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Le Distillerie di Malto come from Ortona, in the province of Chieti, and began life in the late eighties playing covers of prog rock bands such as Jethro Tull, Genesis or King Crimson. In 2001 they self released an interesting début album featuring original compositions, Il manuale dei piccoli discorsi. In 2014, after a long hiatus, le Distillerie di Malto came finally back with a brand new album released on the French label Musea Records and titled Suono!(Sound!). The current line up features Marco Angelone (guitar), Fabiano Cudazzo (keyboards), Alessio Palizzi (drums), Fabrizio Pellicciaro (vocals, guitar) and Giuliano Torelli (bass) but two former members, Maurizio Di Tollo (drums) and Luca Latini (flute) contributed to the recording sessions and are credited as special guests. The final result of their work is absolutely worth listening to and I'm sure that Italianprog lovers will appreciate it.

The opener “Prefazione” is just a short instrumental intro with a mystical atmosphere that leads to the following “Il guardiano” (The keeper), a beautiful track that deals with environmental issues. The music and lyrics depict men ravaging the banks of lakes and rivers while Mother Nature, as for magic, starts to cry. There are new dreams, new hands at work and new faces, then pains and tears as the seasons change and rage rises. The soul of the keeper of this injured Earth is in fire, the air is polluted, the trees are dying... There's nothing to do, men are prisoners of their greediness and they will never be free without any respect for their environment.

Album cover

The long, complex “Il suono seducente del sogno” (The seducing sound of dream) is an excellent track that deals, as you can guess, with music and dreams... “Every dream comes to life in a magic castle / When the day will come, go in and don't close the door / You will find spears and shields, cold blood and mercy, the boldness of the heroes and a soaring music...”. The magic castle of music and dreams is a nice metaphor for the need of a shelter from the daily grind, but beware! The charm of those magic sounds is dangerous and you could risk to become nothing but a slave of your dreams while reality looms outside.

Then comes “Nemesi” (Nemesis), a track full of dark energy that was inspired by Greek mythology. Nemesis was a goddess representing the idea of divine retribution and this track tries to capture in music and words the spirit of the righteous vengeance by depicting a loveless sense of justice without light inside, cold and cynical... “It is useless to anneal your strength / A body is nothing but a heap of snow / It melts in the first sunshine / To jump higher, to run faster / What does really matter is the soul...”.

“Rovescia l'immaginazione e scopri la realtà” (Reverse your imagination and discover the reality) is a beautiful instrumental where the members of the band can showcase all their musicianship and where frenzied passages alternates with calm, dreamy sections, heavy guitar riffs with surging organ rides. It leads to the second part of “Il suono seducente del sogno (parte II)” where the light, gauzy mist of a never ending dream lays on everything... “This music plays inside me / I will never run away from this dream...”.

“Lorca e Dalì” is a long, complex track inspired by poetry and painting. It features ethereal atmospheres and narrative vocals where words are just touches of colour on the evocative musical texture. Golden angels drink your soul while your eyes are burnt by dreams, you look for a meaning but you can't find a clue, you can't find the key to gates of dream and you get lost... The following “The Sun” is a short acoustic track sung in English that closes the album with a mystical mood and in some way takes you back to the starting point.

On the whole, a very good album. Welcome back Distillerie di Malto!

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/distillerie.malto

Malaavia began life in Naples in 1998 on the initiative of Pas Scarpato. After some line up changes and a good live activity, in 2004 the band released a début album on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash., Danze d'incenso, with a line up featuring Pas Scarpato (bass, guitars, vocals), Oderigi Lusi (organ, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, accordion, backing vocals), Lucio Fontana (drums), Solimena Casoria (flute, vocals) and Egidio Napolitano (percussion) plus numerous prestigious guests such as Michele Mutti (synthesizer, from La Torre dell'Alchimista), Lino Vairetti (vocals, from Osanna) or Giovanni Mauriello (vocals, from Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare) just to name but a few. The result is an interesting album, very rich in ideas but where, in my opinion, is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. You can recognize many different influences ranging from Le Orme to Osanna, from classical music to ragtime, from disco music to rap, but the blending is not always convincing. The album is divided into three long suites where you can find some brilliant passages but also some weak points that risk to spoil the pleasure of listening to it.

