Here’s one for you to check out. MasterdomM from Italy. Thanks to Thomas Frediani (guitarist) for sending me a review copy of the band’s debut full-length album entitled Scizophrenia.
My knowledge of heavy/progressive metal in Italy is limited to Trick or Treat’s Rabbit’s Hill Part 1. MasterdoM were, until Thomas got in touch, a band I had not heard of before.
So no idea what to expect when the CD arrived other than the bio accompanying it indicating that the band formed in 2005 and have been at the game since with various line-up changes and a couple of EPs. And that their name ending with the capital M is deliberate.
So what about the music? It took three or for spins for me to get in to it. At first I couldn’t take to it but on about the fourth spin I started to get it. More to MasterdoM that first meets the eye…….or ear should I say.
Definitely heavy with progressive touches rocking along fairly well. Machine gun drumming, some tasty yet restrained guitar work showing some subtlety amongst the power and an energetic vocal style from Matteo Bottaro.
The opener and title track is the longest at around five minutes and has a bit of a hypnotic feel to it. The riff got in to my head eventually. Nice.
The other eight tracks some in between three and four minutes to give a “punchy” style which holds the attention well over the listenings.
Some variation and melody to proceedings also. Check out Cutting Blades and the self-titled track MasterdoM for example.
Overall – a pleasantly surprising discovery. I am pleased to have been exposed to a new (to me) band. Style-wise I’d say somewhere between early Judas Priest, a bit of Sabbath, a bit of Angel Witch, a bit of Tytan (so some NWOBHM influences in there) and a bit of Dream Theatre. A recommended play.
>> LISTEN TO SAMPLES ON AMAZON OF MASTERDOM’S SCIZOPHRENIA ALBUM <<
MasterdoM links:
http://www.masterdomband.net
http://www.facebook.com/masterdomitaly