Vidocq
come from Turin and began life in 2009 on the initiative of vocalist
Enrico Rigolli, an experienced musician in love with hard rock and
melody. The name of the band was inspired by the character of Eugène François Vidocq, a famous French adventurer and criminologist. In
2012 the band released an eponymous debut album on the independent
label Andromeda Relix with a line up featuring Enrico Rigolli
(vocals), Graziano Picco (guitars), Massimo Martinetto (bass), Alex
Quagliotti (drums) and Marco Veretti (keyboards). Some prestigious
guests contributed to enrich the overall sound and the result is a
good album of classic rock with some progressive influences and nice
melodies.
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| Vidocq 2012 |
The
opener “Cuore nero” (Black heart), starts with a short accordion
introduction, then veers towards melodic hard rock atmospheres. The
lyrics tell about a romance with a dangerous, cheating woman. The
following “Polvere da sparo” (Gunpowder) is a lively hard rock
piece with electric guitar riffs in the forefront. It tries to evoke
in music and words a story of pirates in the Caribbean sea with
thundering guns and a rattling of swords under the shadow of the
jolly roger flag. It reminds me of the atmospheres of some works by
the Italian writer Emilio Salgari.
“Volo”
(Flight) is nocturnal and dreamy. It describes a flight in a starry
sky following the acrobatics of Peter Pan. Next comes “Il volo
del falco” (The flight of the hawk), a delicate acoustic ballad
featuring on vocals two prestigious guests such as Vittorio De
Scalzi (New Trolls) and Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme). The lyrics
invite you to observe the flight of a hawk and then to look at a
little child and to an old man and to reflect about their desire to
fly for different reasons.
“Frà
Diavolo” is a frenzied, southern blues rock ride inspired by the
character of an Italian famous brigante, Michele
Pezza, best known with
the nickname of Fra' Diavolo. “Tanto tempo fa” (Long time
ago) features a nervous pulsing beat and evokes a feeling of
nostalgia for a past love where new fears feed a vague sense of
solitude. “Welcome (resta tra gli dei)” (Welcome – stay with
the gods) is another nocturnal track where dreams clash against a
bleak reality.
“Genesi”
(Genesis) is in a more progressive vein and features some nice piano
passages and evocative melodies. The lyrics depict a sky which is
vomiting its rage upon men incapable to react against the decay of
their environment and invoke the rebirth of a humankind that this
time would be wiser and less greedy. The following “Contro il
tempo” (Against time) is more aggressive and is about a pointless
quest to eternity. Then the short title track brings a change of
atmosphere and a softer mood. The accordion and the female vocals of
the guests Gianni Ceretto and Laura Conti take you to Paris while the
lyrics conjure up the ghost of the adventurer after whom the band was
named.
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| Vidocq on stage |
Two acoustic covers, credited as bonus tracks, conclude the album, a nice version of BMS' “750.000 anni fa... l'amore?” and Franco Battiato's “No Time, No Space”.
Well, despite some ingenuities and the lack of really outstanding tracks I think that this album is worth listening to.
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