Moonlight Comedy is a new Italian progressive/power metal act and considering The Life Inside is the band's debut, I'm absolutely floored! Influences seem to range from Dream Theater, Symphony X, Evergrey and even Savatage. But Moonlight Comedy is no progmetal clone. Rather they draw inspiration from their influences to achieve new standards of their own. Consider the terrific catchy chorus of "Hidden Truth": in a parallel universe, the song could be a hit single.
The band is truly composed of team players and each member gets his moment to shine. I like the even mixture of Gianluigi Farina's symphonic keyboards and Simone Fiorletta's shredding guitars. Credit needs to be given to vocalist Emiliano Germani as well. Though there is a noticeable Italian accent, he has a remarkable voice with plenty of range.
Highlights include the symphonic metal of "Adam's Rib" and the neo-classical flavored "The Divine Comedy". But the band is equally adept at tackling more epic pieces as demonstrated by "The Wisdom of the Wise" and "Immortal Child".
In all, The Life Inside is an excellent start to the band's career. Though there are a few instances of blatantly incorrect English, such as "I need time 'cause I've hearded your lies" (ouch!) from "Masters of Your Mask", the lyrics are sung with such enthusiasm and awe inspiring technique that it is easy to surrender to some of the translation problems. As a debut, this is great stuff and I'm confident the band will continue to grow and improve. As it stands, Moonlight Comedy is my favorite band on the Lion Music roster. Warmly recommended.
Track Listing
- Oceans (7:34)
- Hidden Truth (7:36)
- Masters of Your Mask (6:02)
- Second Shadow (4:35)
- Adam's Rib (5:34)
- The Divine Comedy (5:35)
- The Wisdom of the Wise (6:02)
- Immortal Child (6:55)
- Into the Life-pt. 1 (3:25)