This, then, is the album I recced Ant in response to his reccing of Teramaze, though he had already heard it. Again we have a Threshold-sounding band, this time Italian, so I kind of wanted to do the two of them together. After this the albums will come from years other than this one, but I wanted to get these two done first.
Album title: Tragic Separation
Artist: DGM
Nationality: Italian
Year: 2020
Chronology: 10
The Trollheart Factor: 1
Track Listing: Flesh and Blood/Surrender/Fate/Hope/Tragic Separation/Stranded/Land of Sorrow/Silence/Turn Back Time/Curtain
Comments: If I had to compare the singer to anyone it would be the late Ronnie James Dio, very powerful and raw. I can see why Metal Archives describe DGM as progressive/power metal; the keyboard runs are very frenetic and “Flesh and Blood” gets the album underway in fine style, though as with the other album on this first track I don’t see the hook. “Surrender” has a kind of mixture of straight-ahead rock/metal and AOR, but at least there’s the hook, in the chorus. Oh yeah. I’ll remember that. More guitar-driven this one, even got some shredding in it!
“Fate” is good, but it doesn’t blow me away to be honest; very much power rather than prog metal, while “Hope” continues the rocking-along pattern, with again quite a guitar-centric song, though I feel this may have a little more about it. Hmm. Still not pulling me in. Here’s the title track now, with a lovely piano intro and some violin. Perhaps this is where it begins to stand out from the crowd? Yeah this has a cool hook and sounds very Threshold, uses the keys well. Like this one. Does retain a very AOR feel in parts, but no bad thing really. Hardly letting up for a moment as we rocket into “Stranded”, and I think I would be inclined to suggest that DGM sacrifice memorable melodies and hooks for shredding and suchlike - not saying they’re anything like the dreaded Dragonforce or anything, but I’m finding it hard to pick out things I can remember about any of these songs.
I might expect “Land of Sorrow” to be a ballad, but I’m disappointed as it hammers and chugs along pretty much like most of the rest of the album, though I’ve now noticed (or maybe it’s just more obvious on this track) that the singer sounds quite a lot like the late Andrew “Mac” MacDermott, who used to be with, you guessed it, Threshold! I continue to hear echoes of that band in the previous track and the next, which is called “Silence”, and of course is anything but. Another hard rocker, “Slipstream”-ish in tone and melody. Hmm, first track to fade. Mildly interesting. The synthy intro to “Turn Back Time” is nice, but then they just kind of jam the pedal down again and they’re off. Very power metal. That leaves the closer, appropriately titled “Curtain”, and it’s the only instrumental on the album. Nice; pretty much single chords strummed on a guitar against some soft percussion, quite the coda to the album.
Track(s) I liked: Surrender/Hope/Tragic Separation
Track(s) I didn’t like: None
One standout: Nah, I still couldn’t really pull one of these out as being so much better than the others though...
One rotten apple: Nothing ruins it either
Overall impression: Yeah, again I really thought I’d be into these guys, and in fairness it’s not a terrible album, but I just am not feeling it. Given that this is their tenth, I may have better luck with earlier efforts, but then again, given that it’s their latest, if I do, what does that say about the future of the band? These, and more questions, will probably never be answered.
Rating: 7/10
Future Plan: I may listen to more of their material, though my expectations have slid somewhat now.