GOAD

I'm glad to notice that I have more or less acquired the taste, when it comes to the raspy voice of Maurilio Rossi, the leading figure of this Italian band. When I reviewed the previous album Silent Moonchild, I really had difficulties to get past the vocals. Now they don't bother me anymore, and I enjoy the Neo-ish, atmospheric music as a whole.

Before getting into the new album Landor itself, I'd like to start with the supplementary disc offering the live performance -- at Parterre Theatre, Florence, 1995 -- of Goad's debut album Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe (written in the 80's, released in 1994). [ BTW, when I saw the title for the first time, I wondered for a moment if it refers to the American author, or the seventies Italian band of the same name. Of course it's a tribute to the classic horror story writer, what a silly doubt! ] Since the album page misses the 1995 line-up, here it is: Maurilio Rossi (vocals, bass, bass pedals, keyboards), Marcello Masi (synth guitar, bass pedals), Roberto Masini (violin), Giancarlo Gaglioti (drums, percussion) and Diana Crepaz (vocals). In the beginning the creepy atmosphere is created by synths, soon joined by the weeping violin, vocals and the rest of the band. The tempo is slow and the soundscape quite mellow, despite the sinister mood. Also the sound quality is surprisingly good. I'm not very familiar with a synth guitar, but occasionally the guitar sounds are central. After the three-part opener comes a relatively straight-forward song 'The Sleeper' featuring female vocals and a slight country-rock feel.

The whole work avoids being very heavy, but the mood is always strong. Apart from title tracks 'Dream Within a Dream and 'To One in Paradise' there's not much similarity to the Alan Parsons Project's Poe-themed debut; Goad's approach also lacks the similar story-telling power. In a blindfold test I'd probably guess this Neo-ish Eclectic Prog to be from the 80's/90's, from the era when prog was low and there was an underground feel to prog activities. I'm thinking of the early TWELFTH NIGHT or Finnish SCARAB, for example. Goad's Poe tribute is an interesting obscure album with an epic unity. Haven't heard the studio album, but I believe this live version won't pale in comparison.

Over 30 years later Goad is still going strong: Landor is a very fine new album, not that far stylistically from the debut. Maybe the vocals (resembling Steve Jolliffe in the 1978 Tangerine Dream album Cyclone) are a bit closer to normal than in Silent Moonchild, without losing the deep passion? Or is it, as I said, only about acquiring the taste? Perhaps also the music is this time less inferior the vocals and has more instrumental passages. anyhow, Goad won't let any of its fans down with this nocturnal 50-minute suite and the supplemetary live disc.

"... if this were to be your first Goad album, be aware that Maurilio Rossi's scratchy and pained voice will be an acquired taste." Right on, Aussie-Byrd-Brother! Yes, this album is my first acquaintance of this long-time Italian band, and indeed the vocals are the hard part for me; they're like a blend of Rod Stewart's rasp and Steve Jolliffe's (Tangerine Dream, 1978) pervert and throaty expression. Funny, I have no trouble listening to either of them, but Rossi sounds unbearably phoney, artificial and ugly to my ears. If the album would be notably less vocal-oriented, that wouldn't matter too much because the music is interesting, sometimes even great and honestly beautiful. Its only fault is that it feels like being there for the vocalist, not the other way round. Except for the few instrumental moments.

Sorry, I really find it hard to concentrate on the music. "Oh, please, just shut up!", I keep on thinking. The playing has a charming seventies vibe with Mellotrons and all, ranging from dark-toned and gloomy to symphonic and celestial. The arrangements are pretty varied. I'd probably love an instrumental version of this band. Maybe also the Italian lyrics instead of English might help in concentrating on the music. You'd better check this band out by yourself.

