An album release from Alex Vecchietti comes through with an outstanding blend of vintage synth-pop sounds and a heavy alternative rock undertone taking all of the best parts of genres like new wave, and electronic rock and bending them at his will to create an atmosphere that mends textures together seamlessly and delivers enough character for you not only to pay attention to, but to not look away.
The Per Pugnam Vicimus Lucem album is delivered with a mass amount of love for music created in the mid to late '80s and early 90s in terms of synth and key tones, along with this almost cinematic backbone at times and it all comes together in a way that has both a color and an edginess at the same time.
There are more than a few surprises around the corners of this album and the delivery of just about everything you're listening to has a certain level of fire but also heart behind it making everything feel incredibly authentic.
The guitar work across the board is really outstanding and you can tell that a lot of hard rock was as much an influence as the synth and electronic music was growing up because a lot of that shows face throughout the record and it feels like a love letter to those influences.
Lyrically the songs have a lot of meaning and they showcase the artist's honesty and straightforwardness as a number of these songs are very emotionally driven which is something that also draws you into the record even more, and builds on that character I was talking about earlier.
Some of these songs are insanely relatable and you can tell that they all came from someplace real for Alex so listening to the full album, you get the sense that some of these songs were even cathartic for him to write and release simply so he could get certain things off his chest in the only way he knows how. Through his music.
Seeing that pretty much everything is performed by Alex himself, you can only imagine how some of these tracks went from just a vision in his head to fruition and the process that must have been because these songs clearly have a lot of attention to detail and the production is pretty much pristine but they still never lose that character or that heart that they were meant to have in the first place.
The ability to accomplish something like that is outstanding and this is because not only is the musicianship very high level here, but he is versed in not just songwriting but recording, tracking, mixing, and each instrument that he plays on all the songs.
Upon listening to the entire album, I also got the sense that this was a concept record as well which is yet another reason to listen to the LP from beginning to end.
This is just one of the reasons though. The other is because you really not getting the full spectrum of what this album is musically by just listening to one or two tracks from it.
When you listen to this record all the way through without stopping, it feels more like an experience than an album and you end up getting wrapped up in everything that's happening and with the soundscapes themselves.
This album was an escape, and it pulls you away from your surroundings to the point where once it's over, you have to reacclimate yourself back to reality again, and that in itself is a gift in music.
This is not the type of thing that happens often so when it does it's almost rejuvenating in a way.
That blend of heavy rock and alternative tones along with that synthwave and pop approach complement each other throughout the record perfectly and I love how some of this record gives me this hint of nostalgia because I feel like that's part of the aesthetic of this release and what Alex was going for.
This was a brilliantly woven record with heart, persona, energy, intricacy, and catchiness, and speaks volumes for the artist.
I would strongly suggest listening to this album as a whole, like I mentioned before, and not only will you find a few tracks for your playlist but I think you'll find yourself digging a little deeper than that.
Check this record out to see what it does for you.