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Sicily has always bred talented musicians for whom recognition has historically been underwhelming. Antonello Giliberto’s instrumental solo debut has the ingredients to go one small step towards reversing this trend.

 

Jason Becker and Vinnie Moore seem to have significantly influenced Giliberto’s musical philosophy, particularly with regards to the Italian’s skill in balancing aggression with melancholy, technique with subtlety. Tony Macalpine is another obvious influence and the excellent ‘Equinox’ is undisputable proof of this. The influence of Classical composers, such as Bach, is omnipresent throughout the album but particularly so in ‘Entr’act’. This composition is very short and sounds more like an intro to the furious ‘The Power Of The Whip’ – we can almost say it’s a sort of calm before the storm.

 

A diversity of musical ideas is one of the album’s strongest traits, in my opinion. Besides a constant tinkering with the hallmarks of the Neo-Classical guitar genre, Giliberto’s ideas include the middle-eastern melodies of ‘Lotus Effect’ as well as guitar phrasings with roots in the Jazz genre. ‘Commiato’ is an example of the latter and seems, in part, to be inspired by the string-picking dexterity of Joe Pass. It’s an excellent but brief composition and it’s a shame that Giliberto didn’t expand on the ideas in this ‘Commiato’. ‘Sorrow’ is one of the tracks where Giliberto uses an acoustic guitar while showcasing his interpretative skills.

 

Despite his talent, there are times in “The Mansion…” where Giliberto seems to be stuck in a rut when going from one idea to the next. The percussion sounds have the synthetic feel of a drum machine, which isn’t a massive problem but is nonetheless conspicuous. And yet, Giliberto plays with a huge passion that overshadows many shortcomings.

 

All things considered “The Mansion of Lost Souls” is a solid debut.

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