“Gaïa 1. Godzilla” is an extremely ambitious project: it is the first volume of a trilogy and should be conceived as two single suites, in 5 movements each, separated by a “side A” and a “side B”, just as if performed the symbolic gesture of turning the vinyl on the turntable.
For this second album of theirs (six years after their homonymous debut, dated 2016), Audio'm choose to forcefully push the pedal of the dramatic, of restlessness, at times of anguish and fear. For this reason, from the very first notes, the Mellotron dictates the law, heavily exploited in its darkest registers, excellent support for Emmanuelle Olmo-Cayuela's vocals. And immediately a comparison comes to mind: the Swedish Anglagard of "Hybrys".
But "Gaïa 1. Godzilla" is not only this: in fact, the extraordinary work done by the guitars, with their interweaving, takes care of moving everything on territories now more acoustic and "pastoral", now more dynamic and jazz-rock, between Canterbury Sound and Mahavishnu Orchestra. And then, again, unexpected and spectacular escapes of synthesizers with a fully vintage timbre, “nervous” and dry harpsichords and clavinet that bring us back to the great Italian prog (Banco, Orme, Balletto di Bronzo), even sabers of majestic liturgical organs from horror films (from Antonius Rex to Devil Doll up to the French vandergraffian compatriots La Rossa), all culminating in the beautiful, majestic, final crescendo of the album, where the inlays of the guitars with the synthesizer and the Mellotron unequivocally exploit the school of Genesis, a liberating cry that is almost an It from "The Lamb lies down on Broadway" or a Los Endos from "A trick of the tail" in its final fury.
A record that is very difficult to "tell" and describe in words. It deserves several listens. Do it and you won't regret it.
