Maestro is Magic Pie's, the notorious prog rock/metal band and best kept musical secret from Norway, sixth studio album. Over the years a couple of Background Magazine colleagues have reviewed Magic Pie's previous albums and they all mentioned musical influences from Deep Purple, Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Moon Safari, Yes, Kansas, Styx, Transatlantic, Anathema and ELO; so this band has it all! Mister H. Strik even rewarded Magic Pie's third studio album The Suffering Joy (2011, see review) with the maximum score, so there must be something about this Norwegian quintet indeed... Maestro kicks off with the massive, prog rock "monster" Opus Imperfectus Pt.1, an eighteen minutes epic concept storyteller of the highest musical level for sure, packed with Ian Gillan-like vocals of Eirikur Hauksson, keyboard walls, intricate and beautiful guitar playing and lots of musical twists and turns, that make you want to press the repeat button to enjoy this masterpiece over and over again. The opening of this milestone epic is very cinematic, as full orchestration hits you right from the start, taken over by the guitars and the keyboards later on. Follow up By The Smoker's Pole is a completely different track as it could best be described as a 100% pure rock song, truly reminding me of good old Deep Purple and Name It To Tame It is also a rather straightforward rock song, featuring lots of grinding electric guitar passages and again Ian Gillan's sound is not far away here. Kiddo, the shortest song of Maestro starts quietly with soft acoustic guitar chords and flute like sounds, while the song further evolves into a decent song with Moon Safari-like harmonies. Someone Else's Wannabe is Magic Pie's latest single, and it is again a solid as a rock song with "obvious" Styx influences, while Everyday Hero will probably be a live staple anthem for the band for sure, as the chorus here us really catchy/addictive. Closing track Opus Imperfectus Pt.2 is a perfect song to end this memorable album, displaying seven intricate compositions, beautiful symphonic arrangements, blending vintage with modern musical prog rock influences to almost perfection. The opening epic is of course the track I am really addicted to already and I would advise you to listen to this masterpiece, at maximum volume, repeatedly, to fully appreciate it indeed! ****+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
