In 1998, Deus Ex Machina were one of those bands that myself and my running set were tracking real time. Their first three albums were all excellent, and they seemed to improve with each release. I had the pleasure of seeing them live in 1996 and they didn't disappoint there either. So there was much anticipation when Equilibrismo da Insofferenza was released. And boy, did it pack the WOW factor! They had streamlined their sound further, added even more complexity, while bringing forth a more mature songwriting approach. Not to mention a much better, more retro styled production. For 1998, it seemed to be their best effort yet, and one of the finest prog albums for the entire year - a sentiment shared by many at the time. 22 years later, and that impact has diminished somewhat. The music is dense, with tons of stop/start moments while Piras continued to push the boundaries of the Demetrio Stratos styled vocal gymnastics. And now he's singing in his native Italian verse Latin - which remains a plus in my book. Truth be told, I didn't remember much about the album going into revisit. And I don't remember much about it afterward - and it was only three weeks ago! When reflecting on Deus Ex Machina's best songs, it's starting to emerge that their sophomore effort is their most accomplished, and the one album the band relies on more for their live repertoire. The 90s tinny production was more the issue considering that release. There is an exception to everything I said above - and it's very significant: 'Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano' may very well be the single finest track (ever) to marry hard rock and avant prog. And it is memorable. It never stops driving forward, with one of the all time great guitar riffs combined with complex rhythms. And Piras has never been better than here. It was this one song that I think propelled it as one of the great albums in my mind. And for 10 and a half minutes, it most certainly is. For the other hour not so much. Is it Deus Ex Machina's best album? It may still very well be. We'll see how the other albums fare on further revisits.
1998; 11/13/20 (new entry)
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