Formed in Florence in the mid Seventies by brothers Gianni and Maurilio Rossi, Goad holds a reputation that somewhat aligns them with the darker Italian projects such as Antonius Rex, Devil Doll and Goblin among numerous others. Offering a string of varied recordings over the decades (some which actually remain unreleased) and often based around the gothic works of writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, H.P Lovecraft and Edgar Lee Masters, as well as cover interpretations of King Crimson and Moody Blues tracks, 2015's `The Silent Moonchild' delivers the expected sludgy hard- rock full of organ, Mellotron and vintage synths associated with the group, where Maurilio's moaning voice slurs and groans appropriately. But this time around (and surprisingly most welcome!) the arrangements to all the doom and gloom are grandly symphonic and more melodic and sophisticated than ever before, and contributions from Italian prog notables such as Delirium's Martin Grice on sax, Circus 2000's Silvana Aliotta on vocals and Guido Wassermann of Alphataurus on guitar are very welcome too.

Looking at many of the highlights, `Except Hate' sets a dramatic template for the rest of the album, with thick heavy organ, plodding drumming, darting flute, Grice's murky Van der Graaf Generator- styled sax and Maurilio's wickedly theatrical and deranged purr coming close to the flamboyance of Devil Doll's Mr Doctor. Pompous and strangled symphonic intensity rises in `For You' by way of droning sax and Mellotron slivers, and Maurillo croaks despairingly "Give my life the whisper of a magic time, just tell me you'll be here' throughout `Here with Me' with a sublime vintage synth and Mellotron-fuelled instrumental second half that could soundtrack a gothic fairytale. Drowsy slide guitar weaving in and out of the maddening `Clay Masks' reminds of the acid daze of the early Pink Floyd albums before a spiralling Moog run in the climax, and the first two parts of the title-track are full of romantic longing before an extended instrumental passage of slow-burn electric guitar and ghostly piano delivers a dazzling theme that reminds of Goblin.

The bombastic organ dominated `Ballad in the Moonlight' comes the closest to a grander symphonic Le Orme-like take on RPI, and `The Book of Time' is a hard-driving up-tempo rocker with male and female vocals singing in unison, making it a nice diversion from the pieces on either side of it. The 8-minute third section of the title track `The Silent Moonchild' and `Moonchild End' are the most extravagant and ambitious moments of the album, presenting everything from ethereal floating synths, ghostly Mellotron choirs, fanfare pomp, triumphant violin and confident electric guitars giving flight to the uplifting lyric before closing the album on sweeping symphonic fancy.

The album is perhaps just a little too long at 53 minutes, and if this were to be your first Goad album, be aware that Maurilio Rossi's scratchy and pained voice will be an acquired taste, but `The Silent Moonchild' is the most varied, focused and approachable Goad disc to date. Lyrically dark, hopeful and romantic in equal measure and full of lavish symphonic flair, those Italian prog fans that like to walk in the dark side and drink in the shadows may be very pleasantly surprised by what they discover here.

Four stars, and a high point in the career of Goad.

In 1998 the company that supported Goad's early albums, Multipromo, released the live album ''Glimpse''.Pretty weird, as the band was not well-known at the time, so I guess they certainly had a cult following at the time.This album scans various styles and moments from Goad's long history.Come 1999 and Goad release ''Il Minosse'', named after the king of Crete in Greek mythology.Originally this work started as a soundtrack for a theater play, but eventually became a standard entry in Goad's discography.

Goad seem to have fully entered the progressive realms at this point, but the lack of a stabilized core and the below the average mix of Rossi's multi-instrumental performances stand as unfair to an effort, which otherwise should have sounded really better.The basic lines on this album come from the Classic and Neo Prog genres, showered by Goad's familiar approach on doomy passages, theatrical lyrical parts and laid-back textures.There are a couple of problems though, firstly Rossi's voice is all over the place, somewhat burrying some decent attempts on instrumental music, while the thin-sounding orchestrations hurt the consistency of the album, as big part of it relies on them.There are occasional psychedelic flashes with obscure guitar moves and hypnotic rhythmic lines and the atmosphere is rather mellow and dark.Again bands like ERIS PLUVIA or EZRA WINSTON are the best comparisons with less folky touches, but Goad fail to reach the inspiration of their compatriots at this point, although some background instrumental moments with a symphonic grandieur are pretty cool.A spark of light appears towards the end and that's the style the band was really good at.''Caccia e uccisione di Minosse'' is a beautiful, instrumental piece with emphatic choirs, upfront keyboards and a quite dark atmosphere, similar to other 90's Italian bands, ''Danza di Iside'' has a lovely, cinematic atmosphere with orchestral overtones and ''Rinascita di Minosse'' is yet another attempt on dark Progressive Rock with percussion over atmospheric keyboards and a great Mellotron-drenched outro.

