CARAVAGGIO – WE ALL WE ARE (Maracash CD/DL) (Bandcamp) (2025)

THE MUSIC: Caravaggio is an Art Prog band with a Mediterranean flavour. A classic rock lineup – INSTRUMENTS: electric guitar, bass and drums – meets traditional Mediterranean instruments such as accordion, bouzouki, mandolin, percussion, jigsaw

WHAT’S IN IT FOR PROG LOVERS?: A distinctive sound that explores the boundaries between art rock, hard rock, world music, and progressive rock

COMPOSITION:  Unconventional chords, ethnic melodies and jazz harmonies are frequently used to break away from predictable rock patterns – as well as to rhythm, with odd time signatures introducing tension or release throughout the songs.

WHAT’S THE POINT?: The goal is to combine all these elements in a completely natural way, resulting in music that is both original and catchy.

INSPIRATION:  “We All We Are” was primarily inspired by the crisis of democratic participation we are witnessing today across the globe. Since the time of Machiavelli, the exercise of power has become a true science, one that is constantly refined. Today, in many parts of the world, ordinary people willingly elect those who will go on to restrict their freedom and rights.

To achieve this, power no longer needs to impose itself through dictatorship, because it has developed tools of communication that secure the consent of the very masses it aims to oppress

Is this an irreversible process?

What would happen if people saw themselves not as a multitude of specific identities and diverging tendencies, but as a powerful, united, unstoppable force?

Possible influences I heard: the mystical east on ‘Rejoice’; on the title track a prominent bass line giving way to some grungy guitar and strident drumming and an impactful coda (Start here if you want to sample) ‘Controversial’ is a vehicle for a heartfelt powerhouse delivery, the vocals focusing on how wounded we have become, acoustic guitar contrasting with some heavy licks. I suspect this album will take a few listens to get into. There is a similarity about some of the arrangements as we enter the two-part ‘Behind the Mask’. The second part is better as the band crank up the heavy rock and deliver a guitar break; subtlety is the overall bye word for music that will make you think and take you into uncomfortable places. The traditional instruments give the music a unique sound and make this release well worth investigating at length.