Artist: Giuntini Project
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 3/5
Seven years after the utterly fascinating creation that was “Giuntini Project II,” the Italian guitar wizard returns with his third outing, “Giuntini Project III.” He’s kept the lineup exactly the same, and here’s the interesting bit: after seven years, the new album bears an incredible resemblance to its predecessor. Same goes for Tony Martin, who lent his vocals once again. Clearly the man hasn’t lost a single ounce of breath or power over all these years. He still sings brilliantly, at exactly the same quality level as on the “second one,” so Martin on vocals is once again a straight-up bullseye! The opening of part three is hellish and the tempo is seriously sharp, staying uncompromisingly relentless through Gold Digger and Not Connected. The album closes at that same pace with the red-hot Tarot Warrior.
With the third installment, Giuntini confirms his firmly set direction. Roughly speaking, part three sounds like it was recorded the day after part two. Giuntini makes no secret of his love for the main motif of the Black Sabbath classic Heaven And Hell, and so he wrote the highly atmospheric excursion Que Es La Vida, the record’s first peak. It’s wonderfully combined with a slow, “groovy” intro ruled by a thick bass line and Martin’s melodic, immersive, instantly recognizable approach, then an orchestra-filled burst of melancholy in a perfectly polished chorus. And that’s that! Especially in this song and its high registers, Martin shows just how well preserved his voice is. The drama is extraordinary, and the shivers run down your spine while listening to this one in a flash! The second atmospheric peak, with a downright magical “riff,” is Mourning Star, which actually sounds (once again) like a lost Black Sabbath song.
The album carries over the qualities of its predecessor! It’s a collection of finely crafted songs with high dynamics, thanks to expressive punch and an effective ebb and flow of moods across the record, because the chemistry between Martin and Giuntini is clearly working more than perfectly. Their contributions feed off each other and complement each other in harmony, building up to the hard rock polish the listener demands. As such, we once again get the baroque, pompous instrumental Fool Paradise, with an excellent “film soundtrack”-style, highly atmospheric prelude that draws parallels with Spiteful Ghosts from Giuntini’s “second one”! Memories in the Sand is yet another gorgeous instrumental where it’s worth surrendering to Giuntini’s wizardry.
The production is lively and dramatic. Dario Mollo proves he knows both Martin and Giuntini very well and has them both down to the last detail. The album, of course, once again comes as close as you can get to the late “Tony Martin era” of Black Sabbath, but without the unmistakable apocalyptic Black Sabbath “groove,” and with a much more polished and clean production of “softer guitars and drums” that still keeps the necessary measure of liveliness and drama. With Giuntini’s overall musical leanings and Martin’s caliber on vocals, they also decided to cover the Black Sabbath classic Anno Mundi (from the album “T.Y.R.,” 1990), which is marked mainly by the production differences from the original mentioned above and a somewhat different approach on keyboards. What we get is an even more epic, pompous version of the original, which definitely fails to capture the one-of-a-kind crushing rawness of Black Sabbath back then! Giuntini reigns supreme in his own guitar antics. Despite all the parallels, his playing is recognizable throughout, and that gives “Giuntini Project III” the stamp of distinctiveness and freshness that a hard rock album needs, and that is often sorely missed amid today’s flood of repetitive hard rock cloning. Italian hot temperament, with the necessary pomp of course, but within tasteful limits, shows that Tony Iommi must be a close relative of Italy’s own.
Lineup
Tony Martin – vocals
Aldo Giuntini – guitar
Dario Patti – keyboards
Fulvio Gaslini – bass
Ezio Secomandi – drums
Guest musician:
Fabiano Rizzi – drums on “Memories In The Sand”
Production
Dario Mollo
Track List
1. Gold Digger
2. Not Connected
3. Que Es La Vida
4. Early Warning
5. Fool Paradise
6. Tutmosis IV – Tarantula
7. Anno Mundi (The Vision)
8. Disfunctional Kid
9. Mourning Star
10. Trouble Just Keeps Coming
11. The Closest Thing To Heaven
12. Memories In The Sand
13. Tarot Warrior
Trajanje albuma: 58:49
