Athena XIX - Everflow Part 1: Frames of Humanity

Angry Metal Guy 60

Before Fabio Lione rose to prominence with [(Luca) Turilli(/Lione)’s] Rhapsody [of Fire] and Angra, Athena—stylized now as Athena XIX¹—served as another potential vehicle into the growing European prog/power landscape. Wielding an of-the-time histrionic Dream Theater guitar-driven drama alongside the lightness of chorus-driven power metal, the low-fanfare Italian outfit never quite topped any charts despite respectable musicianship and Lione’s formative pipes on 1998’s A New Religion?. And after another swing at success, sans the Rhapsody-snatched Lione, with 2001’s equally unreceived Twilight of Days, Athena hung up its spurs to ride another day. And now, twenty-six years after Lione had debuted his only full-length recording with Athena, that same line-up has returned, rested and determined to show age like a fine Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Athena XIX, at core, emerges with Everflow Part 1: Frames of Humanity as a revived relic of the late ’90s and early ’00s prog/power realm. Finding riffs that move with the low-end groove of classic Symphony X and an overblown narrative that flies due to the talent of a powerhouse vocalist—think Jørn Lande with Beyond Twilight or Vasilis Georgiou from Sunburst—Athena XIX hasn’t made many attempts to live in the synth-forward lands of modern takes on the style. That’s not to say that classic line-up keyboardist Gabriele Guidi strays entirely away from the dancing electronic works of a band like Voyager, with a pulsing wub and panning synth flutter adorning key intros to keep the total of Frames diverse (“Legacy of the World,” “The Calm Before the Storm”). But Athena XIX always manages to find a way back to a driving stringed refrain, whether it be in the virtuosic thick-stringed pop of Alessio Sabella (“The Day We Obscured the Sun,” “The Conscience of Everything” among others) or the down-tuned axe clamor of Simone Pellegrini.

Despite the instrumental prowess at play throughout Frames, its true power rests in the piped-prowess that Lione imbues into every verse and chorus. Neither as operatic as his time with any of the Rhapsodys (especially Turilli / Lione Rhapsody) nor as aggressive as in his continued charge with Angra, Lione uses Athena XIX to play around with different, more subtle techniques. Though morose and haunting vocal harmonies are standard in the darker tones of prog/power, Lione’s wide range serves him well in creating a unique eeriness between his capable heady highs, smooth mid-range croons, ghastly counterpoint lows, and reckless nasal lashings (“Legacy…,” “The Conscience…,” “Where Innocence Disappears”). Given the number of layers that live within each phrase for these captivating runs, it’d be easy for Lione to get lost in the art of tracking. But as Frames progresses Lione reveals consistently that he still possesses the pure diaphragmatic might to sear gigantic choruses and gritty wails deep into ears that crave his dramatic expression with late player “Synchrolife” seeing every cranny of his voice play out against a wild-and-whipping sonic clash.

Though just about everything that Athena XIX has put to tape produces a gentle bob of a closed-eye groove or delightful and resonant harmony, Frames doesn’t build a strong scaffold for its cinematic scope. A few moments from a tonal perspective do feel like they belong side-by-side—the riff reprisal of “The Day…” into “The Seed,” the piano refrain morphing to modulated synth backing from “Where Innocence Disappears to “Idle Mind.” But these kinds of related happenings often occur regardless of whether an album’s connected ideas build a greater thematic whole. And with a continued reliance on huge choruses to propel interest, Frames’ fifty-plus minute stretch enters the realm of crescendo fatigue without a tightly woven plot to catch it. By the time we arrive at the dramatic closing segue that presumably builds for part two’s introduction, I have a hard time believing more is necessary.

Twenty-three years in the making, Everflow Part 1: Frames of Humanity does more right than wrong for a band who never got much of a chance to prove themselves to the greater metalverse. Athena XIX may find comfort in a sound long removed from the popular paradigm, but its members, many of whom also have assisted in the engineering and recording of this comeback album, have kept an ear to enough production trends and tonal constructions to give Frames a full and engaging platform to display their talents. And, perchance, its implied sequel will deliver to us a package further refined to turn gentle smiles into screaming fans.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Website: facebook.com/Athena.Band.Italy
Releases Worldwide: December 6th, 2024

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