Migliori Amici & Co.: Best of Friends

Best of Friends is the self-titled debut EP from melodic progressive instrumental rock band, MIGLIORI AMICI & CO. Formed by virtuoso guitarist Ray DeTone (Paul DiAnno’s Killers) and drummer Michael Sciotto (Jefferson Starship), whom with the help of some friends like Mark Clarke (Colosseum, Uriah Heep), Nicky Moroch, Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson), and more, have co-composed and co-arranged a set of 6 highly melodic songs in the vein of progressive and classic rock, with some Celtic and jazz nuances, all very well played and executed, with some original material, as well as covers and traditional songs.

The opener “Sick Shit� is an excellent track, perhaps my favorite of the EP, heavy riffing, cool spacey keyboards and phenomenal drumming waving around various sub-genres like symphonic, metal and even psychedelic, the music is all over the place but the transitions are so perfect that it doesn’t bother at all… the track closes with a progressive loop that plays a hypnotic dual guitar lick that gently digs and digs until it finds its place under the skin. Great track. There’s not much information yet on the internet about this new project, however I was able to identify “Glasgow Reel� as a cover to a traditional song from the Scottish borders, and the Celtic vibe is evident specially in the guitar-keyboards battle that reign during the track. I am not familiar with the original tune, but the arrangements here are spectacular, very well produced and executed. “Sun� follows with acoustic guitars more on the Baroque-folky territory, smartly invaded by some electronic sounding keys that enhances the soulful and heartfelt bluesy solo, beautiful stuff, a track that grows with every listen, simple and catchy but nevertheless great. I believe that the unsung hero in this EP is Adam Holzman, his input can be felt/heard in every single one of the 6 tracks, pristine.

A calm and exquisite acoustic guitar duo opens “Arctic Drift�, later accompanied by a more relaxed and jazzy rhythmic section and some metallic guitars that take over, both with the riffing and the soloing. Here we have both New Yorkers DeTone and Sciotto shining and delivering pure goodness. “Shattered Glass� is my second favorite from the EP, and that guitar-drums combination that I liked and embrace so much in the previous track is highlighted even more here, with the addition of the tremendous keys work. Finally the track “Images�, more classical guitars combined with the metallic riffing and the underlaying spacey keyboards. To this point I feel something’s missing, like some vocals, I truly believed some tracks could have beneficiated a little with some singing, not all of them but maybe a couple. The musicianship is fantastic, it has a great production and sounds powerful and crystal clear, can’t wait to see what this duo comes with in the future because they do sound great together.

Track Listing:

1. Sick Shit (7:34)
2. Glasgow Reel (4:59)
3. Sun (4:24)
4. Arctic Drift (5:19)
5. Shattered Glass (5:15)
6. Images (6:38)

Added: July 31st 2022
Reviewer: Jose Antonio Marmol
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 573
Language: english

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