Malaavia 2000

The opener “Sequenza prima: delle danze” (First sequence: of the dances) begins with a very promising instrumental part, “Preludio di luna piena” (Prelude of full moon), featuring classical influences and a dreamy mood, then comes “Abraham, where is the land?”, with lyrics swinging from Italian to English to Neapolitan dialect evoking the contradictions of the tormented countries of Middle-East, a promised land ravaged by war and culture clashes. There are some beautiful melodic lines with male and female vocals and a raging rap break... “Panic and terror in the streets and markets of Damascus / Blooding children who pay the horror of a war / Land, land that will never come...”. Then, suddenly, the music and lyrics take you across the Sahara desert to the streets of Marrakesh, a melting pot of cultures, colours and sounds... Hints of ragtime and ethnic sounds lead to the weak final part, “Kyrie Eleyson”, and its disconcerting, horrible disco-beat.

album cover

The second suite, “Sequenza seconda: della conoscenza” (Second sequence: of the knowledge), begins by piano and vocals, then ethnic instruments joins contributing to evoke some mysterious shadows creeping on: the ancient shadows of life, harmony and love. The first part, “Ombre” (Shadows) fades into the ethereal second section, “Gnòti sautòn (conosci te stesso)” (Know yourself), where reality becomes uncertain and beautiful melodies soar in a living dream... “Gnoti sautòn, the truth is just inside you / If the music will resist / Your soul will listen to new notes... An orchestra will play a symphonic music...”. Unfortunately what comes after is not a symphony but a disco-pop section, “Vie interne” (Internal ways), that abruptly breaks the dreamy mood... “We are the travellers of the internal ways / We are looking for eternal truths / Wandering souls of the internal ways / We are looking for ancient truths...”. Then a delicate piano interlude, “Softmoon”, leads to “Cuori d'elettricità” (Hearts of electricity), a section that in some way reminds me of Franco Battiato's works from the eighties... “Animality, mechanicality / We are bodies / We are hearts of electricity...”. A distorted electric guitar solo, “Hominem quaero”, follows and a final explosion concludes the sequence.

The third suite, “Sequenza terza: tra balsami d'incenso” (Third sequence: through balms of incense), starts with an instrumental section, “Interludio sospeso” (Suspended interlude), featuring a dark mood and a strong classical influence with strings in the forefront. It leads to “Vivi nascosto” (Live hidden), another nice section that recalls Franco Battiato with lyrics telling you that you've better hide from false priests and easy goals, from false paradises and sophisms... A beautiful, dreamy instrumental section follows, “Danza d'incenso” (Dance of incense), bringing a touch of exoticism and Middle Eastern flavours. It fades into “Mezzaluna fertile” (Fertile crescent moon), a bitter-sweet part with lyrics in Italian and Neapolitan dialect about the absurdity of the never ending war that Christians, Hebrews and Muslims are fighting in Palestine. Rap, Italian melody and Bach are mixed together with a very peculiar effect. Then comes the sound of a gong that introduces an acoustic guitar passage evoking a peaceful landscape, “Locus amoenus”. The following section, “Canzone di Giuseppe” (Joseph's song) is dedicated to the character of Saint Joseph and reminds me slightly of the atmospheres of Fabrizio De André's album La buona novella, recently reinterpreted by Premiata Forneria Marconi. The conclusive section, “Coda di luna calante” (Tail of waning moon), is a magnificent instrumental featuring murmured vocals in the background reciting some verses by Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio... “Oppressed in love, in pleasure, the people of the world of the living are asleep... O waning scythe, what a harvest of dreams ripples in your mild and diffuse light down here!”.