Uneven album with some good instrumental parts in a dark, symphonic vein, flavored by some psychedelic colors, but suffering from mediocre recording quality, mix and vocals.Should appeal to fans of 80's/90's Prog along the lines of MOONGARDEN, TALE CUE, THEATRE or EZRA WINSTON.

Goad were formed in Florence in 1974 by brothers multi-instrumentalist Maurilio Rossi and guitarist Gianni Rossi at the time of Italian Prog Rock's golden period, but never had the luck to come up with a proper release as many groups of the era.They did however record the album "Creatures" in 1983, issued by Emmegi in 1985, but this was more or less their only known work until the 90's next to a couple of cover songs' efforts.Years later Maurilio would be the only Rossi member left in the line-up and by the end of the 80's he started working on material based on Edgar Allan Poe's writings.His main collaborator around the time was drummer Giancarlo Gaglioti and in early-90's Maurilio managed to record the work ''Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe'' with the help of some guest musicians.The album was released privately in 1994.

Sung in English, this is a sufficient work of mellow Progressive Rock close to the standards of EZRA WINSTON and ERIS PLUVIA with a good instrumental depth and interesting vocals with a few pale parts but also lots of very good material, drawing influences from Classic Prog, Neo Prog and smooth 60's Psychedelic Rock, somewhat hold down by its indifferent production.The more psychedelic passages are characterized by the inventive use of drums, the English vocals and the clever use of harmonica and acoustic guitars, but they are never left to lead the music.Rossi and company always surround this kind of music with atmospheric synthesizers and soft organ washes, close to the lines of 90's Italian Prog groups, while the electric solos are pretty great with a notable resemblance to compatriots MOONGARDEN.This way Goad try to combine colors from a dated period of Rock Music with a more modern aura and the result is quite satisfying.The musis is not complex and remains always at a downtempo mood yet it always reveals a mysterious inner power, created by its hypnotic textures, the changes between different time period influences and the good mix of vintage and modern instruments.A few tracks remain at a lower level with a questionable sound regarding their style (Acoustic Folk or Blues-based tunes), making the whole effort a bit incohesive.But the beautiful melodies, the diverse musical pallettes and the nice musicianship are mostly convincing and rewarding.

Listen by listen I tended to think that Goad's 90's return suffers more from its average production than the music contained.Still this is well-crafted album of 90's Prog with a nostalgic feeling, recommended to fans of multi-inspired Prog works with a definite 90's sound.

"I am a singer of songs that I learned in the far city, and my calling is to make beauty with the things remembered of childhood. My wealth is in little memories and dreams, and in hopes that I sing in gardens when the moon is tender and the west wind stirs the lotos-buds..." (H.P. Lovecraft, from The Quest Of Iranon). Well, I think that this quote could describe in some way the spirit and the mood of Goad's new album, "Masquerade". Maurilio Rossi and his band have been around for many years although they have never emerged from the underground scene. Luckily they never gave up the musical dreams of their youth and in my opinion "Masquerade" is their best work so far. It was recorded between 2007 and 2011 with a line up featuring Maurilio Rossi (organ, keyboards, bass, guitars), Francesco Diddi (violin, flute, sax, guitar), Gianni Rossi (guitar, backing vocals), Vick Usai (drums), Tommaso Baggiani (drums), Luis Magnanimo (bass), and Antonio Vannucci (piano, keyboards) but during the recording sessions they were helped by many guest musicians. The album was finally released in 2011 on the independent label Black Widow Records and I think that the result is excellent. You can find here all the passion of the band for vintage sounds and the literary works of artists such as Edgar Allan Poe or Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Among Goad's sources of inspiration there are bands such as Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis or King Crimson, of course, but the song-writing of this Florentine band is good and rich in ideas.

