Genre:  Progressive Metal

01 My song of creation
02 The traveller
03 Last breath
04 Divided we stand
05 The conflict
06 Destiny unveiled
07 My time of need
08 Forever bound
09 The message
10 Balance restored
11 God of symmetry

Operas were kind of common during the glorious days of luxurious theatres and unfathomed spaces, an epoch for the grandiose and magnificent. Theatre was appreciated by the masses, so was music, in a non specifically entertaining way though. All cultural manifestations were part of a collective of well poured deep philosophical thoughts, exciting aesthetics and incentives for the imaginary collective. Perhaps we are so far away from there, these days commanded by easiness and “instantaneous” knowledge, generalized ugliness and banality as the epitome of beauty, consumerism as philosophy and modern myths anchored in chauvinistic quibblery. Perhaps 400 years after, theatre is no longer appreciated by people and not fully realized by the artists who want to represent it (at least for what comes to rock or metal), music on the other hand is a miasma distilling from the past in continuous effluvium through the radio, insincere and soulless and real music is relegated to the underground as a “entartete kunst”. This is normal; we are a decadent civilization far away from the compounds that made great the Western civilization. Opera, a latin name that is the plural for Opus designates the fusion of music (understanding it as chanting and accompaniment) and theatre in one piece. The work from Xystus tries to redeem old pompous Opera stylistics and bombastic claims but adding the necessary modern topic to make it sound more close to the masse,  that is rock sensibilities. Third full length from the dutch band shows their most promissory and mature musical adventure.

Equilibrio the rock opera directed by Xystus with the help of at least 130 people including an orchestra, theatre actors and a gigantic crew stands as an opulent and pretentious claim. Thousands of metal bands has reclaimed the symphonic/orchestral style as theirs yet none has really invoked it properly, more likely using it as an addendum or a silly partner that makes their cacophonies sound more “cult” and stylized or in return there is bands that uses the orchestra to engulf them completely and that way losing all reference of their own musical abilities. Equilibrio instead really creates a fusion in all entirety. They refuse to fall in the self-worship of their own music by trying to overshadow the orchestra; instead they share roles continuously, “Give to the Orchestra what is his and to Xystus what is his” that’s a smart bet. One of the principal features of the cd if not the most important is the apparition of Simone Simons from Epica as lead female singer which is absolutely professional in her role and had a decisive influence on the final result of the work. The opera is composed of two acts and seven sections, each section marked as an individual song but in context totally uniformed in sonority, making of the 57 minutes of the play a perfect reunion, smooth and transparent. Bas Dolmans has a double role during the course of the play, interprets Diegu: The traveller and leads the lead guitar role also aided by the rhythmic conducted by BobWijtsma, they synchronize well and fortunately escape from the masturbatory compulsiveness from most power metal guitar players during the work, instead both serves as pivot for many orchestral introductions and escapades, finishing lines here and there and occasionally assaulting with some pounding riffings in order to shake the listener. To highlight is the faithful delivery of the rest of the band, timing perfectly with the guitars both the drummer and the bass player while the keyboardist takes some representative role during some of the chanting lines from the characters without opaquing the orchestra and a quote of sufficient sacrifice put on theirselves in pursuit of the creation of a wholeness of sound. This is truly a rock opera in all sense of the word. Both orchestra and band created an harmonic friendship to narrate the story and that’s basically what opera is about. A mutual help between the chanting, or the band for the matter to create a musical narrative that in turn gets narrated by the theatre characters.

Plot is kinda simple. The story of a dead traveller (the will of life in mankind, that has succumbed) who is revived by Sophia (The knowledge) in order to reunite two separate and apparently dissimilar lovers: Aveline a faithful romantic spirit (sort of allegory from Venus) and Primos (the warrior and conqueror inside mankind, or Mars also) who is lost in his greed for power and a curse placed upon him by his ally unconditional ally the Death who gave him life in exchange of the souls he can bring her. Digu mission becomes the instruction of Primos to leave the death as an ally and to return to the path of life, he finally achieves this quest and Sophia offers him to become a god but Diegu prefers to live as a mortal the rest of his life. Interesting allegory involved, although at times becomes way too melodramatic and with a very pink finale, although preserves a serious tone and dramatics during the whole play.

Equilibrio offers a good epithet for this opera, in form because the band manages to introduce in the mood and delivering his own vision (as the metal band it is) through the orchestra and vice versa and in content in what respects to the thematic, the pretentious call doesn’t fall in misunderstandings or exaggerated protagonists, leaves the plot to naturally develop and its able to bring an image to the spectator and listener (remember this is all about theatre above all), the story is attractive, enhancing smartly the different moods from the transition of the play. I would really like to see the whole presentation instead of just listening the album in order to have a wider perspective but this is a good album nevertheless. Epic above all and allegorical the work inflames and calms the listener with its power. This is truly symphonic music where the effort and the sweat put inside are appreciated.