French musician Bob Saliba is one of those players who is hugely active in Melodic, Power and Prog Metal circles in Europe whom most people have not come across directly.
KingCrown remains his main ‘day job’ (an amazingly good Melo-Metal act that emerged fully formed with their debut album in 2022), but he’s a hugely active contributor to a whole bunch of other projects both as a player, composer or producer. In all capacities, he has shared stages and studios with a huge variety of names you will have heard of, which is why he’s managed to get so many of them to contribute to this project.
Musically this is a Progressive and Melodic Rock concept piece, but such is the variety of instruments here you could be forgiven for thinking it was a European Folk record. In truth it is both, and melds the styles seamlessly as the story’s protagonist, a palaeontologist conceptually wondering about life forms long gone, and perhaps hinting that we are about to join them. Bob is first and foremost an incredibly accomplished musician, and one of those people who seems to be able to play any instrument he is handed, but since his background is also as an engineer in biotechnology, this really does fuse both sides of his life.
01. Introspection
02. Excavations
03. Visions
04. Crystal Castle
05. Entropy
06. Expectations
07. Transposition
08. Into the Lab
09. Reflections
10. Rivality
11. Saphire (Instrumental)
12. To The Zenith
13. Hosts of a Vanished World
LINE-UP:
Bob Saliba – Lead Vocals, Lead, Rhythm, Acoustic & Flamenco Guitars, Neapolitan Mandolin, Greek Bouzouki, Cura Turkish Saz & Percussions
Bruno Pradels – Bass
Tom Abrigan – Rhythm & Lead Guitars
John Macaluso – Drums & Percussions
Guest Musicians:
Roland Grapow, Ricky Marx, Alessandro Lotta, Jo Amore, Roberto Billi, Nicolas Leceux & Ludovic Favro.