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Review Summary: The anniversary recap... Maserati brought ‘80s synth aesthetics into their psychedelic/post-rock output long before it was cool to do so. What started as a curiosity became main focus during the past decade, as they switched to disco/pop oriented material. Nevertheless, the neon-lit, retrofuturistic urban scenery evoked added to the overall charm and experience. 2020 marks the quartet’s 20th anniversary and their latest effort blends a large portion of previous experiments into one hyperactive journey. In a way, Enter the Mirror ends up as a sweet, encompassing LP, complete with significant fan service. The guitars are back in full force too, while the sequencers pave their way alongside the tight drum/bass interplay. There are familiar themes throughout, still, the group found different ways to express them.
Musically, Enter the Mirror is Maserati’s most aggressive work in over a decade, the songs are soaring for the most part. After the blissful ‘2020’ keyboard intro finally kicks into gear, you find yourself on a sonic highway with no brakes until the trip is over. ‘A Warning in the Dark’ toys with Depeche Mode-esque, mid-tempo sequencers, the guitars gently building along, before launching into a smooth groove with glossy leads. Then, ‘Killing Time’ & ‘Der Honig’ burst in with powerful beats and a tense atmosphere. They were born out of similar ideas, the former following a bolder route, whereas the latter features more subdued details. One’s the harder edged punk rocker and the other a moodier, krautrock inspired brother. Even so, they are entertaining and maintain the album’s energy. Unfortunately, the vocoder vocals don’t always click and should’ve been kept to a minimum. Meanwhile, ‘Empty’ can be described as an adrenaline shot and it’s something you wouldn’t think you’d hear from the band any time soon. Its post-punk drum beats are flawless, plus the guitars take off on their lovely, trademark high-pitched, effects-soaked licks. Halfway through, the synth edges begin to take over, shifting the song’s vibe really nicely. They ultimately give way to the album closer, ‘Wallwalker’, one of the highlights here. Containing dancefloor ready rhythms and fun interplay between the instruments, the tune is a great reminder how easily the guys manage to craft lush bangers. The fragmented guitars especially are sleek and never overload the tune.
Overall, Enter the Mirror does an excellent job in merging Maserati’s both electronic and rock sides together. As the latter makes a welcomed return, it also balances the output. The only concern with this LP is that it doesn’t really explore new grounds. It somewhat recapitulates their experiments, albeit in a tighter, more experienced manner, instead of taking steps forward. Despite this setback, the record is arguably their hardest hitting in over a decade. It does a good job displaying the band’s strengths in a fun way. I hope the group remains active another 20 years and am curious what will they try next.
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Album Rating: 3.5
It's a good album, but not their best. I like they included heavier songs though
Stream/buy here: http://maserati.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-mirror
Or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY3O0hKGQsw&list=OLAK5uy_lFEzV2E-Z1X6ARpI0eWNy-Vj0CjYjICgE
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Never been a fan of Maseratis tbh, they look like Lincolns/Buicks made in Italy
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I liked this a lot, love how they incorporated the robotic voices.
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They probably did that before but I haven't heard and album from then since "Pyramids of the Sun".
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Some models are nice, but they have that arrogant look of an Italian sports car.
@Dewinged - They did it on Rehumanizer, but it was more interesting than here and only on one track. 'A Warning in the Dark' would've been better without them for example.
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I see, I've only jammed it once, have to give it more... spins ;)
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Both Rehumanizer and VII are cool, it's nice how they developed the synth stuff from Pyramid.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Was about to give up on this after the first half, but the second half is much, much stronger
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
I've never really been able to get into this band's material. I found it to be poorly produced, musically uninteresting and compositionally unremarkable. The review was excellent though.
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Gotta check those albums you've put on the rbr section, Raul, I'm digging a lot this kind of stuff recently.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
"I've never really been able to get into this band's material. I found it to be poorly produced, musically uninteresting and compositionally unremarkable. The review was excellent though."
Thanks! Not even the '00s material? It's less electronic more post rock
@Dewinged - Tuber have Maserati's grooves with a rockier edge. They are cool. Also, have you listened to 65daysofstatic?
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yeah not really much into them
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Ah, okay then. They changed considerably over the years as well, some of their material is awesome.
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Yeah what i heard was mostly the very electronic and very ambient post rock stuff, it bored me to tears.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Well, then maybe Tuber sounds better for you haha :D
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
By far their worst album imho.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Why do you think that? Just curious
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Spinned the first few tracks and had a similar impression. As you pointed out, I would have liked this to be a little more adventurous. Maserati VII that's where it's at 
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
@insomniac Honestly, some of the records around 2007-2012 were slightly more enjoyable, and as far as post-rock goes, their earlier material really doesn't stack up against the greats. To each their own I suppose.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Agreed. They distanced from post rock anyway, but they are gradually pigeonholing themselves.
And yeah, VII is great.
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