Description
The Global Village by Madsword is a pretty cool album. This is the type of music that you can pop in while driving the City at night. It feels like all the shimmering lights adorning the streets and buildings pulsates along the vibrant motion of The Global Village. The music has a shiny, space-aged, cosmopolitan feel yet balanced with a little bit of darkness and intrigue. Its metal enough to growl for attention at the stop light. But its not typical. If only the 80s hard pop of Journey headed towards metal. Or if Rush’s Grace Under Pressure was heavier would we hear this a lot sooner. The Global Village could even be apt for a James Bond flick – smooth,classy, sensual, and avante-garde, yet retaining any real world drama in the form of metal. Madsword is more progressive metal but as you listen to the first intro track, the most appropriate ,sound effect was the radio station playing a metal. , Great package (Digi pack) and artwork
1999 album from Italian progressive metal band MADSWORD. Released as a digipak on Underground Symphony in Italy.
TRACK LISTING
1. Connect (0:47)
2. Time in the Ice (8:04)
3. How Much Progress (7:15)
4. Darknened Rooms (6:59)
5. Living Hexadecimal (7:27)
6. Minds Bug (6:53)
7. Travelling Through a Wire (5:36)
8. Behind the Consciousness of Memory (2:20)
9. A New Beginning? (10:16)
Andrea Bedin Vocals
Gianni Guerra Guitars
Simon Rosani Bass
Walter Pod Drums
Lorenzo Castellarin Keyboards
I had never heard of Madsword when I picked up this album, but it looked interesting and I was in the mood for some prog. Just from the title and cover, you can tell The Global Village will have a modern, even futuristic, sound (it does.) This isn’t something I’ve heard a lot, with maybe Sun Caged being the closest thing I can think of. Obviously theres a lot of synth influence, but theres a good number of acoustic sections that caught me off guard as well. Its hard to judge based on one album (and I’m disappointed that they split up,) but I’d say Madsword is like Dream Theater with more emotion and variety. I’d also say they’re less progressive rhythmically, but have way more unique melodies.
What I REALLY like about The Global Village is the detail in every members performance. Honestly, I think every instrument–including bass–gets equal attention on this CD, and that is damn refreshing. But what might throw off some metalheads is the shortage of conventional riffs, with the guitars instead being focused on chords most of the time. I don’t mind, since they usually fill in those riff sections with better composition than most bands. Every instrument has its moments, but they also come together well as a whole. Worth special mentioning however, is the bass. On my headphone setup the bass is 100% audible like I have never heard on any other album, ever. Great sound and great performance!!!
Actually, EVERYTHING on this album sounds great. Like, mind bogglingly great. I had previously thought Stratovarius’ “Visions” was the best produced album out there, but this blows it away. How did they do it on their first full length album?? The guitars are heavier than Gene Hoglan and Michael Moore combined, but the bass still shines through perfectly. The keyboards are tastefully done, and both the ambient and lead patches are pleasing to listen to. More importantly the mixing is just fine and you can hear everything VERY clearly.
Vocally you can tell Madsword are Italian, but this guy never gets annoying. He has a good range, and most importantly, never tries to stretch it! The usual accent is barely noticeable, and his voice in general kicks ass. Madswords vocals fit into a progressive setting perfectly, but also have a lot of power when its needed. The band makes good use of them, and leave them plenty of room in the songs.
Oh yeah, the SONGS… Well, they’re pretty long and, well, progressive. Most of them will take a few listens to get into, but don’t fall apart like so many Dream Theater tracks. You will be hooked on the first listen as its plain that there’s a lot of talent and thought in this thing. Overall they’re very good and full of originality. Theres also a loose concept here, which you should be able to figure out just by the song titles. It all comes together very nicely.
Basically, prog fans will love The Global Village but it won’t appeal much to others. Madsword are (or were, pssh) not accessible and don’t try to be! The album is equally made up of complexity, emotion, and heaviness. The sound is generally futuristic, but the band doesn’t go overboard with it or get stale. I haven’t heard anything that sounds quite like this CD, which is always a good sign. Check it out!!
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