Moonlight Comedy
Dorothy Lion Music

by Matthew Hoffman hardrockhaven.net
Staff Writer

Comments: When Simone Fiorletta, one of the most gifted up and coming guitarists in the world, provides the axe play on a progressive rock/metal album it is probably a good idea to check it out. Fiorletta is simply magical with the six strings, playing brilliantly whether in an aggressive metal fashion or an emotional rock inspired love song. His album Parallel Worlds (Lion Music 2005) was certainly one of the best instrumental guitar releases of the past decade. It is on this platform that Moonlight Comedy ultimately succeeds.

Three years after the release of their first album The Life Inside, Moonlight Comedy is back again on the same label (Lion Music) with Dorothy. This band is really unique and is not easy to either categorize or characterize. Elements of rock and power metal combine with eclectic beautiful progressive passages throughout. This is heady music though and not for all rock and metal fans.

Moonlight Comedy also treats Dorothy like a theatrical presentation and refers to the songs as acts and the musicians as actors. What is created by Moonlight Comedy is a niche genre or possibly a new genre, but unlike other bands that try and recreate the wheel, this is quality music. At times the band makes you angry for not flowing or being cohesive while other times you applaud that unique approach.

After a goofy woman spoken word intro for the first track the first real song is "Solar Eclipse" where the band's diversity is thoroughly highlighted. Electronics coming from Gianluigi Farina start it out then a torturous background guitar section from Fiorletta and then the powerful vocals of Emiliano Germani. Midway through the malaise a keyboard solo hits you square in the face and is swiftly mirrored by a mach three sonic piece from Simone. Then the tempo slows and Fiorletta and Co. plays slow distortion filled melodies. Finally the song ends with a minute of believe, it or not, silence.

The third cut is more of the same and shows the keyboard prowess of Farina battling again with Mr. Fiorletta for supremacy. This style of music is great to analyze the individual instrumentation and vocals but leaves much to be desired when it comes to building solid cohesive songs. This is shown by the most diverse song lengths in history. There is everything from 39 second to 12 minute songs here, and most of it is entertaining but far from classic songwriting.

This album is full of amazing musicianship and should be judged positively. Not every band is going to be able to deliver amazing songs and expert musicianship like Dream Theatre. The funny thing is, this band probably could but seems simply not to want to. All in all this is a wonderful opportunity to hear the diverse guitar wizardry of Simone Fiorletta and some pretty decent Progressive Metal. It is certainly perfect for the guitarheads out there looking for a new guitar hero. Get online and buy one today.

Band Members:
Actor I: Emiliano Germani - Vocals
Actor II: Gianluigi Farina - Keyboards
Actor III: Simone Fiorletta - Guitars
Actor IV: Armando Pizzuti - Bass
Actor V: Andrea Scala - Drums & Percussion

Track Listing:
01. Intro Desire & Whisper
02. Solar Eclipse
03. Fallin' Under
04. The Sea And Time Of Mars
05. Metamorfosi
06. Lunar Eclipse
07. Into Whispers & Desire
08. Imperfect Mind
09. Dust Of The Past
10. …And Why Not?
11. Side Effects

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.8/10

Moonlight Comedy - Dorothy (Lion Music) By: Joe Florez www.live4metal.com
	This band name has been floating around since 1998 and I have actually heard of them and nothing more. My guess was that they were of the progressive persuasion. My first contact with a member of group was Actor III aka Simone Fiorletta who is a guitar player that had released a solo record on the same label as here. He is a wonderful player that fuses all genres of music to create something fresh. He told me about this new record and I actually couldn’t wait to get my first taste. Well, the album has been released and I have to say that these individuals have taken great measures to shake up the prog scene. “Solar Eclipse” offers a glimpse of surely what is to come. Yes, there is some fancy keyboard, but that is
only the beginning. Tight musicianship is exploited here as the drums are performed with great precision and the guitars have a lot more bite than usual. They are slightly heavier and don’t go for that pretty boy sound that so many in this scene try to achieve. The one element that sticks out the most is the vocals from Actor I: Emilianio Germani with his brand of singing. The voice is loud and clear, but his crooning work sounds a bit forced, but it’s ok because he seems to be more comfortable with his singing after a while. Sometimes his lung work comes off as aggressive on here. Some of his phrasings replicate David Draiman of Disturbed with that staccato style, but he gets back into the prog realm quickly. All of a sudden just when you think that you are in this consistent groove, the time changes immediately opting for a softer vibe. It doesn’t last long but if comes off somewhat as a train hitting a big wall coming from out of nowhere. After that obstacle, you get everything you could want from a proggy band. The solos shred and the composition continues to be more perplexing. Thus far, I am impressed for the simple fact that they don’t copy everyone else in the genre and are daring with what they do. “Fallin’ Under” is more spiced up than the first song and even more complex, but MC seems more comfortable in their playing as well as singing and the song just runs that much smoother. Just to show you how diverse this team of performers are, they add a bit of electronic/bass thumping beats to inject some extra life to their songs. Some may hate it, but it’s at least adventurous to hear. “Into Whispers & Desire” shows a more mature side to this picture. They add some classical elements and high energy in this ballad-esque masterpiece. The vocals come off as sincere and it just made me happy to know that there are artists out there that can write such a touching piece of work. I was absolutely amazed at what can be accomplished when you put your mind to it. There is no mimicking of any other artists out there on this release. There are some similarities, but don’t expect them to last long, because this record is just bursting with originality and I am now an official fan. Prog heads should seek this one out for sure. Trust me, the money and time invested in this is well worth it. www.lionmusic.com | www.moonlightcomedy.com