On the whole, I think that despite the many ups and downs this is an album that is worth listening to. A mention also for the beautiful album cover painted by Domizia Parri that maybe describes the content better than all my words.

Malaavia: Danze d'incenso (2004). Other opinions:

Thomas Szirmay: This is another fine example of Italian proficiency in progressive rock field, combining local and foreign influences to create memorable music and exemplary playing. RPI is akin to Italian cuisine, there are a lot of combinations, flavors and aromas that can go into the pan, while still keeping to long held traditions...(read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.malaavia.net/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malaavia-Frammenti-Compiuti/53795456882

“Vibrazioni liquide” (Liquid vibrations), Malaavia’s second album, is mainly the brainchild of Pas Scarpato, bassist, guitarist, vocalist, composer, lyricist and only founder member in the present line-up of the band that now features also Joe La Viola (flute, sax, oboe, cymbals), Helèna Biagioni (vocals), Jacov Leone (drums), Sebastiano Mazzoleni (keyboards) and Donato Zoppo (narrative vocals). With the help of some guest musicians, in 2008 they recorded this concept album full of spirituality, inviting you to search for higher levels of knowledge and wisdom. “Vibrations shake and make the walls inside you crumble... You have to be liquid... You can find the truth only inside you!”. The result, in my opinion, is definitely better than Malaavia’s debut album. The music has a strong Mediterranean flavour and it could recall bands as Abash or Radiodervish but you can also feel the love of the band for classic prog masters as Le Orme, BMS and PFM...

The opener “Deus dementat?” is a beautiful instrumental where acoustic “ethnic” elements blend with a powerful electric guitar and it could recall some works of Al Di Meola... It’s a perfect introduction for the excellent second track “Lakmidi” that begins with a Middle Eastern melody. The interaction of Pas Scarpato, Sophya Baccini and Helèna Biagioni vocals is perfect and the “musical fabric” extremely rich (there’s even a didgeridoo!). The lyrics are about the mysterious people of Lakhmidis, their cruel rites and prayers... “They pass by like killing wolves shadows, silently / What a traffic of camels, Bedouins, women, slaves / And they don’t talk / And they don’t laugh... Every now and again they stop and pray when the night is falling...”.

The next track, “Listen To The Voices”, is like a delicate, bittersweet, multiethnic and melodic prayer... “Voices spreading in the air of the evening / Voices that you can hear from here / They sing the sad litany of a prayer... Shemà shemà Israel / Listen to the voices today...”. The vocals in the dialect of Naples by Gianni Lamagna (Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare) give additional value to this invocation for freedom.

The long “Vagando” (Wandering) features a darker atmosphere with vintage keyboards and melancholic vocals that come out as if “wandering in the shadows” and lead to the next track “La rosa” (The rose) on the notes of a solitary sax... After a short instrumental intro the dreamy vocals of Helèna Biagioni soar bringing hope and light... “New eyes for the invisible / New ears for the inaudible / New senses for what you can’t gather... The rose of the desert leads you to the laws of light...”.

Malaavia 2008

“Il cedro” (The Cedar) is a beautiful acoustic ballad featuring lyrics taken from the Bible (Ezekiel 17: 22,24). “I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish...”.

“Elevazione (recitativo)” (Elevation) is another acoustic track featuring a beautiful melodic part of oboe and spoken words full of hope... “One day you will slowly see what the sky is and you will touch it with your hands... Open your arms to the infinite...”. On the sound of a bell then comes “Salmo di Lode Universale”, a hymn in Latin taken from the Christian tradition and musically inspired by Monteverdi.

The last track is an excellent long suite in five parts, “Stati superiori (suite in 5 movimenti)”, where the music tries to describe a kind of spiritual path leading from “Crisis” to “Sleep”, from the “Spirit Awakening” to “Beatitude” through a new beginning... “The time is coming / Open the doors of your night / Show the light to your shadows...”.

