The Time Machine Italian !!TOP!!

To date, there is no proof of the actual realization of the chronovisor and its functioning, apart from the words of its author. Nor is there an exposition of the principles that would allow it to function. In fact, the machine has never been publicly demonstrated and Father Ernetti himself, at first vague in his descriptions, at a certain point in his life Ernetti completely stopped talking about the chronovisor.

None of the scientists who would have taken part in the project was ever able to provide confirmations or denials: the only three leaked names in 1972, had already died for some time (Fermi and Gemelli) or, in the case of von Braun (who died in 1977), he lived under strict surveillance for security reasons, first by the Nazis and then by the Americans, throughout his career.

"Evil" is a rather accomplished release, especially when compared to those early, roughly produced Time Machine albums. The album contains ten tracks of melodic progressive / symphonic power metal, pretty much in the vein of bands like Royal Hunt, Savatage and Threshold. There are also hints of more traditional prog metal (Dream Theater) as well as neoclassical metal (Rainbow). The tracks revolve around excellent vocal melodies and big, singalong choruses that are masterfully crafted to immediately prick up the ears. The song structures are fairly simple and never stray too far from the verse/chorus repetition, plus the occasional guitar solo. The arrangements, though, are rich and multi-layered, with a good contrast between a modern, edgy guitar sound and lush symphonic keyboard arrangements. The spotlight is often on the vocal lines, which in many tracks are really excellent. Pino Tozzi has a warm, moody voice, and he cleverly stays in a comfortable mid-range that allows for maximum expressivity. The album contains some great songs, but also a couple of duller moments that detract a bit from the overall listening experience. The powerful, uptempo "Where's My Heaven?" is a great way to open the album, energizing and melancholic at the same time. "Eyes of Fire" is one of the album's highlights: propelled forward by a gritty guitar riff, this song sports a very catchy chorus and a great solo spot by Eddy Antonini on piano. "Evil Lies" is the other highlight of the album. It is a rich song, containing another excellent chorus, a nice alternation between male and female vocals (provided by guest singer Melody Castellari), a Latin choir, and an awesome dissonant guitar solo by guest musician Max Lotti. The instrumental piece "Ecclesia Spiritualis" is also interesting, with its spooky ambient sections and cool atmosphere. I also like the album closer, "Hailing Souls", which recreates the combination of power and moodiness of the opening track. "Army of the Dead" (with its strong Royal Hunt vibes) and especially "Angel of Death" are instead somewhat less interesting and are bogged down by weaker vocal melodies and excessive repetition.Overall, "Evil" is a thoroughly enjoyable album of modern melodic progressive metal. Blessed by a very warm and organic production and some great melodic ideas, the album flows away pleasantly and with more than a few moments of brilliance. If I were to nit-pick, perhaps the biggest downside here is that on this record Time Machine have somewhat lost those peculiar sound characteristics that had made their early records stand out from the rest of the prog metal scene (complex, multi-part songwriting driven by bass riffs and arpeggios; a distinctive "Italian" melodic flair). "Evil" sounds instead much closer to the international prog metal standard of those years, which is both a good and bad thing. It is a good thing because it shows that the band has made enormous progress compared to the uncertain, slightly amateurish early recordings. But, at the same time, this also means that Time Machine have lost along the way those characteristics that had made their initial sound unique and original. Nevertheless, "Evil" is a strong album, and if melodic prog / power metal is your poison of choice, you won't regret giving it a try. social review comments | Review PermalinkPosted Saturday, September 11, 2021 | Review this album | Report (Review #2593693)

