UNDER CONTROL

Third is the third album by Milanese neo-prog band Silver Key and was released in 2019 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a renewed line up featuring veterans Roberto Buchicchio (guitars, vocals), Ivano Tognetti (bass) and Davide Manara (keyboards, synthesizers) along with a new vocalist, Dino Procopio, who had the hard task to replace founder member Yuri Abietti. The guests Minin Yegnan Ndiaye (drums) and Helena Jansson (backing vocals) completed the team that recorded the album, a conceptual work loosely inspired by Schopenhauer’s philosophy and related to the search for freedom and to the necessity to get rid of our instincts to be masters of our lives, as pointed out in the liner notes by Barbara Parodi… To be honest, despite the good intentions, lyrics are not the strength of this album and the concept is a bit confused but the music is good and I’m sure that neo-prog lovers will enjoy it.

The aggressive opener “A Common Soldier” tries to express in music and words the will to react to the misfortunes of life by fighting adversities to escape from the black shadows of an ominous fate. In the first part the war against the destiny rages on while the second part is calmer and reflects some painful memories from the difficult childhood of the protagonist... Then it’s the turn of “V.R.”, a track with a strong synthetic sound that deals with virtual reality and the powers and dangers of unbridled imagination... 

Next comes “Ulysses” that begins by a dreamy piano pattern and soaring vocals before taking different musical directions. It tries to describe an endless virtual journey on the internet where, like Homer’s hero, the protagonist is tempted by deceiving mermaids and eventually gets lost, caught in a shining web made of tricky ads and other traps...  

The dark, nightmarish “I Wish” is about the insane, compelling instincts that sometimes drive evil doers and the impossibility to control them while the following “Last Love” is calmer and deals with the crazy addiction to a hopeless love...

Silver Key on stage 2019

The last track “Back To The Present” is a long, complex suite divided into five parts (A Rude Awakening – Back To The Present – Murder – Endless War – The Door Shuts) that resumes the story of a madman locked up in a psychiatric hospital. The first part, tense and full of dark energy, tells of the sudden awakening of the protagonist who can’t exactly remember what happened to him but still feels an uncontrollable rage and has to be sedated… The second part is calmer and completely instrumental, then on the third section theatrical vocals come back to dig out hidden memories. There’s the murder of a woman and probably it was not the first one… The fourth part brings up other painful memories like the moment when the protagonist was fired and lost his job and the loss of his mother… The last part closes the album with a short narrative part showing the satisfaction of the medical staff who are sure to have found the right cure for their patient and the way to control his instincts. Eventually, after a tense instrumental passage, you can hear again the desperate voice of the protagonist saying “I have no hope”.

On the whole, a good work with some interesting ideas. Anyway, have a try and judge by yourselves.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/SilverKeyProg/

THE SCREAMING KEY

The Screams Empire is the second album by the Milanese band Silver Key. It was released in 2015 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash with a renewed line up featuring Yuri Abietti (vocals, acoustic guitar), Roberto Buchicchio (guitars), Ivano Tognetti (bass), Davide Manara (keyboards, synthesizers) and Viviano Crimella (drums, percussion). Despite the line up changes, the band confirm here their good creative vein and all the good qualities of the debut album. Their neo-prog sound every now again veers to AOR, but you can hear also more experimental parts and jazzier passages while the lyrics deal with a social science fiction plot set in a dystopic future loosely inspired by the works of writers such as Philip K. Dick, George Orwell or Isaac Asimov. 

The committed opener “Screams Behind The Whispers” is a melodic track with a strong leaning to AOR. It’s a warning against the power of media and the false appearances they conjure up, the music and lyrics invite you to look behind the curtains and to fight against the serpents huddled in the backstage of an unscrupulous political world… 

Then comes the dreaming “Stargazing” that could recall Marillion and depicts in music and lyrics a strange gathering of cats on the city roofs and their mysterious concert to the stars… For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see. He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities… The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language; but he is more ancient than the Sphinx, and remembers that which she hath forgotten... (quote from The Cats Of Ulthar by H.P. Lovecraft). 