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

More info:

http://www.malaavia.net/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malaavia-Frammenti-Compiuti/53795456882

L'inferno dei musici (The hell of musicians) is the fourth studio album by Oloferne, an Italian band from Chiaravalle, a little town in the province of Ancona. This interesting album was self-released in 2014 with a beautiful packaging featuring an art cover taken from the triptych called The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch, that in some way depicts its content. In fact, according to an interview with the band, this album represents an existential choice: - on the album everything - music, lyrics and artwork - symbolizes a full immersion into the world of art, a true descent into hell, both for the musicians who play and for the listener. The album is a poetical manifesto of the musician's path, we portray an imaginary world through the eyes of a musician who, by describing it, disappears...

Oloferne's roots date back to 1999 and thecurrent line up features Alessandro Piccioni (vocals, flute, bass, guitar), Giacomo Medici (vocals, guitar, percussion), Gianluca Agostinelli (electric and acoustic guitars), Giuseppe Cardamone (violin) and Marco Medici (drums, percussion). There are no keyboardists involved in this project but the overall sound is rich and all the instruments perfectly interact weaving an original music fabric that draws from sources of inspiration ranging from Celtic folk to classical music, from progressive rock to Italian canzone d'autore. Well, an album that I think is really worth listening to...

Oloferne 2014

The lively opener, “Invictus”, is an excellent instrumental track that blends elements of Celtic folk, Vivaldi and Jethro Tull. It begins softly by violin and percussion, then the other instruments join adding new colours and musical flavours. The following “Danza macabra”, depicts a strange dance under the moon where you can see skeletons and headless bodies frantically move while sinners and saints play the dice of a broken Fate... “Have you already heard the darkest note of such a kind of music? / The moon will be queen of the skull that is whistling... Stop your march, the danse macabre is playing for you...”. Then comes the short “We Have No Heads”, in the same mood, where the band interpret in a personal way Traditional Irish Folk Song by Denis Leary.

The title track, “L'inferno dei musici” (The hell of musicians), is the main course of the album. It's a beautiful suite divided into three parts that starts with a calm section based on an acoustic guitar arpeggio... “Here with us you'll drink the music of the spheres / On the back the sounds are shivers / It's the garden of earthly delight that is waiting for you / Here your damnation is your strength / Take my hands, forget your limits...”. The seducing lyrics invite you to relax and follow the enchanted sounds coming from a hurdy gurdy... “Cut off your ears / And wait for the raven that will fetch them...”. In the second section the rhythm rises while the dream becomes a nightmare and you risk to get lost in a ring-around-the-rosey, you're surrounded by satyrs and feeling like a smiling crucifix on the verge of madness, sentenced to the gallows with your harp as a scaffold. An excellent instrumental part concludes the suite.

“Soldati di memoria” (Soldiers of memory) is a folk ballad veined of electricity that conjures up the ghosts of unknown soldiers, victims of useless battles, slaves of blood and glory. They're the forgotten children of a dream that the music brings back to life... “Fragments of mud, fragments of history / Drops of dew wake the memory up... Now they're dreaming dancing stars / They are drops of air tightened in a single note...”.

Then comes “Impressioni di settembre” (Impressions of September) a PFM's cover interpreted with good personality where violin and electric guitar play in turn the role of Moog. The last track, “Profezie del tempo” (Prophecies of Time), is a sweet acoustic ballad, a kind of timeless prayer celebrating music and harmony... “Don't ask me why / My God is the wind / Do not heed Time's prophecies... Caress the string of that fiddle / An ancient sound will show us the way / Time and space are trunks and chains / That a flute can lift up and transform into snow...”. Well, a splendid finale for a very nice piece of art!

