Siege by Imaginaerium

Siege by Imaginaerium released on April 4, 2025

The "Imaginaerium" project began with Eric Bouillette (who passed away too soon), Clive Nolan, known from Pendragon, Arena, and Caamora (among other bands), and Laura Piazzai (also from Caamora), and culminated in their debut album, "The Rise of Medici," in 2022.

On this new album, Clive handled the arrangements, lyrics, keyboards, and lead vocals. Laura Piazzai provides her splendid lead vocals and backing vocals. The lineup is completed by Luis Nasser on bass, Mirko Sangrigoli on drums and guitar, and Simone Milliava on electric and acoustic guitar.

The album was released in two versions: CD+DVD+book+CD with bonus tracks. The one I have is the one-CD version, about 52 minutes long and featuring 10 tracks, five of which are over 5 minutes long, and the longest about 8 minutes. After listening to it, I decided to get the extended version as well.

The songs revolve around the concept of "Siege," understood not only as a physical siege perpetrated during real battles but also (and perhaps above all) a psychological one. While it's not strictly a concept album, the songs tell interconnected stories, events spanning from the Roman Empire to the present day, as a metaphor for the "sieges" we face daily. In the songs, I truly sensed the inspiration for the courage needed to face and overcome them. The gift of putting such complex feelings into music is never to be underestimated; here, I saw them in the lyrics and music.

It's a collection of epic stories rich in emphasis, beautiful vocal performances full of passion and power, and compelling melodies performed by a band that is nothing short of exceptional.

The rhythm section is beautiful, with deep, precise bass, and powerful, nuanced drums.

My favorite tracks are... many, I can't find a weaker one. I'll describe them below, but after the first listens and rereading this post, I realize I've simply run out of adjectives, perhaps repeating myself with each track to try to describe its great qualities, a sign that each track truly struck me. It's not a purely prog album, but it inherits its choral sound and orchestral character, the density of variations on a theme in each song. From this comes a symphonic pop-rock of the highest caliber, with absolutely positive exceptions. It's modern and, in my opinion, capable of attracting a broad and transversal audience, spanning multiple generations. It's possible to appreciate the great compositional work and the careful research into sounds, all supported by beautiful vocals, and the keyboards and piano are clearly top-notch.

"Cry Boudica," an epic and intense piece, is one of the album's highlights. A great track.

"Footprints," I really like the intelligent use of sounds and percussion here, a truly captivating bass, and a beautiful guitar part with a spine-tingling solo. It's a very engaging piece. The backing vocals are also very beautiful; Laura's voice is exceptional on both (but this applies to the entire album).

"All There Is to See" features a beautiful piano and vocal riff, an almost acoustic piece with keyboard inserts, lyrical at times, very poetic, excellent composition and performance.

"When My Eyes Are Closed" begins with beautifully harmonized piano and vocals, then the other instruments join in, along with beautiful guitar riffs that accompany the vocals and solos with great taste and sustain. Another memorable piece, in my opinion.

"To the Victor Go the Spoils" begins with the sounds of bells and bagpipes, and while the vocals accompany us with a texture of vocalizations, the drums and strings take over. It's a very epic piece, with the guitar playing Spanish-style interludes (sometimes even playing castanets), a ride punctuated by a deep but unobtrusive bass. Then the keyboards take center stage, alternating with the percussion and Laura's voice, which exudes a sense of grandeur. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

"Never Burn the Cakes" is an epic ballad. The percussion sounds almost medieval, as does the use of bells and cymbals of various sizes and types. You can almost feel your skin vibrate under the blows of the battente. The vocals here are excellently handled by both Laura and Clive, and the guitar is beautiful in a piece that, like the others, is backed by excellent composition.

With "The Last Arrow," Clive sings beautifully throughout the song. Once again, it's a beautiful display of voice and keyboards. It's a moving piece, with deep drums and bass, and a great harmony between keyboards and guitars. The music rises and falls with an epic tone on several occasions, and the guitar solo is truly beautiful here too.

"Deep" is a song where the keyboards and vocals take center stage. A song that leaves emotions suspended in mid-air, with its repeated pauses and passionate restarts...

"Blood Moon" is an epic song, a ballad, or perhaps a march, because you literally feel part of a marching crowd, ready to do battle to the rhythm of the drums... then the triumph of guitar, drums, and keyboards kicks in, for a truly remarkable close to the song and the album.

I truly hope this project with this lineup gets a sequel; I found it truly excellent in terms of composition, lyrics, and performance.

Well done, beautiful album, recommended to everyone!

The Tracks

1. Cry Boudica (7:54)
2. The Final Redoubt (4:05)
3. Footprints (5:50)
4. All There Is to See (3:15)
5. When My Eyes Are Closed (6:29)
6. To the Victor Go the Spoils (6:46)
7. Never Burn the Cakes (4:06)
8. The Last Arrow (5:44)
9. Deep (3:07)
10. Blood Moon (5:17)

Running Time 52:33

Line-Up

- Clive Nolan - vocals (7,10), keyboards, drum recording, lead vocals (8), backing vocals (1,3), piano (CD2-1,8), composition, lyrics, arrangements
- Laura Piazzai - lead vocals and backing vocals

Featuring:
- Mirko Sangrigoli - drums, guitars (1,3), rhythm guitar (6), acoustic guitar (7)
- Luis Nasser - bass
- Simone Milliava - guitars (2, 5, 8, 10), acoustic guitar (1, 7)
- Soheila Clifford - vocals (1)
- Caron Morgan - vocals (1)
- Ethan Barnett - vocals (1)
- Ryan Morgan - vocals (1)
- Clive Nolan - vocals (1)