Silver Key 2015

The nervous “A.S.I. (The Singularity)” is a bitter-sweet reflection about God and technology where a new omniscient, mocking creature rises from silicon and circuits like in a video-game. Then it’s the turn of “Event Horizon” where the music and lyrics try to describe the moment when you have to face your ghosts right in the eyes. It’s the point of no return where space and time get blurred in the event horizon of an irreversible change in your life... Neo prog with a nice, jazzy middle section and a pinch of drama! 

The long, complex “The Screams Empire” is a suite divided into four parts (I. Random Frequencies, II. The Arrival, III. A Quest In Time and IV. Resistance). It tells about the invasion of the Earth by peculiar alien beings, cruel reptiles that take control of the human race in a new empire where you have to scream louder than everyone else to rule and gather followers. The beautiful art work by Daniele Aimasso should give you an idea of the content of this interesting piece... 

The final track “Adrift” is a heartfelt, melodic ballad that tells of the feelings of an astronaut lost in space, adrift on his starship. The music and lyrics here deal with regret and nostalgia and depict the lost words from a haunting, overwhelming past that come up riding the waves of the thoughts of the protagonist. For this piece the band shot an evocative video directed by Marcella Savino… 

You can listen to the complete album HERE 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/SilverKeyProg/ 

https://silverkeyproduction.wordpress.com/

OPENING THE GATES OF DREAM

Silver Key is a progressive rock band from Milan whose roots date back to 1992. After many problems, a long hiatus, some line up changes and a period passed performing Marillion's covers, in 2012 they finally released a début album featuring only original compositions on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records, “In The Land Of Dreams”. The current line up features founder member Yuri Abietti (vocals, acoustic guitar, samples) along with Carlo Monti (electric and acoustic guitars), Alberto Grassi (bass), Davide Manara (keyboards, synthesizers, samples) and Viviano Crimella (drums, percussion) but in the studio they were helped by some special guests such as Ettore Salati (guitar – from The Watch, The RedZen, SoulnginE and Alex Carpani Band) and Massimo Parretti (keyboards – from the historic band Alusa Fallax). The overall sound is in debt with bands such as Genesis and Marillion, of course, but Silver Key managed to add to their music a touch of originality and all their love for the works of writers as Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Robert William Chambers with excellent results.

Silver Key 2012

Calm, lasting beauty comes only in dream, and this solace the world had thrown away when in its worship of the real it threw away the secrets of childhood and innocence... There are twists of time and space, of vision and reality, which only a dreamer can divine... (H.P. Lovecraft, from The Silver Key). Well, the band was named after the title of a short story by H.P. Lovecraft and I think that this short quote along with the beautiful art cover by Claudio Bergamin could introduce you to Silver Key's work better than all my words.

The evocative, dreamy title track, “In the Land of Dreams”, opens the album inviting you to look at the world as it is in your dreams, even if it's very difficult at times. The following “More Than I Can” is darker and reminds you that life is too short for all the things you would like to do. Next comes “Learn To Let Go” which is about the need to break free from the chains of your worries and fears to escape from the daily grind. After comes “Millennium” that begins softly, then the music and lyrics conjure up apocalyptic visions with black clouds of fiery angels pouring down from the sky.

“The Silver Key” is the main course of the album. It's a long, complex suite featuring lyrics inspired by the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft and R.W. Chambers. The silver key opens the gates of a fantastic dreamland but as we grow up we risk to lose our capacity to enter the realms of dreams. In this sumptuous suite the music and lyrics try to take us on a dangerous journey through forgotten memories and dark, fantastic cities, in a quest for our lost innocence.

The conclusive “Welcome” begins with a delicate piano pattern. It's a bitter-sweet ballad that blends hope and regret with a strong sense of melody... “I welcome myself / Standing on the edge of what I'm going to be / I welcome my death...”.

On the whole a very good album, especially recommended if you like bands such as The Watch.

You can listen to complete album in streaming  HERE 

Silver Key: In The Land Of Dreams (2012). Other opinions:

Steven Reid: As debut efforts go, In The Land Of Dreams really is rather special. Yes it is neo-prog as you've come to expect it and yes you could, if you were being uncharitable, suggest there's little new here. However Silver Key deliver from the heart and take you wilfully on their musical journey as they do so. In itself a feat worth celebrating... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.silver-key.it/ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-Key/199566720070000