More info:
http://www.oloferne.com
https://www.facebook.com/oloferneband

Outside Nowhere is the second album by Roman band Taproban and was released in 2003 on the independent label Mellow Records. The line up is the same as on its predecessor, Ogni pensiero vola, and features Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, organ, Minimoog, vocals), Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, Moog, vocals) and Davide Guidoni (drums, percussion) but here the overall sound is enhanced by the special guest Alessandro Papotto (sax - from Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Periferia del Mondo) who took part to the recording sessions. If you like bands such as Le Orme, Emerson Lake & Palmer or Quatermass I'm sure you will not be disappointed by this interesting work where the music flows steadily taking you across the space. In fact, this is a concept album dedicated to the memory of Russian cosmonaut Komarov and to all the other space-flights pioneers...

Taproban 2004

The short instrumental opener “At the Fifteenth Orbit” sets the atmosphere. As you can read in the beautiful booklet, Komarov, aboard of the Soyuz 1, returned to Earth after fifteen orbits around the planet and this track tries to capture the feelings of the cosmonaut before his return trip...

The following “Outside Nowhere” is a long instrumental suite divided into six parts. The first part, “The Mission”, features a dark atmosphere and a haunting marching beat that develops in a kind of strange bolero. It takes you back in time as a flashback, when everything started and the space mission was planned. The following section, “The Last Goodbye”, is warmer and lightened by the sound of Alessandro Papotto's sax that evokes the strong emotions of the departure. On the third section, “The launch”, you can hear the countdown while the rhythm takes off like a glider: here the music reminds me of some counterpoints by Le Orme... Next comes “Outside Nowhere”, the fourth section which describes in some way the feelings that an astronaut can experience during his long flight... Komarov: oh, what a Lucky Man he was! The last two sections, “Return To...” and “...A New World”, take us on the way back with new perspectives and a strong sense of hope.

“Broken Shell” is a short acoustic ballad sung in English that tells about the sense of solitude and restless inquietude that seizes the astronaut when he thinks of his ex-sweetheart... “Now my life is a broken shell / I need a place to go far away... But there’s no place that is safe from you / And in spite of my strong will / You will be anywhere, forever with me...”.

“Il difficile equilibrio tra sorgenti d’energia” (The difficult balance between sources of energy) is a beautiful track featuring Italian vocals that evokes infinite spheres clashing one against each other, ruled by mysterious laws that, sooner or later, will make them melt in a black void... “Long is the fighting between sources of energy / One against each other / One against each other...”.

“veS ml’ tagHach” (Klingon War Dance) is track full of obscure energy. It features some martial passages, some exotic touches and fiery keyboards rides. The title refers to a fictional extraterrestrial warrior species in the 1960s television series Star trek...

The following “Pieces Left Behind” reminds me of some Pink Floyd's atmospheres and features some vocal parts in English drenched with nostalgia. Feeling alone and lost in the space, our astronaut is looking forward to the return trip because he has realized that the world leaves a mark on you and you can't really escape from it... “In this place is it always day-time? / Is it always night-time? / I really don’t know / World, I’m coming back...”.

“In The Deep” is a short track full of tension that describes the dive of the space ship towards the Earth. The mood is dark and in some way you can feel an impending sense of tragedy in the air. It leads to the final track, “Nexus” that recalls the early works of Franco Battiato. It features some beautiful sax lines and filtered vocals in Italian... “I sent signals as I was moving between sound waves / Visualizing my dream among dark interferences...”. According to the booklet the voice that you can hear in the background is really the voice of Komanov, but you can't hear the final explosion. As you probably know, the Soyuz 1 crushed on the ground...

On the whole, an interesting work with a nice art-work by Davide Guidoni that maybe describes its atmospheres and content better than all my words.

