Lab X: Ikigai

Ikigai is the studio album debut by Italian instrumental progressive rock band Lab X, a title that in Japanese means “the reason to wake up in the morning and to live for�. The band is comprised by Giacomo Calabria on drums, Luca Nicolasi on bass, Alberto Bergonzoni on guitars, and Enrico Lorenzini on keyboards.

The album contains 9 tracks, all of them good, and each with different aspects to highlight. As expected on an all-instrumental output, every member has enough space to showcase their virtuosity and quality of their playing, but at the same time when needed they do sound like a true band, cohesive and tight. There are metal moments, jazzy moments, symphonic passages, and even some Asian-inspired details here and there… an inspiration that goes beyond the name of the album and contributes to some of the song titles. Yes, there’s complexity throughout the multi-genre trip, but the eventual chaotic sensation always gives way to the hooks and catchy elements, keeping the listener always focused and engaged.

The band has released a single (and music video) which happens to be the opening track “The Ronin’s Memories�, a summary of what the album is going to sound like, with multiple progressive elements floating and flawlessly interplaying… love the acoustic guitar arrangements. “The Monk� is my favorite track, is the one that keeps bringing me back to further listening, the bass lines are outstanding and there’s something about the dark aspect of the melodies that simply resonates a lot with me. “Green on Gray� has a cool combination of heavy riffs and bluesy licks, and the rhythmic section is outstanding. My second favorite is the piano-led “Heart of Hiroshima�, beautiful and melodic as the title might imply, dramatic but cozy, orchestral and anthemic sounding at times, very strong material. “JY Line� and “Lost in Nara� are the two craziest tracks where the band gets more experimental with the transitions and the arrangements, a place where the keyboards find its comfort zone and launches the whole artillery… the furious conversation between guitars and keys is memorable. The band is not afraid to mix and show the various influences, those that even include a lot of 80’s atmospheric sounding keys, an aspect that can be heard in tracks like “Duty Against Feelings� and “Streets of Shibuya�, helping in creating the perfect playground for the grooviest and heaviest passages of the album. The band is very technical (they sometimes remind me of a less-saturated sounding Haken), but they don’t abuse that, the insanity is very balanced and smartly placed along the musical trip. Very solid debut… will they incorporate vocals in the future? Cheers!

Track list:
1. The Ronin’s Memories (4:00)
2. Duty Against Feelings (3:31)
3. JY Line (4:27)
4. Watch Your Step (3:49)
5. The Monk (5:05)
6. Green on Gray (3:46)
7. Heart of Hiroshima (4:35)
8. Lost in Nara (3:40)
9. Streets of Shibuya (4:51)

Added: April 15th 2023
Reviewer: Jose Antonio Marmol
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1482
Language: english

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