathers dancing a playful tarantella in the sky.
The
conclusive "No More War" brings back Middle-Eastern
atmospheres. Here the music and lyrics depict a sunny winter morning on the Cheekha Dar and a hot sunny afternoon by the Lake Hammar with
children playing and nice green parrots flying. Then comes a quiet,
starry night on the desert and you can see the children sleeping and
forget for a moment the threatening shadows of the never ending war
that still ravages the enchanted Iraqi landscapes...
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| Ad Maiora 2014 |
On
the whole, I think that this is a very interesting work. Anyway, have
a try and judge by yourselves: you can listen to the complete album HERE
Ad
Maiora: Ad Maiora! (2014). Other opinions:
Michael
"Aussie-Byrd-Brother": One of the most varied and
unpredictable progressive albums to emerge from Italy in quite some
time... Ad Maiora work in everything from symphonic prog, jazz, heavy
rock, blues, the romantic prog styling of Camel, and even some of the
classical sophistication of the proper RPI/Italian prog bands... `Ad
Maiora!' gets the band off to a great start, already setting the bar
very high for their future works... (read the complete review HERE)
Thomas
Szirmay: This is a dazzling debut album, full of master
craftsmanship, thematic creativity, totally memorable melodies and
backing rhythms that once again prove vividly that Italian prog is
fine and healthy, unlike their plodding economy, piss-poor politics
and neurotic soccer team... (read the complete review HERE)
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