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Marco Mattei

Act of Fragility

Review by Gary Hill

While I’ve put this under progressive rock, and it is, don’t expect really soaring prog. This lands more along the lines of a merging of folk prog and modern moody progressive rock. I’ve covered music from this act before, and like that, this is a quality release. It’s also the kind of thing that grows the more times you hear it.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2025  Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2025.

Track by Track Review
Just Tired

Atmospherics get things going here. This track works to sort of a balladic piece with hints of both jazz and prog. Overall, it’s more of a singer-songwriter, mainstream song. It does drift toward more experimiental, almost space territory in the instrumental movement later.

You Don’t Deserve It

More pure progressive rock based, this is driving and classy. It has a nice range between the somewhat mellower sections and the more powered up ones.

Human Again

Piano gets things started tentatively here. This number features female vocals. It’s starts rather balladic, but builds out in intriguing ways as it continues.

Wrong

This slow moving number has balladic vibes, but it powers up later. It’s less proggy than some of the other stuff here, but it does have some artsy angles.

Insomnia

There is a trippy prog ballad vibe at play here. Comparisons to Pink Floyd are valid in some ways. Given the subject of the lyrics, the dreaminess of the music presents a bit of an ironic twist. This is one of my favorite pieces here.

A Trick of the Mind

More mainstream melodic progressive rock is on the menu here. I really dig the violin work on this.

Watermark in My Heart

Trippy, melodic prog vibes are on the menu here. This has a real moody, modern prog sound to it.

So Fragile

Slow moving, mellow and rather trippy, this is basically a prog ballad, even though it builds up a little later. 

End of the Line

This melodic prog number has an AOR vibe and grows outward nicely as it continues.

Just Tired (Extended Version)

The version of the cut, with several extra minutes, works better than the opener. As cool as that was, that says a lot. This really gets into some trippy ambient textures with that extra space.

 
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