Moonlight Comedy: The Life Inside
 

Moonlight Comedy is a new Italian progressive/power metal act and considering The Life Inside is the band’s debut, I’m absolutely floored! Influences seem to range from Dream Theater, Symphony X, Evergrey and even Savatage. But Moonlight Comedy is no progmetal clone. Rather they draw inspiration from their influences to achieve new standards of their own. Consider the terrific catchy chorus of "Hidden Truth": in a parallel universe, the song could be a hit single.

The band is truly composed of team players and each member gets his moment to shine. I like the even mixture of Gianluigi Farina’s symphonic keyboards and Simone Fiorletta’s shredding guitars. Credit needs to be given to vocalist Emiliano Germani as well. Though there is a noticeable Italian accent, he has a remarkable voice with plenty of range.

Highlights include the symphonic metal of "Adam’s Rib" and the neo-classical flavored "The Divine Comedy". But the band is equally adept at tackling more epic pieces as demonstrated by "The Wisdom of the Wise" and "Immortal Child".

In all, The Life Inside is an excellent start to the band’s career. Though there are a few instances of blatantly incorrect English, such as “I need time ‘cause I’ve hearded your lies” (ouch!) from "Masters of Your Mask", the lyrics are sung with such enthusiasm and awe inspiring technique that it is easy to surrender to some of the translation problems. As a debut, this is great stuff and I’m confident the band will continue to grow and improve. As it stands, Moonlight Comedy is my favorite band on the Lion Music roster. Warmly recommended.

Track Listing

1. Oceans (7:34)
2. Hidden Truth (7:36)
3. Masters of Your Mask (6:02)
4. Second Shadow (4:35)
5. Adam's Rib (5:34)
6. The Divine Comedy (5:35)
7. The Wisdom of the Wise (6:02)
8. Immortal Child (6:55)
9. Into the Life-pt. 1 (3:25)

Added: November 8th 2004
Reviewer: Steve Pettengill   www.seaoftranquility.org
Score:
   

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MOONLIGHT COMEDY - The Life Inside

The new prog sensation from Italy, Moonlight Comedy, released a short while ago, their debut The Life Inside.
Italy has the last years really put them self on the map with new bands in the Progressive/Powermetal genre with
bands like, Empty Tremor, Mind key, Genius, Orion Riders, Luca Turilli and White Skull. Moonlight Comedy has
had things going on for some years. The band was formed in 1998 and they immediately started to write their own
material to present to the public. With the two promos ...and the moonlight dispelled a mistery in 1999, and Second
Shadow in 2001, it was time to release a debut. They signed a deal with Lion Music in Finland and with the debut
The Life Inside, they really impress me much. The band are influenced by the nineties` Progressive Metal , Power
Metal and Hard Rock, and they have managed to make an album that is really interesting to listen to. What I like about
Moonlight Comedy is that they take care of the nice melody lines in the music, and another thing I like very good is
that they don`t make their music so complicated that you don`t manage to listen to it. The musicians, production and
sound is great, and after several rounds in the CD player I like this album better and better. The first two tracks,
Oceans and Hidden Truth, take my thoughts back to Dream Theater`s debut, When Dream And Day Unite. It`s
something about the way the songs are built up and the playing style that reminds me of Dream Theater. To play music
like this it demands a lot of skills from each member, and Moonlight Comedy has in my opinion the right elements in
their music that makes it really interesting. The singer, Emiliano Germani, has a wide range with his voice, but I think
he handles much better to sing the lower notes than the more high ranged vocals. With songs like Masters Of Your
Mask, and my personal favorite Second Shadow, plus Adam`s Rib, they definitely show us their own style. Moonlight
Comedy is a new talented Italian band who absolutely deserves attention, check them out immediately!

