Even Flow – Life Has Just Begun
I was very grateful to receive so much fantastic music last year. 2019 was an epic year of music. Especially new music. Some of those new musicians were so good I requested their back catalog for review. Evenflow was one of those bands. Their new album Mother, was so good, it made my top ten list of albums of 2019. I requested that they send their last album before Mother; Life Has Just Begun, which wasreleased February 27th 2018, and they graciously sent it.
Life Has Just Begun, is a heavier, less acoustic album than Mother, but I love both albums equally. Life Has Just Begun tears into you fast. Those beautiful keyboards come at you full speed, right from the opening of one of the album’s best tracks, “Secret Prayer”. The heavy bass and lead electric guitars are full on powerhouse. So are the drums. Lead vocalist Marco Pastorino sounds so much like Kingcrow, of Italy, vocalist that it is hard to tell the difference. Just the perfect song to open an album.
“Come to Life”, is literally that…a powerful gunslinging, cannon firing, drum and bass wake up call. The keys play supporting soundscape on this powerhouse track. But you can hear some of those innovative keyboard licks in the background. A mud – thumping anger song. “Knock and roll, and I like it”.
“Azure Haze” has more beautiful keys at the opening, but the metal is on, and it overcomes the quieter instrumentation. Later, the keys and organ return to make this one of the best tracks on the album.
The guitar solo at the beginning of “Believe” is wonderful. The band slows down and creates a more AOR standard with this song. Which is not a bad thing. It only provides more proof of the band’s diversity and overall ability.
“Writing a Memory”, opens with a Rush-like keyboard blazing intro, like something from 2112 or Hemispheres. It is the perfect memory I need, on this, the weekend we learned of Neil Peart’s death. But this song is all original music after that short momentary reflection.
“Oblivion” is a beautiful keyboard song, full of lead vocalist Marco Pastorino’s emotional vocals and story.
“Alternative State of Mind” is another of the best tracks on the album, with enough cool keyboard effects and roaring drums to make anyone’s favorites list. You will want to replay the beginning indefinitely; it is so cool! The whole song is cool, though.
“Seasons Never Change”, sounded immediately like it belonged on DT’s Images and Words. It is original, but is full of inspiration from “Wait for Sleep”. It gets harder, but opens like a wonderful Dream Theater classic. One of the best songs they have ever written. Pastorino emotionally sings, “I remember falling from the sky. I am living . I’ll come back again. Seasons never change if you don’t believe in love”.
Even Flow is now one of my favorite Italian bands, along with Kingcrow and The Watch. Two fantastic, no error albums, in a row. Go back, like I have, and discover more about this band. They really are great. I look forward to their next album, and hope that it will be released in 2020.
Track List
- Secret Prayer – 4:15
- Come to Life – 3:01
- Azure Haze – 6:29
- Believe – 5:02
- Writing a Memory – 6:30
- Infinity – 3:51
- Oblivion – 5:26
- Alternative State of Mind – 5:05
- Mystical Inside – 4:28
- Seasons Never Change – 4:56
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/evenflow