The EP contains seven tracks (the 1997 re-release adds two further songs, taken by their sophomore EP 'Dungeons of the Vatican'). The music can be described as 1980-influenced melodic heavy metal (Queensryche above all), with distinctive progressive leanings. These are mostly apparent in the non-standard structure of the songs, which are quite elaborated and complex, and in the virtuoso playing. There are some neoclassical themes too, hinting at Rainbow being another influence. The music is pretty much guitar and bass-driven, but keyboards and piano are also used abundantly (played by producer and long-time collaborator of the band Roberto Gramegna). Speaking of production, it is probably the worst aspect of the EP. The sound is incredibly muddy and rough, and the mix is very unbalanced (it is sometimes a struggle to hear some of the instruments, like the keyboards). The guitar sound is also pretty terrible, thin and noisy, and so is the drum sound. The vocals, too, would have needed a bit more polish, especially in the songs where Andrea Ruggeri sings. Overall, the low-budget production definitely ruins the listening experience. The other major drawback of the album - which will plague the next couple of releases of the band - is Deh's tendency to cram his compositions with an insanely large amount of different sections, with different tempos, moods and instrumentation. Some sections last literally just a handful of seconds. While no doubt this adds depth to the compositions, it also makes them excessively fragmented and ultimately hard to enjoy, really.It is a pity, because some songs are pretty decent, such as 'Holy Man', a track that combines heavy metal and a certain Italian prog-pop flair, resulting in an interesting and fairly original sound. 'Past and Future' is another good track, with strong vocals and a cool, dark symphonic atmosphere. The other tracks are less impressive, although most of them do contain some interesting ideas and passages, albeit not fully developed.Overall, 'Project: Time Scanning' is an interesting EP, which clearly shows the band's potential. Being a debut album, it also shows that Time Machine are still on a learning curve, especially when it comes to composing and arranging songs that are complex but at the same time enjoyable and fun to listen to. The EP nevertheless shows that Time Machine are a band to watch for and indeed in the space of a few years they will become one of the most respected acts in the Italian prog metal scene. social review comments | Review PermalinkPosted Saturday, September 11, 2021 | Review this album | Report (Review #2593675)

"Obscurity Within" opens with atmosphere and some orchestral sounds. Some power before a minute. "Rotten Souls" kicks in with a drum onslaught right away. Guitar joins in then it settles before kicking back in again. Vocals follow. Some double bass drumming and lots of guitar as well. "Rivivscence" kicks in around a minute but settles quickly as reserved vocals come in. It kicks in again as contrasts continue. Some atmosphere to end it as it blends into the short "Satur" piece. "Angle Lucifer" features drums and synths standing out as vocals come in and riffs come and go. It's building then it settles again as themes are repeated. "Burning Crosses" is another short atmospheric piece. "Grains Of Sand" opens with synths then drums come in followed by guitar. Vocals are next. For the first time the guitar reminds me of older TIME MACHINE albums 4 minutes in. Spoken words end it. "Alhambra" is acoustic guitar melodies throughout. "Tears Of Jerusalem" has this Oriental sounding intro and outro. It then kicks in heavily with synths and riffa before settling right down with reserved vocals. It's building as the tempo and mood continue to change. "The Calling" opens with drums and guitar pounding away like a stampede. It settles after 2 1/2 minutes and synths wash in. Kicks back in and some ripping guitar follows. "Seeds Of Revolution" is a good heavy tune. "Revolution" opens with synths and beat before kicking in quickly. A calm later before that fuller sound returns.Sure this is a well played album but the vocals don't do a lot for me or a lot of the compositions. social review comments | Review PermalinkPosted Monday, March 29, 2010 | Review this album | Report (Review #275414)

After a short intro track we get "Stargazer" which is my favourite song on the album. The heavy riffs to open come and go on this one. A nice contrast with the mellow sections with synths and vocals. "I Hold The Key(Into The Void)" is another good song. Lots of atmosphere early as guitar cries out in the background. It kicks into gear 1 1/2 minutes in with some ripping guitar. Vocals a minute later. The tempo picks up before 4 1/2 minutes with some fat bass after 5 minutes. It's raining with thunder to end it. Then we get 5 short tracks before "Burning In The Wind" another good one. More atmosphere early before heavy guitar and drums come in. Guitar is blistering as vocals arrive a minute in."Aperite!" is great if only for the drumming. "Dungeons of the Vatican" is all over the place with some orchestration. Not a fan. "Cold Flames of Faith" opens with piano as synths, orchestration and warbly vocals come in. It's not the best really until some heaviness before 3 minutes and especially 6 1/2 minutes in where they really let it rip for one of the few times. "White Collars" is another so so track. Some heaviness once it gets going but it's average at best. "Prisoner of Dreams" has some nice sax in it. "Black Rose" features pleasant guitar throughout. "I Can't Smile" is great for the first 1 1/2 minutes with some beautiful piano, then vocals come in.Barely 3 stars for me. 2.5 stars is probably more accurate. It just doesn't work for me. social review comments | Review PermalinkPosted Monday, May 19, 2008 | Review this album | Report (Review #171498) 2b1af7f3a8