Independent Release
Review By Tony Cannella
Believe it or not, Italy’s Todio have actually been in existence since 1992. I was shocked when I found out that piece of info, since this is first time I have ever heard of this band until now. Todio play progressive rock and metal mixed in with alternative and modern rock elements. Their new CD is titled “Sixteen” and all of those styles are on full display throughout the 12-songs and 57-minutes worth of music that is presented here. The band feature 5-members in their line-up and are fronted by female singer Barbara who really adds a lot to the songs with her soulful and somewhat bluesy vocal style. The opening track “Wild Road” gets us started with a pretty good straight-forward guitar riff which only speeds up as the song goes on and the crystal clear vocals of Barbara come in and helps to make it a pretty solid opening number. The next two songs “Wet Day” and “Sixteen” keep the momentum going strong before giving way to “Doberman” which is one of the main highlights on this collection of songs. Other moments of significance are: “Rules”, the great ballad “Prayer”, “Song for a Friend” and “Living in My Head”. The best two are saved for last with the riff heavy tune “Johnny” and the 8-minute masterpiece “The Dog from the Sky”. There is a lot to like about Todio, but I suppose one of the main points of interest are the diversified vocals of Barbara, she seems to employ a few different techniques that really gives her voice and the music, depth character. “Sixteen” is a pretty good introduction to Todio and one that I think fans will find quite impressive. Fans that enjoy music with good instrumentation with the emphasis on melodic rock songs and vocals should check this band out. Todio are definitely a band that is worth the time. I’ve already listened to this CDs a few times and I have liked it better with each listen, it really grows on you. Hopefully it won’t be another 17 years before I hear this band again.
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- Wild Road
- Wet Day
- Sixteen
- Doberman
- Rules
- Prayer
- Song for a Friend
- Get Off
- Song 2
- Living in My Head
- Johnny
- The Dog from the Sky
Line Up
- Barbara Licciardi – Vocals
- Massimo Gerini – Guitars
- Andrea Ercoli – Keyboards & Vocals
- Massimo Ferrara – Bass & vocals
- Andriy Poltavets – Drums
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site