Previously a solid if not especially exciting band in your reviewer's opinion, Italian prog/power crew DGM have at least been reliable since their formation all the way back in 1996, pumping out a set of competent tunes every couple of years despite now being entirely different from the starting lineup that gave us the initials of the founder members as a name. Having checked out 2023's Life and found it, no surprise, competent if a little forgettable, it was something of a pleasure to discover this follow-up less than a year later that was a complete shift for the band. Apparently originally intended as a double album with Life, Endless instead is a concept album that leans heavily into the band's progressive influences with even violin and flute making an appearance thanks to keyboardist Emanuele Casali branching out during lockdown.

Starting off prettily with acoustic guitars and Mark Basile's emotive vocals, opener Promises soon takes a Jethro Tull-esque vibe with flute before the band explode into prog metal, majestic and enticing enough to warrant its five-minute-plus running time despite being something of a glorified intro piece. The following The Great Unknown is even better, having an upbeat Dream Theater-esque feel driven by the riffs and vocal hooks - and for once it really seems that DGM have minimised the power metal aspect of their sound, allowing the prog to dominate without detracting from their songwriting skills, which remain sharp as tracks like the (peak) Opeth-esque The Wake. And the melodic infusion into Simone Mularoni's guitars throughout will more than please existing fans who loved the band for their power metal past.

By and large this is for the progheads, however. Acoustic guitars feature often in a Kansas-y sort of way, but the same track can have flute, proggy meandering instrumental passages, and emotive vocal pleadings (Solitude), all working together particularly well. From Ashes is one of the relatively more aggressive pieces present with a galloping energy, contrasting nicely with the following Final Call, a little more anthemic and with one of the best instrumental workouts on the album, not to mention catchiest chorus present! Piano-imbued ballad Blank Pages is a solid change of pace too, allowing Basile a real vocal stretch, although on this nearly hour-long album it's perhaps a good candidate for being cut to ensure proceedings are as lean as possible.

Far better is closing epic ...Of Endless Echoes, at over fourteen minutes the longest piece here and actually the longest song DGM have produced yet! Standing out by featuring some beautiful violin in its build, this is a expertly-written piece that uses its length productively and keeps you interested throughout. Without feeling repetitive or dragged out, what's more; reusing some of the previously-mentioned Opeth influence effectively, worked in alongside a slightly thrashier approach to riffs that contrasts well with the more melodic sections. Not to mention the personal peak, some of the best and most captivating lead guitar on the whole album, which the closing moments of the song back up with some grandiose orchestration, really feeling like the end of something momentous. Their best and most entertaining album in a long time, DGM have revitalised themselves here with a record that whilst not revelatory, is more than good enough to be worth recommending to all.