EVEN FLOW – Mediterraneo
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The Sardinian prog metal band has not exactly chosen the most original band name. First, the name makes you think immediately of Pearl Jam's hit song, which musically is a completely different direction, and secondly, several other bands chose already the same name. Even Flow have been active in the scene for over 20 years, although they only released two longplayers in 2011 and 2017. Again, they took a long time until the EP Mediterraneo was released in 2022. This is a concept record representing the beauty of the Mediterranean. The long wait was worth it. Even though the playing time of this EP is rather short, the featured material is of the highest order. The quartet consists of the two brothers Pietro and Giorgio Lunesu as well as two other musicians being also active in Temperance and Fallen Sanctuary. The songs put a lot of emphasis on melodies combined with orchestral sounds. The band's main attraction is singer Marco Pastorino, who has several octaves at his disposal and whom I could imagine as an opera singer. The opener Ocean Lies is my personal highlight of the EP. After a fast start there is a chorus that immediately sticks in the ear. The massive rhythm section also perfectly supports the song. Nevertheless, the band has chosen the following Ray Of Light as the first single, which is also a strong number, although without reaching the class of the opener. Again, the extremely strong chorus with high vocals is in the foreground. With Leaves, which lasts just under three minutes, Even Flow go in a different direction. This piece is carried by piano and vocals and reminds me of the British prog rock legend Peter Hammill when he is doing his live solo thing. An unusual song, but one that deserves its place on this EP. The fast and briskly arranged Revelation Day, which goes more in the direction of the first two titles, is more classical prog rock. Really a good song, but there are no new revelations. Finally comes the title track, running for seven and a half minutes. With a lot of liberties and playfulness, a wonderful prog rock song has been created that has pretty much everything fans of the genre desire. It's a shame that the promo around Even Flow gets so little attention. This band has more to offer than one might assume based on their recognition. If you like British-influenced prog rock of the nineties, you shouldn’t ignore Even Flow who really deserve their chance. |
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5 songs |
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23:30 minutes |
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***** **** |
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Genre: progressive metal (self released) |
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