Lunatic's Serenade
HMS Music Spotlight
Metatrone, which means “God is since now and forever”, hails from Italy and wears the Europian progressive badge on their leather sleeves. They are a Catholic Christian progressive metal band. Their music reminds me of the first Dream Theater record, Images and Words, and they are not as “preachy” as you might think. They let the Spirit do the talking in their lyrics, while letting you know who they believe in. In a genre full of darkness, Metatrone sheds light into those darkened corners.
Fronted by Jo Lombardo, Stefano "Ghigas" Calvagno with fancy fret board work, Fr. Davide Bruno on keys and background vocals (growls), Dino Fiorenza adds the funk on bass and Salvo "T-Metal" Grasso creates turbulence on the drums.
“Alef Dalet Mem,” is named for the Jewish letters that stand for the ancient Jewish word Adam which means man, and is a song against children's abuses and pedophilia. This testimonial explodes after a short, moody keyboard intro and blasts off into quick rhythms with angry backing vocals.
“Molokai” is the name of an island of Hawaii where Catholic priest Damien (Saint Damien of Molokai) lived and died caring for local people who suffered from leprosy. It's a song against those religious fanatics that exist among Christian and Catholic communities, the spiritual "leprosy." “Molokai” is heavy and fast with death style backing vocals. Lombardo’s voice hits the highs with the greatest of ease. “Beware the Sailor,” “Wheat and Weeds,” and “Latest News from Light” are driven by keyboard along with crushing rhythm guitar. It’s the keys that provide the atmosphere, grace, and tension. “Wheat and Weeds” has killer bass fills that I wish would go longer.
Metatrone
Eucharismetal
(Rockshots)
Written by: Tim Duran
9 out of 10
“In Spirit and Truth” is brutal encouragement for a call to worship. “Mozart’s Nightmare” showcases the talents and classical influence of the band in this moving instrumental. “Keep Running” brings the tempo down for a couple of minutes, then quickly builds up with each passing bar. “Salva L’Anima” (Save Your Soul) and Una Parte Di Mi” (A Part of Me) are sung in Italian, set to erratic rhythms and powerful vocals, and charged with conviction and passion. Though these, and the last two songs, (“Regina Coeli” and “Lascia Che Sia”) are sung in Italian, it doesn’t stop you from understanding the music or losing yourself in it.
Downside is a few songs kind of sound alike for a moment, and I don’t understand Italian. The upside is the songwriting and their ability to put together a radical record with spiritual substance and amazing musicianship. The metal genre can always use bands like Metatrone. I give Eucharismetal a 9. The definition of Metatrone is taken from the bio on their web site.
Tim Duran, HMS
Back to Lunatic's Serenade Menu