Band:	Luca Turilli's Dreamquest
Album:	Lost Horizons
Style:	Electronic symphonic metal
Release date:	June 09, 2006
Guest review by:	R Lewis

01. Introspection
02. Virus
03. Dreamquest
04. Black Rose
05. Lost Horizons
06. Sospiro Divino
07. Shades Of Eternity
08. Energy
09. Frozen Star
10. Kyoto's Romance
11. Too Late
12. Dolphin's Heart
13. Gothic Vision [bonus]

Many critics have been moved to say of Luca Turilli's first solo work that it lacks originality (Luca Turilli albums don't actually detach so much from Rhapsody Of Fire releases), not enough powerful choirs, and uninspired solos. I personally disagreed, but that's it. With Luca Turilli's Dreamquest the eclectic guitarist tried to offer something new to the scene. He managed to reach this goal, but this doesn't necessarily mean Lost Horizons is a good album.

Reading the style as "Electro Symphonic Metal" initially scared me a bit, but the unimaginable trust I had - and still have - in Luca's talent convinced me to try this album. Since from the intro and the opening track, "Virus", we're clearly shown what the thread of the whole album will be: the synthesizers dominate the song and, at least initially, it isn't totally bad. In fact, "Virus" is actually a pretty enjoyable track, even if it can't be compared with any of the classic Rhapsody Of Fire or Luca Turilli openers.

Here suddenly comes the big quality of this album: the vocalist. Luca has never worked with female singers before, and "Myst" - her identity has not been revealed due to unknown reasons - surely represents a great start. Distant from every barren Tarja-clone who flourished in the last years, "Myst" could at least be compared to Floor Jansen from After Forever. Maybe it's Floor herself, who knows? But even "Myst" has her blemishes. Her operatic singing in "Sospiro Divino" - natural sequel to "Lamento Eroico" from Power Of The Dragonflame - is far from being perfect, and singing in Italian, surely not her native language, could make her performance quite funny, especially for Luca's compatriots.

Unfortunately, the ups are finished. This album made me share the critics' opinion of Turilli's first solo project. The guitar work, which Luca put in the expert hands of Dominique Lerquin, here seems washed away, with just a few enjoyable arpeggios. Also the keyboards, played this time by Luca himself, don't have the strength to guide the songs as they often do. Last but not least, the synthesizers. If they could initially sound like an original and interesting experimentation, they end up being annoying and overused.

To conclude, it's not a crime to try new ways to express an overwhelming talent like Luca surely has, but Lost Horizons simply does not reflect the Italian composer's real potential. Luckily, Luca abandoned the synth and returned to his roots, and keeps on evolving - this time, gradually - with his new, great Luca Turilli's Rhapsody.