We just recently received a package sent to us by Italian agency Atomic Stuff, who apparently do promotional work for the labels logic(il)logic Records and Street Symphonies Records, with the occasional unsigned act on the side (which they then manage to get product distribution through the same as does the labels). Actually, I've been thinking that perhaps the promotion agency was brought to life by the labels themselves which, by the way, seem to be linked somehow. Just check the similarities of their websites, and you'll understand what I mean! Okay, whatever...so we got this package, see, with promo CD's of in total 10 releases (one's already reviewed, see SilentLie review posted this same day). An awkward thing about such packages, is that quite a few of the albums you get were released already some time ago, but on the positive side we, and this is our aim after all, get to promote bands of which would otherwize only be heard on a regional (or national, depending on how intensely a band can tour to promote its material) level. Well, in the case of Progressive Metal act Hypnotheticall, it is certainly worth to make this band be noticed outside the strict confines of its habitual Italian surroundings. First however, let's check this band's history...because these guys have actually been around since the Winter of 1999!
Based in Vicenza (North of Italy, situated between Venice in the East and Verona in the West), the band was founded by a bunch of friends with the intent of bringing together their diverse musical backgrounds in order to create something out of the box. Although there's been several line-up changes (at both the bass, drum, second guitar and lead vocal positions), guitarist Guiseppe Zaupa has remained with the band as a constant, today finding himself surrounded by vocalist Marco Ciscato (entered the fold in 2011, was formerly with Aphonic, and currently still also with Methodica), second guitarist Mirko Marchesini (also plays in the bands Airhead, Lash, and Mindwild), bassist Luca Capalbo (probably the most experienced of all, with past tenures in the bands The Vypers, Funeral Oration, Sovran, Phobic, Gory Blister, Funeral Cry, and Cerebra Infest; and currently also active with Thanatoid and Menace), keyboardist Davide Pretto (like the singer, joined in 2011), and drummer Francesco Tresca (formerly of Anemnesi, Funeral Cry -perhaps at the same time as the bassist? – Stigmhate and Power Quest, he currently also plays with the band Arthemis). With its previous line-ups, the band first issued a 2002 demo entitled In Need Of A God?, and followed that up with their official debut EP Thorns, one year later.
Between 2004 and early 2006, the band was out of circulation, due to several line-up changes, but with Marchesini joining, a new musical approach is taken with influences from such well-known acts as Tool, Meshuggah, King Crimson, A Perfect Circle, Porcupine Tree, Rush, Sieges Even, and Pain Of Salvation, and a demo entitled Promo 2006 is recorded. In 2008 yet another new sound is experimented upon, when Capalbo as well as Tresca come into the fold, the latter as second drummer! Songs are eventually recorded, and find a publisher with Polish label Insanity Records, who release the Dead World album in late October 2009 to relative success on both commercial and critical levels. In spite of the positive way things were going for the band, the band's first drummer Paolo Veronese (whom also took care of occasional synths) decides at that moment to leave the band in pursuit of other musical experiences. Soon after him, singer Francesco Dal Barro makes the same move. So, it's with new blood that the band stands before us today, with the addition of (as mentioned in the band's bio, and repeated here as mere truth) young yet remarkable singer Marco Ciscato, and keyboard player Davide Pretto.
As you'll be able to make out for yourselves, by listening to the tracks posted at the label's website (gee...I seem to have noted down a wrong band's songs...go check out what's there, will you!) o at the band's own (www.) hypnotheticall.it (in the form of videos for the tracks “Let Life Be An Origami” and “First Draft Of A Life”), Hypnotheticall's music is a nice balance of calmer and more excited moments, with passages which will favor a lead function for each and every instrument played (the drums being the most important thing of all, because it's only due to the drummer's versatile playing that the basis for the tracks is laid down, after all!), with nice attention given to the keyboards changing from atmospheric to...something different! And Ciscato truly has a great voice, which is ridden of any Mediterranean accents to boot (so are the sparse backing vocals, by the way!). What I love in the guitar play (be it electrically enhanced or more acoustic), is the frequent angularity and the stop-start tactics. It makes listening to the album overall such a great pleasure. Oh, by the way, at (www.) facebook.com/hypnotheticall, you'll find an additional posting of 5 songs, none of which off the new album, I'm afraid...and as I neglected to have a listen (I didn't know the band's history back then), I have no idea of what they actually sound like, neither of how they compare to the band's current material. Still, musically there should be quite some similarities, so enjoy!
Meanwhile, let's put this album, which was recorded in Italy and mastered in London during Summer 2012, in our year-lists, shall we?