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

Taproban: Outside Nowhere (2004). Other opinions:

Dave Sissons: While this is unlikely to top anyone’s “best of year” lists, it is a pleasing work with much to offer the old school prog fan. It manages to steer clear of the bombastic overkill employed by Japanese proponents of similar music (Ars Nova, Gerard) and also avoids the overt metal influences that are currently in vogue with many Neo-Prog groups (Star One, Aryeon). All in all, this is an agreeable album for all fans of keyboard prog... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.taproban.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taproban/284210754964231

VERONA PROG FEST 2014

More info:

http://www.clubilgiardino.org/

Find out more prog concerts in Italy:

http://arlequins.forumfree.org/

http://www.progdates.net/

http://www.hamelinprog.com/calendario-eventi/

Smogmagicais Le Orme's seventh studio album. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California, in 1975 with a line up featuring, along with the historical members Aldo Tagliapietra (bass, vocals, acoustic guitar), Tony Pagliuca (keyboards) and Michi Dei Rossi (drums), a young, skilled musician with a solid rock-blues background, Tolo Marton (electric guitar, harmonica, vocals). With this album Le Orme tried to change slightly their sound following a more straightforward musical direction. The result might not be completely satisfying for old prog fans but, even if it represents a step back when compared to the band's previous masterpieces, this is still a good album with some magnificent tracks. Anyway, the wonderful album cover painted by Paul Whitehead and inspired by the music is a special asset and makes of this work a very special item in any progressive rock collection.

The opener “Los Angeles” begins by a frenzied guitar solo flying on a cloudy rhythmical carpet that melts in a quiet piano section with a short vocal part. The lyrics describe the feelings of a passenger on a plane landing in L.A., the “magical polluted” city of the title (it's very difficult to translate the word “Smogmagica” indeed!)... “I felt a void in me and a sensation of fear / While the darkness of the clouds was still around me / Then, suddenly, below me an ocean of lights / I had never seen before so many lights at the same time...”. Then the rhythm sets off again in a instrumental “crescendo” with some changes in rhythm and mood and a good interaction between the guitar and the other instruments. A great track!

“Amico di ieri” (Yesterday’s friend) is one of the most famous songs by Le Orme. It’s a melancholic acoustic ballad where a delicate melody sets a dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics tell about the autumn wind that blows to Los Angeles from his cradle in the desert, bringing with him the memories of the ancient pioneers who were driven to the sea and to a new reality by their dreams of freedom... “Autumn wind / Yesterday’s friend / Today nobody cares of you / Your rising voice / Takes away the sleep from resting people / It just soils the city...”. Well, in this case the lyrics represent also a way to tell about the contrast between past and present, dream and reality in a poetical way... This song has always been one of my favourites.

Unfortunately, the following “Ora o mai più” (Now or nevermore) is not as good as the previous tracks. It is a kind of prog’n’roll featuring lyrics about a man who drives like hell “collecting red lights” just to get in time to a meeting with his girlfriend. The song ends with the noise of a car crash! Good idea, but the result is not completely convincing...

Then comes “Laserium Floyd”, a good instrumental with a slow pace and a nocturnal atmosphere that could recall Pink Floyd’s echoes. It leads to “Primi passi” (First steps), a nice pop rock song about the need to look for new experiences that makes you jump on the first train running to seek your fortune far away, without waiting for useless promises... “Hello, new day that moves on by uncertain steps...”.

The following delicate, acoustic ballad “Immensa distesa” (Immense plain) is definitely better with Aldo Tagliapietra's soaring vocals that conjure up a dreamy mood... “You would like to follow me and move far away / But eventually you prefer the shelter of dreams...”. Remarkable the particular coda with a fine drum work running under the melody played by the acoustic guitar.

Le Orme in L.A., 1975

“Amanti di città” (City lovers), despite the good guitar work, in my opinion is the worst track of the lot, especially on account of the strange, unpleasant vocals. The lyrics are absolutely nothing special, just an ironic dialogue between two lovers in the city.

“L’uomo del pianino” (The street organ man) is an interesting experimental track, a kind of “country-prog” song with a beautiful short ragtime section... “Distant fogs of my home town / Make safer the old way... How many strange things I keep inside me...”. A good effort to cross the styles.

