Afasia
were formed in Rome in 2011 on the initiative of guitarist and
composer Francesco Lori who teamed up with Fabio Riccucci and
Francesco De Santis to work on a new project inspired by bands such
as Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, King Crimson
but also newer ones like Opeth and Dream Theater just to name but a
few. After a long, hard work and a good live activity on the local
scene, in 2016 Afasia finally self-released a debut album entitled
Nelle vesti del mio ego with a renewed line up featuring
Francesco Lori (guitars), Fabio Riccucci (drums), Giuseppe Poveromo
(keyboards), Damiano Lanciano (bass) and Marco Civilla (vocals). It’s
a long, complex concept album that tells in music and words the story
of a madman who escapes from a mental hospital and later is arrested and
sentenced to death for murder. The heartfelt, theatrical vocals play
the characters and try to convey their feelings while the music
underlines the storyline. There are many changes in mood and rhythm
with aggressive passages influenced by metal sounds and calmer,
dreamy ones… In my opinion this is an excellent work but beware! It
could be hard to appreciate it if you can’t follow the plot…
The
opener, “Nelle vesti del mio ego part I” (In the guise of my
ego), starts softly on the notes of a carillon, then electric guitar
and Gothic choirs bring a disquieting mood and evoke conflictual
feelings. The music and lyrics depict a patient in a mental hospital:
four walls separate him from reality, he has forged an imaginary
armour to protect him for the curiosity of other people and in his
personal inner-world he lives every day a new adventure that gives
him strength. He feels different from anybody else and his soul walks
on the thin thread of fate… The echoes of his screams flow and
rebound on the walls of his cell, strange forces keep him blocked,
evil eyes are staring at him… They tell him that he’ll be better
soon and he is forced to relax, he feels like melting in a dark lake,
his body gives up... Then consciousness comes back and gives shape to
the pain, as the senses awake a furious rage wears him out from
within in the guise of his ego...
“La
grazia di Andromeda” (Andromeda’s grace) marks a change of mood.
The atmosphere becomes calmer, almost romantic. It’s dark, through
the open window the wind caresses the face of the protagonist of the
story, the night comforts him. Then he sees a woman and her face
shines like a beam of hope… Is she real? He calls her Andromeda.
Her voice is like a melody, it’s like magic. She whispers to him
that he’s not the only one who cries and suffers in this place and
that she’s with him. He falls in love, her grace gives him
strength...
The
following “Grida dall’Ade” (Screams from Hades) begins softly
but it’s just the calm before the storm. The protagonist can see
the nurses coming in and deal with Andromeda. She’s shouting no! He
can hear the echoes of her screams, he feels impotent, he would fight
against those demons with a thousand weapons but he can’t, he’s
crying for her… Her tears freeze him and his rage rises. He looks
for vengeance… He binds his time and manages to steal some
canisters when his guardians are distracted. His shrewdness and his
rage allow him to knock down the torturers, in his mind even love is
screaming for vengeance! So, he kills the nurses and escapes with
Andromeda...
“Perseo”
(Perseus) describes the breakthrough with emphatic, powerful tones
mixing mythology and madness. Perseus is, in Greek mythology, the
hero and slayer of monsters who saved Andromeda from the sea monster
Cetus. Here the protagonist experiences the feeling of being strong
and invincible when running out of his prison with her beloved
Andromeda… He prays Zeus to protect them along their way between
hell and sea and dreams of a winged horse to ride away, free from the
tyranny of the mental hospital. No Medusa nor Titans can stop them...
The
long, complex “La valle delle ruote meccaniche” (The valley of
the mechanical wheels) begins with dreamy atmospheres and pastel
colours… Out of the hospital walls everything seems better and
beautiful, the green of the fields contrasts with the blue of the sky
on the horizon as the protagonists fly away, hand in hand with
Andromeda. They go east, where there are signs of civilization, where
they can hide in a city… But as the landscape changes, the smells
become almost poisonous, there are endless streets, they can see
strange, almost threatening skyscrapers in the dark… What kind of
place is this? Metallic monsters are oozing grey vapours and their
noises are driving the protagonist completely insane. He can see
people inside strange talking boxes that seem feeding on brains…
This is the real madness, his greatest phobia! He’s confused but
realizes that he has committed an error, this is not freedom but just
a cruel world where the thirst of power rules… His hopes die away
in the valley of the mechanical wheels that turn men into slaves. As
his dreams vanish the protagonist curses this merciless society made
of incertitude and carelessness… Then someone captures him,
Andromeda manages to run away but he’s caught and arrested as a
criminal… He killed to protect his love and now the weight of his
act is like a boulder that smashes him down… He falls down into an
inner abyss, nightmares take over, finally they stun him… Now time
flows slowly, fragile and tired… Without love nor wings!
“Nelle
vesti del mio ego part II” describes the sad epilogue. The doors of
the court of justice are going to be opened and we can hear the
reflections of the protagonist about his behaviour before the trial.
He’s aware that soon he’ll pass away, sentenced to death, but
leaving this world eventually could mean that his soul will be set
free, his memories will be erased and he will find a place in new
dimensions, maybe in another world where prejudice does not rule and
where he could finally meet with Andromeda again… At the moment of
the trial the music turns to sarcastic tones evoking a kind of circus
where the protagonist is treated like a beast, a human scum, a public
enemy, a dangerous, mad murderer. Of course, he is found guilty and
sentenced to death… Then the music evokes the return to naught and
every now and again it makes me think of the final track of Le Orme’s
Felona e Sorona. At last the protagonist feels he’s melting in a
dark lake and his body gives up… He’s going to meet the creator
in a dream without awakening where a new utopia will cradle him in
the sky, forever and ever…
All
in all I think that this is a really good album. The songwriting is
good and the music perfectly fits the storyline even if it could be
difficult appreciate it at the very first spin. Anyway, have a try!
You can listen to the complete album on deezer or spotify…
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