Dreamquest (Luca Turilli's) - Lost horizons 3.5/5
Reviewed: 7-28-06
Tracklist:
1. Introspection
2. Virus
3. Dreamquest
4. Black rose
5. Lost horizons
6. Sospiro divino
7. Shades of eternity
8. Energy
9. Frozen star
10. Kyoto's romance
11. Too late
12. Dolphin's heart
13. Gothic vision (bonus track)
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Luca Turilli's Dreamquest debut 'Lost horizons' is a CD I fear won't appeal to a lot of metal fans, but it's been a nice surprise for me. Because of both the music and female vocals, the CD comes off as a blend of Nightwish, Dol Ammad, Therion and Within Temptation. It's a bombastic CD with choirs and bouncy rhythms, surrounded by an electronic (slight techno) vibe, containing elements that are heard with the Dol Ammad debut 'Star tales'. 'Lost horizons' provides no speedy moments at all, as the hook-less 'Star tales' does, but the CD is still quite upbeat and much more exciting than Luca's latest solo offering 'The infinite wonders of creation'.
One strong aspect of the CD is the female vocals of Myst (short for "mystery"?), as her voice is strikingly similar to the voice of Floor Jansen from After Forever, who sings in both a (somewhat) regular voice and also in the soprano range. Myst really hits the high-pitch too, most notably in the slow track 6 "Sospiro divino" (the only song not in English) and track 12 "Dolphin's heart". The variety of vocals she provides is definitely one of the things that makes this an enjoyable listen for me.
I was surprised to learn Luca handles the keyboard himself, as he's well known for being the guitarist (and songwriter) of Rhapsody. This is probably why the keyboard feels like the main instrument. So don't expect the best riffs you've ever heard to be present on 'Lost horizons', but I still find the guitar work (along with everything else) to be superior to what's heard with the boring 'The infinite wonders of creation'. Special mention must be made of the bonus track "Gothic vision" that's included with the version I have, as it's one of the better (certainly one of the most upbeat) songs.
Although I'm someone who has taken a bit of a liking to the upcoming bands that have decreased the amount of guitar work and increased the amount of keyboard/synth activity, especially Synthphonia Suprema and now Dreamquest, I have a feeling this is going to be a style that will diminish in a few years, at least for true metalheads. So I'll enjoy the handful of bands attempting to try something new for now, but my heart is well embedded in metal and I don't think bands like Dreamquest could ever reach my all-time favorite's list.
CLINT
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