2014
Can Of Soul is the new solo project from Tomas Toffolo (otherwise known here as "Tomrocker"). As one of the resident vocalists of Rock Against Cancer and a founding member of both the doom thrash metal band Stygma and the hard rock band Why Out this well-traveled and extremely seasoned musician has already covered a lot of ground. He performs in a Black Sabbath cover band and was also the co-founder of the hard rock cover band Black And Purple. For Tomas, who incidentally enough also studded classical piano for some 8 years(!), it sure seems as if nothing is out of reach and that includes Can Of Soul's debut release which was produced by Tomrocker himself! A well-thought out and down-right compelling concept album the story behind "Hearreality" is as follows: A world dying because of the solar radiation hosts a civilization that is looking for new habitable planets to preserve its species. Once identified a “Land”, very different compared to our continuum, the aliens get ready for the invasion by extracting and preserving the “souls” from the bodies to accomplish the space leap without damage. On this assaulted planet there are also mystical entities with supernatural powers who will fight alongside the humans to fend off the invaders whose commanders, once defeated, will be imprisoned. As colorful and rich as that story-line is it would be a real disservice if the music at play on "Hearreality" was anything but exceptional. To that end Tomrocker is backed up by mainstream and underground rock and metal musicians including;
Silvio Masanotti www.silviomasanotti.com
Alex "Dynamitale" Motta www.facebook.com/dynamitale
Alessandro "Ajeje" Petrone www.ajeje.it
And yes, I snagged that bit off of the band's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/canofsoul ) as the actual list of guest musicians that is included with this CD's promo pamphlet is quite long and varied all but ensuring the expansive nature of this large-scale project! As referenced above our main man Tomas Toffolo has seen and done it all which is an important thing to point out given the various genres at play here. On the debut release from the Italian band Can Of Soul it's hard not to feel a little overwhelmed when it comes time to describe the sounds at work on "Hearreality". Though listed as a hard rock band or even as a alternative hard rock act the fact is Can Of Souls is so much more. Everything about Tomas Toffolo's past comes into play with individual tracks offering pieces and parts of doom metal, classic rock and hard rock. That is just the tip of the iceberg though as electronic elements creep in the mix as well as the aforementioned alternative rock and hard rock additions! To be sure it is a crazy thing to try to decipher everything going on here as more than one number had me envisioning a bizarre mash-up of Last Crack, Voivod, Deep Purple and the primitive origins of both rock and roll and black metal! Minus the black metal shrieks that is! It all sounds offensive I realize, but Tomrocker and his guests pull the rabbit out the magician's hat and in the process have ended up making a fantastic and fully adventures LP that all metal fans with an eye set towards creative innovations should grab hold of! Released back at the end of November, "Hearreality" is a real winner on all fronts except for perhaps it's rather dull album art. Actually, "Hearreality" might very well suffer indifference as a result of this Italian band's name. In no way whatsoever does Can Of Soul hint at what's in store when it comes time to play this phenomenal recording! Thankfully the label's YouTube channel allows interested parties the chance to listen to the samples of "Bette Davis Eyes" (http://youtu.be/PYpRlU6tsjI) and "Mystic' (http://youtu.be/X3e6lfVrv_Q). What? You say I didn't mention the cover track? Well, the choice to cover "Bette Davis Eyes" might seem a tad weird at first, but it REALLY works in this context. And it simply is fantastic! For the record here is the official track listing of this inspired debut album from the soon to be legendary Can Of Soul:
01. We Hate the Sun
02. This Order #5
03. Mystic
04. Solid Conviction
05. My Queen
06. Bette Davis Eyes
07. Demon Eater
08. Peaceful Snake
09. Dealing
10. Beyond My Wayward Zen Garden
11. Outro
12. DGRZ (bonus track)
When you add all of these songs together the result is a near masterpiece for the ages! Both dark and moody, "Hearreality" is a Sci-Fi story with the perfect soundtrack being provided from a band that pays homage (musically at least) to artists as diverse as Black Sabbath is to Goblin! This is one album that needs a bigger audience especially one outside of the group's native country! Be sure to head over to the group's Facebook page for more information or head to Atomic Stuff's online page here: www.atomicstuff.com/canofsoul.html As a wrap-up to this report I'd just like to point out that "Hearreality" is (digitally) available on both Amazon and iTunes.
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