«There is no real nor imaginary,
only potential and consequences».
“A world without music would be a mistake”. This phrase by Friedrich Nitsche, a common pessimist philosopher, hides a rather strange note of optimism within. If you could only imagine: a world in which music has stopped, and the only thing left is an eerie, industrialized noise generated by machines. Doesn’t sound so pretty, does it?
This dystopian setting I just described has inspired quite a few -not limited to- progressive bands, such as Rush’s grandiose “2112”, Dream Theater’s misunderstood “The Astonishing” and, my personal favorite, Ayreon’s “The Source”. Although with a different approach, all albums that grapple with such -not so science fiction anymore- scenarios, have common grounds in hope, the value of human emotions and eventually the triumph of human nature against humankind’s technological advancements, which have assumed control in one way or another.
Enter Isometry, an Italian band who introduce themselves in a similar fashion with their concept debut album “Break The Loop”, released in November 10th. This quartet from Turin, drawing inspiration from the science fiction novels of George Orwell and Ursula Le Guin, and shaping their sound with the afformentioned albums in mind, make their impressive entrance with an effort worthy of our attention.
Comprised of ten acts, which as the band says are essentially moments frozen in time, footnotes in history just like film reels, “Break The Loop” narrates its story without your typical timetable, instead the events are taking place simultaneously and with a large gap between them at the same time.
Isometry have created their own musical identity, with bands like Symphony X, Dream Theater, Haken and Psychotic Waltz being the main contributors to it. Andrea Perdichizzi’s vocals remind us in many ways of Russell Allen, although clearly without the same degree of experience, Lorenzo Carrano’s guitar work brings back flashes of John Petrucci in the “Train Of Thought” era, and Alberto Ferreri’s drum play is earth-shattering, whether in the forefront or as a complementary instrument. A special mention is in place though, for Luca Capurso’s excellent bass guitar, which is ever-present throughout the record, while also taking up flute duties with an astounding result.
At face value, the album’s flow seems rather linear, which means the story is comprehensible only by tackling it all in one go, a usual tactic in records of its genre. After repeated listens though, one can realise that each and every act stands on its own, equally effective in the record’s pacing. Two tracks stand out the most for me as highlights; the purely instrumental “Beyond This World” and the magnificent ballad “One Entity” (featuring Giullia Proetti in vocals).
To sum up, “Break The Loop” is an exceptional concept, one that’s performed decently with loads of talent and ambition from a band that have read their homework and seems to know exactly the kind of impression they want to leave. Isometry is here and seeks out our attention with an interesting debut record and it is in our best interest to devote some time to them.
Final Score: 77/100
For Rock Overdose,
Angelos Chatzigiannis
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