Mythology — The Castle of Crossed Destinies

Very little is known about the band Mythology, except that they play their own brand of jazz-influenced progressive hard rock, their artwork is utterly fantastical, there are no credits on the album for producer, editor, mixer, or artist. Their identities, like several bands who have gone before them, are hidden by pseudonyms, all we can surmise is that as they are released on Italy’s Black Widow Records there is a good chance they are from that part of world, although that is no guarantee.

So, as we have very little to discuss about the band lets dig straight into the music. The album features six tracks of guitar-heavy progressive rock with a classic 1970s feel to it. The album opens with the title track "The Castle of Crossed Destinies", an epic guitar-fueled track with one foot in proto-metal territory and one foot in classic prog-rock territory with flourishes of Hammond organ and mellotron. Up next is "Missed Chances" a track that breaks down into jazzy territory in the second half. One can hear hints of The Doors, Caravan, and Atomic Rooster all within the mix. The Moon is next, and at less than four minutes long it is the shortest track on the album, lighter on the hard rock guitars it is firmly entrenched in the late 60s/early 70s prog, reminding me somewhat of Pink Floyd. "Now I’m Blind" features an almost Bowie-like vocal and a greater focus on the use of organ and mellotron as opposed to guitar. The epic prog masterpiece "The Emperor" is up next. This is probably my favorite track on the album, featuring a rather lovely keyboard solo to die for. As one can probably see from the song titles there is a tarot theme running throughout the album, and this is most evident from the art and lyrics for "The Emperor", which seems to be the album’s centerpiece. "Don’t Be Afraid" is the final track, a continuation on from "The Emperor" rather than a new track in its own right. It’s a good way to close the album and feels like a natural ending.

Overall, the whole package is outstanding, the music is great 70s inspired prog rock, and the musicianship and production is top-notch. The artwork is superb and is heavily inspired by the medieval influenced psychedelic album art of the late 60s/ early 70s, the use of tarot-style images adds to the whole package, giving it the feel of something that was recorded around 50 years ago. Black Widow records should be applauded for giving the world this lovely item, the digipack is absolutely perfect and I very much looking forward to hearing more music from Mythology.