Barnum's
Freak began life in Naples in 2012 on the initiative of Massimiliano
Romano (guitars), Sergio Vassetti (keyboards) and Salvatore Oroso
(drums). Their music was influenced by seventies prog bands such as
Pink Floyd, Goblin, Focus or PFM but also by post rock and more
recent acts. The name of the band refers to some attractions of
Barnum's Circus, monsters and curiosities such as Joice Heth, an African-American slave who was exhibited by P.T. Barnum with the false claim that she was the 161-year-old nursing "mammy"
of George Washington. According to the band, the
monster is necessary to the mental integrity of us all and, against
its will, increases the cohesion of the so-called ‘normal people’
against all the forms of perversion. A quite confused conception, but
sufficient to satisfy the early craving of normality: that blurry
desire of conformity and uniformity that each of us harbours inside
ourselves.
In
2014 Barnum's Freak self-released a debut work featuring the
collaboration of two guest musicians, Alessandro Bagagli (bass) and
Manuela Papa (vocals). It's a concept album about
a spiritual journey towards a new awareness titled
Revolution Loading,
where the words
revolution and evolution are in some way merged to create something new. The
album is almost completely instrumental and you have to rely upon
your imagination and on the explanations of the band to understand
and appreciate the storyline. According to the band, the
world in which we live is a professional system created to hide a
terrible reality... We are all slaves, locked into a prison with no
walls, no bars, no smell, a prison to our mind...
So, we have to search for a way to breakthrough!
The
calm opener "Appearance (DayDream)" describes an
unconscious, apparent normality made by conformity and uniformity.
It's sung in English and, unfortunately, it's the only track where we
can appreciate the vocal qualities of Manuela Papa. Behind an
ethereal, surreal dreamy mood you can feel an impending change in the
air...
The
following "Doubt (UnReal)" begins by the sound of a storm
in the background and marks the loss of confidence and a state of
uncertainty. The rhythm rises, doubts are spreading all around, you
feel confused... It leads to the dark, powerful "Crisis
(SetBack)" which tries to describe the dramatic inner conflict
and the confrontation with the ‘other-than-itself’.
Next
comes "Awakening (Resurgence)" that tries to depict the
birth of a new attitude in the way you observe and perceive the
world. You begin to breathe again fresh air under a dark sky,
eventually the sunlight shines through the clouds... "NeWay
(Beaming)" ends the album with a surge of cosmic energy and a
touch of optimism while the gates of the house of the king open for
you.
On
the whole, an interesting debut work from a band that deserves credit
and that could have a bright future.
You can listen to the complete album HERE
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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