Eversin Divina Distopia
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Divina Distopia is the latest release from the Italian band Eversin. While being billed by the label as “Techno Power-Thrash”, this album falls more appropriately into the progressive metal camp as there are no obvious super high speed thrash riffs or the heavy electronica normally associated with “techno”. Whatever you might consider Eversin’s genre, Divina Distopia is a decent and interesting album.
Eversin’s history stretches back to late 2000, when they formed under the name Fuoco Fatuo (the Italian name for the “ghost light” or “will o’ the wisp” phenomena). They put out three albums, and then decided to slightly refocus and changed their name to the more accessible Eversin for their latest release. Founding members Ignazio Nicastro (bass) and Giangabriele Lo Pilato (guitars) selected vocalist Angelo Ferrante as their voice and the trio has been the core of the band since. Now joined by keyboard player Mimmo Petrella and drummer Sergio Calì, Eversin has developed a very progressive sound that displays influences from bands as diverse as Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian and Dream Theater — along with some strong hints of classical music.
Musically these guys are very good. The guitar work of Lo Pilato is solid all around, but not out of the ordinary. He lays down pounding rhythm lines and squealing harmonics with gusto, and plays a nice acoustic as well. Nicastro and Cali are a good rhythm section as well, also handling the varied prog styles and changes gracefully and capably. Petrella’s keyboard work is probably the musical strong point of the album. He plays subtly and softly throughout, somehow managing to drive many of the songs forward without dominating the music.
Unfortunately the weak point of Eversin is vocalist Ferrante. He is not a bad singer by any means, but his voice is very rough and harsh – something unusual in the prog metal world. His range is limited and he seems to flip from a clean singing voice into an almost operatic falsetto too often, sometimes within the same line – which is disconcerting and distracting. The fact that he also sings with a thick accent doesn’t help matters either, particularly as he tries to push the high end. Eversin would be a much stronger band if he would stay within his range – the unusual harshness of his voice would still allow them to stand out from the crowd without distracting the listener with the forced falsetto.
The CD opens with “X.E.N.O.S.,” a brooding and ponding prog metal piece with the required keyboards and tempo changes. “Wings Of Tears” is a very heavy track with a great bass and drum line, and tons of intensity. There are some interesting audible dissonances in the song, along with some really over-the-top backing vocals. “In The Shadow Of The Rose” opens with a great guitar riff and a very progressive bass driven groove, but then transforms into an almost keyboard powered ballad. “Divina Distopia” follows with numerous tempo changes and seems to be a collection of every progressive metal cliché out there, but it is great fun to listen to.
“Angel Of Silence” opens with a nice orchestral passage and becomes a dark and moody track dealing with the horrors of the World Trade Center terrorist attack, undoubtedly the best on the album from a lyrical and musical perspective. “Suddenly” is a very well crafted power ballad-esque track which highlights the raw musical talent of the band and features an incredible guitar solo. It also shows how well Angelo Ferrante can sing when he stays within his range. Divina Distopia wraps in a quiet and subdued manner with “In My Dreams They Live” – some really great acoustic guitars and terrific keyboards here.
The production and engineering are typical progressive metal work – clean and crisp for the most part. The only obvious flaw is the occasional imbalance of vocals and instruments, particularly during the occasional spoken passages . Ferrante’s vocals are sometimes difficult to hear over the music in much the same way old Lacuna Coil albums were mixed. A trend in Italian rock perhaps…?
On the whole, Divina Distopia is a decent listen if you are into progressive metal. Non-prog fans would probably be bored. There is nothing truly spectacular or innovative here, but the musicianship and songwriting talent is undeniably good and overshadow any weaknesses with a passionate and enthusiastic performance.
Label: My Kingdom Music
Web: www.myspace.com/eversinmetal, www.eversin.com/home.html
Track Listing:
01 – X.E.N.O.S
02 – Wings Of Tears
03 – In The Shadow Of The Rose
04 – Divina Distopia
05 – Angel Of Silence
06 – Suddenly
07 – In My Dreams They Live
HRH Rating: 7/10