If you have never heard of
Platens before, don't be alarmed, because frankly, no one else has heard of them yet either. "Between Two Horizons" is their debut, and I use the plural referring to multiple musicians lightly, since
Platens is basically just Dario Grillo on most instruments and behind the mic, and Allessandro Grillo handling the skins. If you hear a female voice, it belongs to the vocalist simply known as Alessandra. That's it. It's always interesting to hear such a tight knit project after analyzing releases with such gigantic casts that are popular these days.
And while the musicians may be few, and
Platens itself being little more than a showcase for Dario's talents, who I must add, also produced the album and did a decent job with it, they have managed to crank out a disc that is as different as its very progressive metal looking album cover. Several worlds are spinning around in unison here, with the core consisting of a strong foundation of European hard rock. Woven throughout are progressive touches, tons of pomp and a few moments of ultra melodic
AOR. Quiet moments of peace and tranquility follow big rock numbers and intricate musical journeys.
But this diversity may turn off some from latching onto the album properly. The disc doesn't follow a straight path nor does it fall squarely into one category or another. Those that don't want progressive mixed up in their
AOR or can't handle the melodic rock in their prog will be frustrated with the disc. Plus Dario has a very unique voice, heavily accented, but a pleasure to listen to upon repeated spins. You warm up to him, but again, those that want the bread and butter of a blue collar rock vocalist will shy away from this as well.
But don't let that deter you, Dario's
Platens project offers up a lot of great music. Tracks such as
"Into the Fire" could have been ripped right out of the glory days of melodic rock and take a page from the book of bands like
Shy and
Treat but with perhaps just a tad more rock drive behind it.
"Your Heart Will Claim His Truth" is softer, gentler but with lovely drifting vocals and the poignant guitar is placed in just the right spots for the benefit of maximum emotional impact.
Fates Warning comes to mind when hearing
"The Last Kiss" (inspired by a movie, ,"L'Ultimo Bacio" - which I have never heard of.) especially the slow paced Fates track, "Circles". Slow and ballad-esque, each note is precise and carefully placed to create this relaxed feel that is completely contagious. A heavily
AOR with a Westcoast bent chorus just oozes with additional melody and makes a nice contrast against the rest.
"Angels Cry" is upbeat but with a nice melodic flow, and that prog push in full effect, and actually reminds me a little of Angra's more muted moments for some reason. Maybe something from "Fireworks", but it is a very light brush with that particular comparison.
"Chasm of Madness" also wields the torch high and bright, and includes some head turning keyboard passages that echo with a strange, otherworldly sound.
And as ballads go,
"Waves of Sea" has all one could want, a big huge pompy "power ballad" atmosphere, passionate vocals, and electric guitar that doesn't just cry, it weeps. A bold and beautiful composition that is as elegant as the waves themselves and draws on the strengths of the ocean's deep.
For edgy hard rock, you can't go wrong with
"Check It Out", which teems with frenetic energy and just doesn't calm down, not even when the backing vocals kick in. This is pure Euro hard rock with few frills and plenty of thrills. Reminds one a bit of Silent Witness' second disc from years back.
As you can gather from the descriptions, "Between Two Horizons" is a complete smash for Dario and
Platens, and should definitely receive more acclaim and attention than it has already. There's so much to love here, especially if you can ease into getting used to Dario's voice. It reminds me of Goran Edman, only for the fact that they both have distinctive sounds that are all their own and easy to fall in love with once a little time and effort has been exerted. This is simply the debut, so I imagine that they will only get better and more experienced with time and the next release. But for now this is a lovely hybrid disc that's rich in melody and bursting with great songs.
Written by
Alanna Monday, January 24, 2005
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