Enzo Donnarumma truly knows how to set a mood. “Precariousness” has an uneasy feeling, and this sense of foreboding is ramped up to breaking point as the prelude transitions to “Nothingness (It’s Everyone’s Fate)”. The string arrangement and the percussion immediately propel me to the Middle East even as the ensemble cast sing of traveling from Africa, but the Glory Ensemble interrupt themselves by introducing a progressive rock run toward the middle of the song and suddenly I’m in a different world altogether. How mighty the guitar sounds when backed by a symphony orchestra! Against a choir singing “It’s everyone’s fate” there is a world
of clamouring voices and instruments and you realise very quickly that on the album, “In The Name of The World Spirit” there will be a lot to take in.
This album is the third in a trilogy by Enzo & The Glory Ensemble, and has certainly retained its fiery delivery. The band changes tack on “The Bronze Age”, where the sequenced elements suggest a hive of activity. A lilting acoustic guitar is introduced while the vocalisations of the choir stitch this peaceful interlude to the heavier part that follows. What keeps amazing me are the contrasts achieved in the music. “Try To Put In Pit The Fear” features Kobi Farhi of Orphaned Land. The earlier uneasiness has made way for a feeling of celebration. I have found myself listening to increasingly heavier music since we’ve been in precautionary lockdown and while it has matched my somber mood it has left me dejected. A song like “Try To Put In Pit The Fear” is the remedy that blows the cobwebs of negativity away. “To Every Chest” is a beautiful duet and a little slower in pace. The combination of the male and female vocals is very effective, and there is ample room for heavenly guitar solos. The Glory Ensemble are very good at combining instruments that invoke the ancient world with those that fit more squarely in the present, like in “Just In My Heart The Blame”. There is the thumb piano but also a stringed instrument towards the middle of the track that picks up the melody and truly stands out
amongst the modern orchestration. I love the inclusion of the harp on “I’ll Add More” and if ever there were a musical intro suited to the opening scene of a film, it would be this one. It feels like a very personal song, beautifully sung by female voices.
“My Pillory” is my favourite song on the album. Again, I am transported to the Middle East by the flute before the guitars announce themselves. If you’re a fan of prog metal, you’ll enjoy this one. There is something about that double time kick drum that gets me nodding every time. The keyboard solo here is also a lot of fun, and it’s like the quick fingers on the keys are transposed to the guitar for something like a call and answer passage in the music. I have read that “Last Weep”, the first single from the album, is a tribute to Ibn Battuta who was a traveler in ancient times. Enzo Donnarumma comments in an article published by Metal Shock Finland that “the choice of Ibn Battuta’s subject invites to a journey towards those who appear distant, different: a mutual exchange of knowledge and experiences.” You can read the post here.
Isn’t it amazing how these mutual exchanges of knowledge and experiences now happen at the click of a mouse button or by simply typing a query into a browser window! We are living in a global village.
Something I enjoyed while listening to the previous album “In The Name of The Son” was how Enzo set the psalms to music. There is a return to this style on “Psalm 13 (Tell Me)” where David, despite his despair proclaims that he will trust in God’s unfailing love. The song, “Echo” for me is an extension of the preceding “Psalm 13 (Tell Me)” and I am reminded of Paul when he writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
It feels to me like we reach the summit of the mountain with “One Reason” and that “The Silence Speaks For Us” is that moment where, out of breath, we admire the beauty of all we can see from this elevated point. “In The Name of The World Spirit” is as ambitious a project as its predecessors and expertly performed by Enzo & The Glory Ensemble. Bravo!
“In The Name of The World Spirit” scores 9/10.
Written by Karakul
Track list:
- Precariousness
- Nothingness (It’s Everyone’s Fate)
- The Bronze Age
- Try To Put In Pit The Fear
- To Every Chest
- Just In My Heart The Blame
- I’ll Add More
- My Pillory
- Last Weep
- Psalm 13 (Tell Me)
- Echo
- One Reason
- The Silence Speaks For Us
Band members:
Enzo Donnarumma
With guest artists:
Marty Friedman
Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land)
Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Warlord)
Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) Brian Ashland (Shadow Gallery)
Nicholas Leptos (Warlord, Arrayan Path)
Amulyn Corzine (Whisper from Heaven)
Derek Corzine (Whisper from Heaven)
David Brown (Metatrone)
Alessandro Battini (Dark Horizon)
Maria Londino (S91)
Francesco Romeggini (S91)
Mr Jack
Claudia Coticelli
Carta People
Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai)
Studio albums/EPs
“In The Name of The Father” (2015) [review]
“In The Name of The Son” (2017) [review]
“In The Name of The World Spirit” (2020)
Release Date: March 27 2020
Record label: Rockshots Records
Video for ‘Try To Put In Pit The Fear ‘
Video for (audio) ‘Nothingness (It’s Everyone’s Fate)’
Video for ‘Last Weep’
