The Samurai of Prog featuring Marco Grieco - The Time Machine (2024)

It is with great pleasure that I am about to listen to the new album by Samurai Of Prog feat. Marco Grieco, one of the most interesting projects on the modern music scene. Entitled “The Time Machine,” it was released at the end of 2024 via Seacrest Oy and contains eight long tracks featuring a stellar lineup. The title-track “The Time Machine” opens the album, characterised right from the first notes by that characteristic Progressive sound that has made us appreciate this project so much over the years. Dreamy piano melodies and a warm, expressive vocal develop an intense theme, interpreting the lyrics with passion. Keyboards embellish the instrumental section with a solo insert and then leave room for the sweet melodies of the violin and flute. A symphonic Progressive Rock track that alternates more delicate passages with openings where the band increases the intensity, always keeping the pathos and intensity very high. Between Folk, Progressive passages the track ends in a musical crescendo. An intro with electric guitar and choral vocals opens “Apes,” evolving the song by mixing classical and modern sounds and a melodic touch in the first part. The tempo changes are an added bonus, allowing the song to develop by incorporating refined violin and woodwind sounds that duet with keyboards and guitar. The intensity increases as the song progresses, thanks also to a dynamic and very expressive vocal interpretation, the refrains of which remain imprinted in the mind. Fine instrumental work intertwines with the vocal ones, offering an incisive and refined Prog song with an unmistakable style a la Samurai. “The Last Legionary” is a melancholic track that opens with horns, then enriches the melodies with the graceful touch of the violin. The vocals are warm and expressive and interpret the poignant lyrics with intensity, alternating with the refined instrumental sections with violin-keyboard-guitar taking centre stage. The songwriting, and the compositional development of the song’s theme, enhances the technique of the artists involved. In a constant crescendo of intensity, the second part is characterised by a prolonged instrumental section with pompous trumpet and French horn melodies and guitar solo inserts, before returning to the vocals and concluding. Each track deals with a theme, and “Painting Mona Lisa” is about Leonardo da Vinci and one of the world’s most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa. The mixture of Classical Music and Progressive Rock permeates the track, which is steeped in Symphonic sounds and enriched by keyboard-flute-violin phrasing. In the middle part, the sound returns to the more classical Prog sounds with a refined keyboards intervention that brings back the atmosphere of the 70s in a modern context. An elaborate interweaving of guitar and keyboards opens “E=MC2,” with an intricate rhythm section, before developing into an energetic and technical prog track. The keyboards offer interesting solo phrasing with the guitar, then give way to an incisive vocal developing into an energetic track with very well constructed symphonic refrains. The instrumental textures are of absolute value, alternating softer and more delicate parts with more technical ones thanks to continuous tempo changes. A track that honours the great Albert Einstein, father of the formula that gives this refined and elaborate piece of Modern Prog its title. “Moon” opens with a long keyboard intro and a voice reminiscent of NASA and space travel. The band then develops into a solid and elaborate Progressive Rock track with refined keyboard-guitar-violin interlacing that accompanies us in this instrumental that enhances the compositional and performing technique of the artists involved. All the instruments are enhanced by a structure that allows more expressive freedom, alternating more Heavy passages with Symphonic openings. A short but very intense instrumental track is “Madiba’s Life,” dedicated to the great Nelson Mandela, where every second corresponds to a year. A fine piano interlude accompanies us towards the closing track. Titled “Future,” it opens with guitar and keyboard arpeggios and a warm, expressive female vocal. Violins in the undertone add a melancholic touch to the sound, developed into a musical crescendo that culminates with a refined Prgressive Rock enriched by keyboard and guitar solo inserts. An alternation of symphonic apetures and more technical and elaborate Prog Rock passages accompany us for over 9 minutes, leaving us wanting to listen to this wonderful album again. A further confirmation of how this project is among the best in the modern Progressive Rock genre, once again offering fine work. The band’s typical sound is contaminated by an increased use of violin and horns, enriching the band’s music and bringing more stylistic solutions. A mature work, full of nuances and emotional passages and others more technical in pure Progressive style. A recommended listen for lovers of the band’s sounds and of Progressive Rock in general, another masterpiece in the Samurai Of Prog discography.