The instrumental “Laurel Canyon” is another good effort to blend the rock-blues influences of the guitarist with the prog vein of the other members of the band. This track was named after Laurel Canyon Boulevard in L.A., California, the place where the band set their headquarters during the recording sessions, and concludes an album with some ups and downs but that is really worth listening to.

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

Camera Chiara were formed in Salerno in the second half of the first decade of this century. After a first demo in 2008, in 2013 they self-released an interesting eponymous début album with a line up featuring Francesco Lembo (keyboards), Danilo Lupi (bass), Vincenzo Manzi (guitar) and Antonio Pappacoda (drums). The name of the band was inspired by a book about photography by Roland Barthes, La chambre claire (translated in English as Camera Lucida) and the love of the band for the art of photography is also portrayed on the album cover that in some way gives you the right key to approach the musical content of this brilliant work.

Barthes considers photography as asymbolic, irreducible to the codes of language or culture, acting on the body as much as on the mind and he develops the twin concepts of studium and punctum: the first denoting the cultural, linguistic and political interpretation of a photograph, the latter denoting the wounding, personally touching detail which establishes a direct relationship with the object or person within it. Well, on their website the band invite the listener to focus on the punctum of the “musical photographs” contained in the album. This is a completely instrumental work, all you have to do is close your eyes and let the music drive...

The short opener “Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake” sets a mysterious, dark atmosphere. Although there are no liner notes in the booklet, the title seems to refer to a famous picture shot in 1867 by Timothy H. O'Sullivan which portrays an almost lunar landscape on the Pyramid Lake, a place near Reno, Nevada while the music recalls Pink Floyd.

Timothy H. O'Sullivan: Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake, Nevada

The following “Chiaroscuri” is a long, complex track marked by the constant contrast between dark and light atmospheres. It' another track that testifies the deep passion for photography of the band. In fact, chiaroscuro (Italian for light-dark) is a word that defines the artistic use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition or a picture. Here pulsing, tense bass lines contrast with light, soaring keyboards waves and electric guitar patterns while calm moments are followed by stormy passages. Every now and again Goblin or L'Ombra della Sera come to mind but the music does not sound derivative at all. A real treat!

Then comes “Maschere cadute” (Fallen masks), a nice short track full of positive energy that leads to the reflective “Nel tuo mondo” (In your world). Here the atmosphere is dreamy but never relaxed while shadows and lights seem to dance all around. A great track!

Camera Chiara 2013

“Danzano le memorie” (Memories are dancing) is a short, romantic track with the piano in the forefront that almost melts into the following “In un gioco di specchi” (In a game of mirrors) where you can hear a haunting marching beat and experience some strange exotic flavours. Then the rhythm rises taking you to mysterious territories where your imagination can run free conjuring up psychedelic visions...

“Come il bianco col nero” (As white with black) is another complex track where influences from the past and modern sounds are mixed in an original way with brilliant results. Then “Il nuovo e il vecchio giorno” (The new and the old day) concludes the album with a good dose of electricity and powerful blows of optimism.

This work is completely instrumental but very rich in ideas and there is no weak point. According to the band's website, among their influences you can find bands and artists with a different background such as Air, Balletto di Bronzo, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Biglietto per l'Inferno, Genesis, Goblin, King Crimson, Le Orme, Philip Glass, Pink Floyd, Rush, Soft Machine, Tool and Vangelis but I think that Camera Chiara have succeeded in mixing all these influences with great personality and excellent composition skills. This album is really worth listening to... Have a try!