The opener "Fever Called Living" features heavy electric guitar riffs, touches of flute and dark organ rides. It describes a desperate escape from reality where the grave becomes a shelter, a peaceful bed where you can rest and dream for the eternity... "Thanks Heaven! The crises, the danger is past... And the fever called living is conquered at last...". The following "Eldorado" is a hard rock track in two parts that could recall Deep Purple. The lyrics are taken from a poem by E.A. Poe describing a gallant knight and his pointless quest for the land of gold... "But he grew old / This knight so bold / And o'er his heart a shadow / Fell as he found / No spot of ground / That looked like Eldorado...".

"The Last Knowledge" is another track divided into two parts. It is calmer, melancholic and evokes overwhelming memories, the dark shadow of a missing lover and the killing strength of her absence. Next comes the reflective "The Judge" which describes in music and words a strange meeting with a talking painting crying blood. It's the painting of an old judge who during his life condemned many people to death and now is haunted by their ghosts for the eternity... "I spent all my life sitting on that chair / Trying to understand, trying to be fair / Many and many lives I had in my hand / I was a judge, I was like God / They gave the power to punish with my rod...".

The next three tracks are also taken from E.A. Poe's poems. "The Valley Of Unrest" features an ethereal, sad atmosphere evoking perennial tears which descend in gems from a cloudy sky, "To Helen" features a strong classical inspiration and is an unconventional ode to beauty while the delicate, introspective "Alone" expresses isolation and inner torment. Then comes "Masquerade (Fast & Short)", just an appetizer for the long conclusive suite.

The nice classical inspired instrumental "Intro (Classic Guitar Prelude)" leads to the mysterious, mystic "Slave Of The Holy Mountain" which describes an unsuccessful, metaphorical climbing to Heaven. The following "Dreamland" is another good track inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's powerful poetry and precedes a beautiful, dark instrumental titled "The Haunted Palace".

The last track, "Masquerade (With Dance Macabre)", is a long, complex suite divided into five parts. It describes a strange dream and reminds me of the atmosphere of a H.P. Lovecraft's story... "There in the moonlight that flooded the spacious plain was a spectacle which no mortal, having seen it, could ever forget. To the sound of reedy pipes that echoed over the bog there glided silently and eerily a mixed throng of swaying figures, reeling through such a revel as the Sicilians may have danced to Demeter in the old days under the harvest moon beside the Cyane. The wide plain, the golden moonlight, the shadowy moving forms, and above all the shrill monotonous piping, produced an effect which almost paralysed me...". (H.P. Lovecraft, The Moon-Bog). The musical texture here is extremely rich, there are many nuances and every time you'll listen to this piece you'll discover something new...

Well, all in all I think that this is a very good album... Have a try!

Goad are an Italian band from Florence formed by brothers Maurilio and Gianni Rossi in the late seventies. I regret to say that it's only with Masquerade, their eighth studio album that I've finally discovered them. Regret because Masquerade is a fascinating album, a long, dark and brooding record with much to discover.

Firstly I'm going to say that Masquerade is not an easy ride. For starter's it's seventy seven minutes long and requires considerable time and effort to digest it all. A diverse range of musical styles and the usual instrumentation of guitar, bass, bass drums and keyboards augmented by sax, flute and violin give great scope, which they make full use of, for an album touching many bases. The nearest musical parallels I can draw bring to mind King Crimson (early seventies), though in a simpler form and Van Der Graaf Generator. Their dark prog has heavier elements at times as well as symphonic touches. The music is often raw, at times appearing somewhat disjointed as if it's about to all fall apart at any moment which adds to the unsettling feel. I find the keyboard sounds and textures particularly appealing, often haunting and melancholic complimented by some visceral guitar work. The music's not particularly structurally complex but made interesting by the diversity of layers and sounds. Some may find the vocals of Maurilio Rossi hard to handle - my 14 year old daughter asked me if he was in pain! Nevertheless he has an emotional delivery and reminded me of a rougher and less tuneful Micky Jones of Man fame and is integral to the band's sound.

Despite many excellent moments the length of the CD turns out to be its weakness and I can't help feeling that a bit of editing may have produced a stronger album. However the many high points including Eldorado, The Judge, To Helen and Alone more than make amends. The closing thirteen minute title track doesn't quite live up to expectations, the various parts not holding together too well but worth hearing nevertheless. Masquerade is a very good album that the aforementioned editing could have turned into an excellent one. Still well worth 3 ½ stars and no doubt about it, I really want to hear more of this fascinating band.

