ALBUM REVIEW: The Rise Of Medici – Imaginaerium

IMAGINAERIUM have just released The Rise Of Medici, a concept album focusing on the life and influence of Cosimo and Contessina De’ Medici in Florence, Italy during the 1400s. Now a history lesson to some may sound like a dull afternoon, but IMAGINAERIUM make their story compelling, haunting and a breath-taking theatrical piece.

Festina Lente opens with distorted voices; it’s unsettling but beautiful as a mysterious female voice begins to tell a tale. Suddenly she switches to singing and is then joined by a choir of male vocalists and church bells, soon followed by some Medieval-style instruments. History or not, it sounds like we’re about to witness an epic high fantasy tale.

If the album had to broken down into a simple sentence it would be a rock opera, with the likes EVANESCENCE, NIGHTWISH and WITHIN TEMPTATION all making appearances at some point. We have the epic operatic showdowns of The Tide Will Change and Fortunes Reverse as our protagonists face defiance and resistance; we have beautiful moments such as in Fall From Grace that feels like KATE BUSH and The Witcher 3 soundtrack (more specifically when in Skellige) had a talented child. There are also the more upbeat moments when both funky electronic keyboard and Medieval-style instruments join forces in House Of Dreams, which also draws comparison to THE STRANGLERS’ Golden Brown.

Of course, an opera isn’t complete without the farewell track, Legacy, to take us back through our journey, what we’ve learnt, and what we need to do now. Beautifully switching up between an orchestral epic and a rock/metal piece, you can only imagine this performed in a theatre where it would naturally end in a standing ovation. 

Whatever your stance is on history and retelling of major historical moments, The Rise Of Medici is simply a stunning, breath-taking album that must be listened to. And IMAGINAERIUM, please turn this into a video album. Seriously. 

Rating: 9/10

The Rise Of Medici is set for release on October 7th via Anesthetize Productions.

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