Adagio - Sanctus Ignis
LMP - 2001
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Adagio.jpg
Adagio is a new band fronted by the French guitarist Stephen Forte. His band has gathered quite a good buzz with their debut album Sanctus Ignis, a neo-classical and symphonic metal album very similar to Symphony X. This is exactly where the problem lies with Adagio, to my ears they sound too similar to Symphony X and unfortunately not nearly as good as the excellent US band. I do admit that Stephen is a very talented guitarist with a style very similar to Michael Romeo and Yngwie Malmsteen and he has surrounded himself with a very talented supporting cast. Richard Andersson of Majestic, another band that is similar to Symphony X, handles the keyboards with a lot of conviction and passion. However, as was the case with his band I really do not like the "sound" of his keyboards, they seem fit for a video game. Dirk Bruinenberg of Elegy does a solid job playing the drums and the same is true with bassist Franck Hermanny. Finally, David Readman of Pink Cream 69 sings with a great powerful and commanding voice. Yet with all this talent, the songs on Sanctus Ignis failed to strike a chord with me.
The first two songs "Second Sight" and "The Inner Road" and the title track fond later in the album are all speedy and heavy songs. "Second Sight" has a great galloping pace in the chorus and the vocal melodies by David during that part are very memorable. "Sanctus Ignis" features great singing by David where he really shows a great range. Yet these three songs are not that different from similar songs on the Symphony X albums. "In Nomine" and "The Stringless Violin" feature very cool classical music influenced parts which make these songs more interesting and varied, actually the keyboard parts in these two songs are some of my favorites in the album despite my previous negative comments on Richard. A very cool song is the instrumental "Order of Enlil" because of its eastern influences found in the music and what maybe the most innovative song is the instrumental cover of Led Zeppelins classic "Immigrant Song". It really must be heard to fully appreciate what Adagio has done with this song, there is even a violin solo in it. "The Seven Lands of Sin" clocks in at almost 12 minutes and it showcases complex drumbeats and bass lines. The guitars at times feature similar eastern influences as in "Order of Enlil" and overall it is a good song the main problem I have is that the flow of the song is a bit too slow.
The first pressing of Sanctus Ignis comes with a guitar pick and a bonus track "Niflheim" an instrumental home demo song. Its an OK song which gives you an idea what the initial steps of Stephen were in making Adagio. Sanctus Ignis ended up being quite a disappointment because of the lack of originality found in the music. If I want to listen to Symphony X I would rather listen to them than a band trying too hard to be like them.
LMP - 2001
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Adagio.jpg
Adagio is a new band fronted by the French guitarist Stephen Forte. His band has gathered quite a good buzz with their debut album Sanctus Ignis, a neo-classical and symphonic metal album very similar to Symphony X. This is exactly where the problem lies with Adagio, to my ears they sound too similar to Symphony X and unfortunately not nearly as good as the excellent US band. I do admit that Stephen is a very talented guitarist with a style very similar to Michael Romeo and Yngwie Malmsteen and he has surrounded himself with a very talented supporting cast. Richard Andersson of Majestic, another band that is similar to Symphony X, handles the keyboards with a lot of conviction and passion. However, as was the case with his band I really do not like the "sound" of his keyboards, they seem fit for a video game. Dirk Bruinenberg of Elegy does a solid job playing the drums and the same is true with bassist Franck Hermanny. Finally, David Readman of Pink Cream 69 sings with a great powerful and commanding voice. Yet with all this talent, the songs on Sanctus Ignis failed to strike a chord with me.
The first two songs "Second Sight" and "The Inner Road" and the title track fond later in the album are all speedy and heavy songs. "Second Sight" has a great galloping pace in the chorus and the vocal melodies by David during that part are very memorable. "Sanctus Ignis" features great singing by David where he really shows a great range. Yet these three songs are not that different from similar songs on the Symphony X albums. "In Nomine" and "The Stringless Violin" feature very cool classical music influenced parts which make these songs more interesting and varied, actually the keyboard parts in these two songs are some of my favorites in the album despite my previous negative comments on Richard. A very cool song is the instrumental "Order of Enlil" because of its eastern influences found in the music and what maybe the most innovative song is the instrumental cover of Led Zeppelins classic "Immigrant Song". It really must be heard to fully appreciate what Adagio has done with this song, there is even a violin solo in it. "The Seven Lands of Sin" clocks in at almost 12 minutes and it showcases complex drumbeats and bass lines. The guitars at times feature similar eastern influences as in "Order of Enlil" and overall it is a good song the main problem I have is that the flow of the song is a bit too slow.
The first pressing of Sanctus Ignis comes with a guitar pick and a bonus track "Niflheim" an instrumental home demo song. Its an OK song which gives you an idea what the initial steps of Stephen were in making Adagio. Sanctus Ignis ended up being quite a disappointment because of the lack of originality found in the music. If I want to listen to Symphony X I would rather listen to them than a band trying too hard to be like them.