Not the most easy accessible music, Goad's music. Normally, their music is pretty hard to grasp. And Goad has made it even more difficult for themselves with this low-fi production. The sound is pretty horrible on this album and it tries a hide and seek game in the speakers. And I have some good speakers.

The music here is downtuned doomy heavy prog. Quite sludgy at times and also a bit symphonic too. The guitars is so pushed into the background that they are hard to detect. The vocals is far too much in the foreground. The bass, tangents and drums is hoverings somewhere between the guitars and the vocals.

The music is not too bad. There are some good stuff here. But the sound has killed this album and that is a huge shame. Please remix and remaster this album, anyone.

2 stars

Strange, windy, and unsettled....

Goad is a project over 30 years old who have joined forces with the illustrious Black Widow Records. Led by Florence based brothers Gianni and Maurilio Rossi the band has numerous releases. While this is the first album I've heard by Goad I have a distinct gut feeling "Masquerade" is a special one, it feels like a band reborn rather than a band at the end of a long road. The most obvious influence to me is Van Der Graaf Generator though there are also notes of Crimson and darker heavy rock and prog-rock bands. The band is very much in step with another well known band of Italian VDGG devotees, their label mates in the superb Areknames. I actually prefer Goad to Areknames a little bit though, while still dense there is more contrasting space here. Other references that came to mind include Hero, Procol Harum, sometimes even Jacula for the dark organ atmospheres.

At 77 minutes "Masquerade" is a long and chilling journey which some will say could use editing, but those who enjoy it will not want it to end. Driving heavy guitars and bass, chunky, lumbering and distorted are featured with all manner of dark keyboard textures, saxophone, and larger than life vocals. The moods are powerful and thundering, occasionally contrasted with eerie softer sections which just make the tracks pop with intrigue. In these sections you will experience sumptuous solo string performance, flute, and acoustic guitar----even a classical solo interlude at one point. But the most important impression to convey is the sense of unease and imbalance foisted on the listener as this unfolds like a tale from a dusty old magician's book. The music's structure in these weird sections are unpredictable and throw you off base, they make you feel odd somehow. True haunting mood music, I love it! Several pieces are long enough to allow some great instrumental stretching. Some listeners are going to find this work an unstructured mess while others (like me) are going to love the strange magic and feeling of being lost in the woods. The two part "To Helen" may be my favorite, featuring spirited guitar leads challenged by violin accompaniment, it then spirals into a strange place with descending piano lines behind the bold string performance. The five part title suite closes the album with a hearty epic feel and charms. I really enjoy these kinds of intimate projects which sound so different from much of what is out there these days. You can tell these guys are still in it for the love of good music.

"Masquerade" is going to thrill lovers of the dark, turbulent prog-rock that Black Widow specializes in. The only thing that would have made it better for me personally would have been Italian vocals. But I'll spare you that rant this time. Don't miss Goad if you enjoy Areknames or Jacula/Rex, though Goad are not as overtly dark as the latter. Italy is having yet another great year of releases! 3 1/2 stars.

Without any expectations whatsoever, I entered their world.

And what a strange brew I got in my hands. They are listed as eclectic prog and Black Widow is their label. So it must be a dark brew then. Not quite. What Goad has come up with here is a mix of commercial American stadium rock, AOR, RPI, stoner rock aka Black Sabbath, eclectic and symphonic prog. A mix of Journey, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Black Widow and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso in other words. An eclectic mix, to say at least. I am really having problems getting my head around this mix, I have to say. I gladly admit my jaw was on the floor during the first listening session.

Unfortunate, the band does not come up with the great songs this style of music require. The music ticks over very nicely, thank you. The vocals is excellent. The same can be said about the rest of the band which lays down a nice soundscape filled with organic tangents, electric guitars, bass and drums. This is by all means a very good album, but the dot over the i is missing and so is any real great songs. But I want to hear more from this band on the basis of this album.

3 stars