Although personally this is my first encounter with DGM, if the evidence of ‘Momentum’ is anything to go by it is not hard to see why the Italian five piece are highly regarded as one of the better progressive metal bands on the continent of Europe.
Featuring guest performances by Symphony X/Adrenaline Mob vocalist Russell Allen (on the impressive and catchy opener ‘Reason’) and Pagan’s Mind guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad, it’s a damn good album: a collection of well-written, well-constructed songs (and in the proper sense of the word) which serve to showcase, extremely well, the talents of five very talented musicians.
Guitarist Simone Mularoni is particularly impressive, as is vocalist Mark Basile, whose voice is rich and melodic without being melodramatic: in fact, that assertion fits as a description for the album as a whole, as it is more effective than many other examples of the genre by virtue of its restraint, with each musician being given enough room to breathe and flex their not inconsiderable muscle but without detracting from the overall feel of the opus by unnecessary over-dramatization of their roles.
While categorized into the ‘progressive metal’ mien, this album’s progression lies in the fact that it moves the classic rock genre forward a couple of steps without disappearing up its own backside with needless displays of introverted showmanship: the result is a decent album which should appeal to a reasonably broad fan base.
Track list:
1. Reason (feat. Russell Allen)
2. Trust
3. Universe
4. Numb
5. Pages
6. Repay
7. Chaos (feat. Viggo Lofstad)
8. Remembrance
9. Overload
10. Void
11. Blame
‘Momentum’ is out now on Scarlet Records.
Check out DGM on their official Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/dgmprog