SEVEN IMPALE – Contrapasso

I really dug Seven Impale’s previous album, the one entitled "City of the Sun", and so, naturally, I was quite excited about receiving a promo copy of their upcoming album, "Contrapasso".

As with its predecessor, "Contrapasso" draws on a myriad of different bands and influences, and while the style of the music may be close to progressive rock, it is way more than that in the sense that the nine songs that make up the album are all quite eclectic and far-reaching, both musically and lyrically. Countless different moods and surreal musical landscapes are conjured up and presented to us, but the beauty of it all is that these guys have made it all sound coherent and cohesive somehow. I love the carnivalesque and yet melancholic atmosphere of the opening track, "Lemma", and the cinematic and world-weary feel of "Inertia", but what I love even more is the variety and diversity of the whole damn album. Listening to it never becomes a drag, although the closing track ("Phoenix") is a bit of a letdown and leaves something to be desired. Luckily, the other eight songs are strong and solid.

Everything from 70s hard rock to psychedelia and further on to jazz-like elements have been thrown into the mix in a well-executed manner, and "Contrapasso» is both captivating and intriguing as a result thereof. The dramatic vocals are also more convincing than the last time around. If you are feeling strange or even remotely deranged, "Contrapasso" will undoubtedly appeal to you as it is daring, complex, experimental, and pretty fucking far out!

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