Juglans Regia: Visioni Parallele

Having recently been listening to Juglans Regia's second album Controluce (reviewed elsewhere), it is very interesting indeed to then move immediately on to their third and most recent album Visioni Parallele. The feel of that second album I described as heavy rock prog and that is still the sound that is employed here, however the emphasis has now moved more towards the heavy and slightly further way from the prog. That is not to suggest that Visioni Parallele isn't a progressive album as the themes aren't always straight forward and the vocal arrangements are denser and more interesting than most full on rock efforts. The biggest difference though between the two albums is the massive jump in sound quality and the apparent confidence that end result appears to have bred in the band. Guitarist Antonello Collini has found a bight to his attack that was missing from his previous work and in places he reminds of Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) as he wrings out squeals and pops from his six string. Musically the band are far more melodic than Morello's outfit, however the songs are still jammed with big distorted riffs and intricate drum patterns.

Vocalist Alessandro Parigi is now augmented by some guest backing singers and in general the layered lead vocals and more convoluted arrangements give him a far more rounded sound. The songs themselves have progressed in quality in terms of their structures and themes and in general the standard of songwriting has been raised a notch. That said "L'Ultimo Respiro" from Controluce is given a second airing here and the highlight from that previous album is improved greatly with a harder edged sound and lusher vocals which are once again all sung in Italian (the band's native tongue), but once again Parigi's confident delivery makes up for this and I would rather hear the songs this way than with a less convincing English translation.

Keyboards have also been added to Juglans Regia's sound and tracks like "Visioni Parallele" benefit greatly from the big slabs of melody and colour they offer as they bring another dimension to the band. That said Collini is still running the show with his excellent guitar work, however having the keys to back him up actually seems to bring his playing further to the fore and not always having to rely on the guitars for solos and licks means that when he does take centre stage his efforts are all the more effective.

Juglans Regia's hard rocking approach to prog is an interesting and reasonably fresh take on a genre that has pretty much seen every approach possible and the music on Visioni Parallele is well crafted and executed. Considering the jump they have made from their last release to this one, I am very intrigued indeed to see where album number four will take the band.

Track Listing
1. Dentro. il Palazzo (1:48)
2. L'ultimo respiro (5:03)
3. La sera (4:32)
4. I colori nell'aria (6:07)
5. Il volo (6:19)
6. Lacrima nera (3:59)
7. Così vicino (5:49)
8. Visioni parallele (8:00)

Added: March 1st 2010
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band's Web Site
Hits: 1948
Language: english

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