Some bands float in and out of my consciousness. I remember listening to DGM back in the 2000s, and I honestly didn’t know they still existed. Yet, they’ve been active consistently since then, and they just released a new album called Endless on October 18th, and I’m loving it.
DGM come to us from Italy. This band is something of an anomaly—their name refers to the founding members’ names: Diego, Gianfranco, and Maurizio. However, none of them are still in the band, and no original members at all are left. The current lineup is Mark Basile on vocals, Simone Mularoni on guitars, Emanuele Casali on keys, Andrea Arcangeli on bass, and Fabio Constantino on drums.
The band plays progressive metal that rides the line with progressive rock. They aren’t particularly heavy, but their riffs are still rock solid, and the focus is certainly on melody and sweeping movements of sound. In some ways, they sound like a 2000’s progressive metal band, and in that way, they sound nostalgic and epic.
I’m trying to figure out their vocalist, Mark. Sometimes, he sounds like James LaBrie in his whispering style, and other times he sounds like Mike Andersson of Cloudscape in his bolder segments. In other moments, he sounds like no one else. Simone’s guitars, too, are deeply interesting. He creates some truly great riffs throughout the album, yet his soloing sounds unmistakably like Guthrie Govan, especially in his collaborations with Steven Wilson.
These elements lend themselves to an album that offers various shades of light and darkness, though they are always melodic. Endless has eight tracks, and each of them is great in its own way. I might say that the second half of the album is better, but my favorite track is in the first half. It’s one of those albums.
“Promises” starts the album with terrific synth and keys, flute accents, and a suitably epic feeling of anticipation. That is answered well with “The Great Unknown”, heavy on the violin and cinema. Then my favorite track arrives; “My Wake” is truly a fantastic piece with its deep riffs, cinematic instrumentals, and insane keyboards. I don’t find myself tired of it in the slightest. The first half ends with “Solitude”, which has a bit of early 90’s Dream Theater in its veins, meaning that the keys sound like Kevin Moore to me. Anyways, it’s a solid track with some superb moments.
The reason I think the second half is better, though, is because of how beautifully it flows. “From Ashes” is a heavy and energetic piece with a super catchy chorus. “Final Call” is one of the singles, and its main highlight is the hovering, spacious instrumental in the middle that sounds so damn good. “Blank Pages” is the closest the album gets to a ballad, though it still has a powerful guitar solo to punctuate it; I love the chorus and expressiveness of the vocals.
The closer “…of Endless Echoes” is the title track, I guess. It is fourteen minutes long, but honestly feels like half that. This piece is truly beautiful, too. Some of the best riffs and transitions on the album can be found here, and the band does a great job contrasting floating vocal portions with brisk playing. This track also features a truly immense guitar solo that absolutely blows me away. I’ll admit that it reminds me strongly of Govan’s solo on “Drive Home”, so maybe that’s why I like it, but it still sounds amazing. I love, too, how the song ends with cinematic flourish, like the giant period at the end of the sentence.
DGM have an outstanding album on their hands. Endless is layered with emotion, technical fireworks, catchy choruses, and gracious flow. I love the balance between fresh ideas and nostalgic gold, and I find myself listening to it more and more. I guess I’ll need to go back and visit the last 15 years of albums if they are anywhere as good as this one.
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Find DGM online:
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The PROG Mind 
Insanely good album, has been on constant rotation since the day it came out. Can’t grow tired of it.
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