Illusion Of Gravity took shape in Turin in 2013 on the initiative of
keyboardist Umberto Alberto and drummer Davide Garofalo. After some
line up changes and a first period spent performing cover versions of
pieces by Pink Floyd, Genesis, PFM, Caravan or Porcupine Tree, they
started to work on their own compositions with the
aim of merging into a progressive rock core a combination
of different musical genres.
In 2020 they finally self
released a debut album entitled Too Late with a line up
featuring Umberto Alberto (keyboards), Davide Garofalo (drums),
Federico Aluzzi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alessandro Cascella
(lead guitar) and Gabriele Zuddas (bass). The final result is a good
mix of modern and vintage sounds...
The opener “Too Late” starts by a spacey crescendo that could
recall Pink Floyd, then the dark, pulsing atmosphere gives way to a
more melodic part where the music and lyrics evoke the regrets for
some wrong choices made in the past but also the awareness of the
need to go on. If you try, you might find that it’s not too late to
redeem yourself learning from your errors but you have to fight hard
to come out from the abyss of a personal crises and never stop to
hope in better days to come...
“Shining Bliss” blends eighties keyboard sounds and more
aggressive parts with electric guitar riffs in the forefront to
depict and criticize a false, hypocritical world where appearances
rule and the value of a person is based only on his or her richness
and bloodline...
The dark “Strange Home” conjures up haunting presences and
painful memories that keep you stuck in a house once familiar and now
transformed in a kind of mental prison. The following “I Can”
starts by a keyboard pattern with a strong new wave flavour, then the
music takes another direction while the lyrics depict an effort to
break through from a bleak reality getting lost in a psychedelic
trip...
The long, complex epic “Kua Fu” closes the album with fiery
guitar riffs and other brilliant instrumental passages. The title
refers to the name of a giant who wished to capture the Sun, a legend
in Chinese mythology that the band tells through the voice of Kua Fu
by interpreting his desperate, crazy effort to tame the light. There
are many versions of this myth, here the Moon, queen of the night,
has mercy of the protagonist and tries to save him from the burning
power of the Sun...
On the whole, a good album full of nuances but that needs several
spins to be fully appreciated.
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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