                                                                                                                                                  http://www.moonlightcomedy.com/
                                                                                                                                    http://www.lionmusic.com/

Moonlight Comedy are:

Emiliano Germani – Vocals
Gianluigi Farina– Piano & keyboards
Simone Fiorletta – Guitars
Armando Pizzuti – Bass
Andrea Scala – Drums
review from  www.melodichardrocktoday.tk 

Moonlight Comedy - The Life Inside
   Despite their rather dubious sounding name, Moonlight Comedy prove to be anything but a joke. Formed about six years ago, this hugely talented Italian quartet play a dynamic, highly atmospheric blend of progressive power metal which, aside from the usual Dream Theater references, also encompasses the more intrinsically European sounds of Poverty’s No Crime and Vanden Plas. Comparisons however should only be taken as starter reference points because there’s far more to Moonlight Comedy than second rate plagiarism. Ok, the gruff, lower register vocal style of Emiliano Germani seems to be at odds with most of the other bands in this genre, but after a while, everything kinda clicks into place and it actually makes a rather refreshing change. From a technical point of view however the band are absolutely bang on the nail, their sizzling combination of vibrant keys and shimmering riffs creating a full blooded, oft voluminous aural landscape littered with strong melodies and memorable hooks – check out the likes of ‘The Wisdom Of The Wize’, ‘Oceans’, and ‘Second Shadow’ and discover this particularly tasty box of delights for yourself. Very impressive.
review by Dave Cockett of Fireworks & Powerplay magazines

 

Moonlight Comedy - The Life Inside

Moonlight Comedy Moonlight Comedy, what a funny name for a band, or so you would think... There is no joke about this band since they sound quite good. Formed back in 1998 and hailing from Italy, this band plays some Progressive Metal in the style of Dream Theater, very melodic.
This is actually the band's debut album, and it's entitled "The Life Inside".

I had never heard of this band before, but then again I was never too much into the Progressive Metal genre, although I actually enjoy it very much, if it's any good, of course.
Between Progressive and Power Metal, I was always much more into the second one, but that's not a problem here since Moonlight Comedy are actually known as a Power Prog Metal band, kind of a mix between both genres, so they are probably interesting to fans of both music styles as well.
Now it comes down to find out if they are any good, and after listening to only a couple of tracks I can say that they are indeed! Their sound is very melodic and the all the instruments are very catchy so they stick in your ears without any problem.

I was thinking which instrument sounds better, or if there's at least one of them that sounds a little better than the others. First I thought about the vocals, but then this piano tune kicks in, so I change my opinion. After that there's this crunching guitar part and eventually I change my opinion again. Finally I reached the conclusion that everything sounds great, so lets just leave it that way.

So you think you are ready for Moonlight Comedy yet? Where to start? Well, I can't really say that there are any bad tracks here, but there's one that it's just above all the others, at least for me. I'm talking about "The Wizdom Of The Wize", it starts with a mid paced rhythm but then down the middle comes this very catchy chorus that I just don't get tired of listening to, so that's the song I'd choose as my favourite.
Very nice debut album from these Italians, keep you the good work!


Tracklist:

1. Oceans
2. Hidden Truth
3. Master of Your Mask
4. Second Shadow
5. Adam's Rib
6. The Divine Comedy
7. The Wizdom Of The Wise
8. Immortal Child
9. Into The Life pt1


Crepusculo www.metal-march.com

Moonlight Comedy - The Life Inside (2004)  -  9.0 Punkte

When I first received this CD from Lion Music it came in a plain white generic jacket. It said Moonlight Comedy. I thought Lion Music sent me a comedy CD to review. Boy was I wrong, another hot band remember this name MOONLIGHT COMEDY. Compare this band to Dream Theater with Vocals on the style of Lizzy Borden. All 5 members of this band are no joke. They are extreme high class musicians. Guitarist Simone Fiorletta can play with the best of them. I thought Luca Turilli was good keep an eye on Mr. Fiorletta. There is not a weak song on this whole CD. * Just impressive *... go out and get this CD NOW!!!

Autor: Brian
Platten-Label: Lion Music

 Tracklist

1.Oceans
2.Hidden Truth
3.Master of Your Mask
4.Second Shadow
5.Adam's Rib
6.The Divine Comedy
7.The Wizdom Of The Wise
8.Immortal Child
9.Into The Life pt1

members:

 Vocals: Emiliano Germani
Piano: Gianluigi Farina
Guitar: Simone Fiorletta
Bass: Armando Pizzuti
Drums: Andre Scala