Karmamoi are an Italian prog rock band around the duo of Daniele Giovannoni (drums, keyboards and backing vocals) and Alex Massari (guitars and backing vocals). Daniele wrote the music and lyrics are provided by singer Sara Rinaldi. The album is inspired by the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire. There are several people guesting on the album, of which Colin Edwards might be the most prominent one.
The mood of this album is already set with the opening title track. It is a slow, and very emotional track. No wonder, as it is dedicated to the 2 Syrian refugees Omar and Mohammed, of which the latter died in the fire. The final solo abruptly coming to silence, is surely reflecting the tragedy.
Emotions keep running throughout the album, sometimes reminding me of Pink Floyd. This because of the tasty arrangements, with the guitar whispering or rocking out over the music. And lots of slow and mid-tempo tracks.
Besides the vocals of Sara and the guitar solos, another highlight is adding flute to the proceedings. As we all know, that alone qualifies this as a progressive album… 😉
All kidding aside, for me Karmamoi have managed to create a wonderful and emotional monument for a moment in time that should only be classified as horrific. As has been said many times before, sometimes the hard times provide the best inspiration. And inspired and inspiring this is for sure!
If you like this, also check their Odd Trip album.