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/lacamerachiara

Latte e Miele began life in Genoa in 1971 with a first line-up featuring Giancarlo Marcello Della Casa (electric and acoustic guitar, violin, bass, lead vocals), Oliviero Lacagnina (piano, organ, harpsichord, moog, mellotron, celesta, vocals) and Alfio Vitanza (drums, cymbals, bells, flute, vocals). In 1971 guitarist Giancarlo Marcello Della Casa also took part, with other guest musicians, in the recording sessions of I Giganti’s album “Terra in bocca”. This experience seems to have influenced also Latte e Miele’s debut album, “Passio Secundum Mattheum”, a concept work where clear classical influences blend with rock, classical music and beautiful melodies. Well, “Passio Secundum Mattheum” is also the title of a classical work by J.S. Bach, but this album is not its “rock version”. The lyrics drew inspiration from the Gospel according to St. Matthew and they are absolutely “politically correct”, you can’t find here the boldness and the poetical inventions of “Terra in bocca” (an album completely “built upon the lyrics”) or of Fabrizio De Andrè’s album “La buona novella” (a conceptual work inspired by the apocryphal gospels). Here the lyrics seem to be just a feeble thread binding together a good musical patchwork, but the result is not always convincing. By the way, Latte e Miele were the very first rock band to perform in the Vatican City in front of the Pope, no wonder then if the narrative parts every now and again seem just to come out from a “Catholic mass”...

The short instrumental opener “Introduzione” (Introduction) sets the atmosphere starting with a church-like choir, then shy echoes of Bolero come in leading to a beautiful crescendo featuring a good electric guitar solo. Next comes “Il giorno degli azzimi” (The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) and “Ultima cena” (The last supper), closely bound together. An acoustic guitar arpeggio and a dreamy mood are the background for narrative vocals and sung parts where the band interacts with an operatic choir... “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples and Jesus prepared the Passover...”. The lead vocals and choir interpret the voices of the disciples and Jesus while a narrator is in charge of the spoken parts... While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples... “The bread you will break will be your body shared for us / The wine you will pour will be your blood spilled for us...”. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said... “One of you will betray me...”. The disciples were very sad and began to say to him one after the other... “Surely not I, Lord?”. The voices of the disciples seem to come from an opera, there’s surprise and brio, then the rhythm calms down...

Judas, the one who would betray him, said “Surely not I, Rabbi?”. It’s the beginning of “Getzemani” (Gethsemane) a beautiful and melodic “aria”. Jesus’ soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death and his voice soars in a prayer... “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done...”. Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus was arrested and put on trial. The short “Il processo” (The trial) features amazing operatic vocals... “Now, My Lord you’ll go on trial for the world’s sake / This way you will save us...”.

The next track “I testimoni” (The witnesses) is divided in two parts and features reminiscences of Latin rock “à la Carlos Santana”. Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. Finally two came forward and declared... “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days...”.

“Il pianto” (The crying) is a short acoustic and melodic track, an “aria” full of mercy and admiration for the man who is going to die for the world’s sake... “You don’t speak my brother / Silently you are going to die for me... A mother is crying for her son who’s going to die...”.

“Giuda” (Judas) is another short track. It’s more aggressive and features hard rock guitar riffs and swing passages... When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. His fate was to betray because of jealousy... “A tableau is hanging / It makes you understand...”.

“Il re dei Giudei” (The king of Jews) is solemn and dramatic. Jesus was brought to trial in front of Pilate, the Roman procurator. The governor asked him, - Are you the king of the Jews? - Jesus replied - Yes, it is as you say. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer... “Jesus was silent in front of Pilate / He said nothing but – I’m the king of Jews...”.

“Il calvario” (Golgotha) opens with operatic vocals shouting “Barabbas!”. It was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, - Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?... The crowd chose Barabbas and Jesus was condemned! The roaring answer of the crowd then gives way to the organ and choir describing in music the Via Crucis... His cross carried by Simon the Cyrenian, Jesus is led to Golgotha for crucifixion. The executioners fix a sign to the cross: “This is Jesus: the King of the Jews”. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit...

The conclusive “aria”, “Il dono della vita” (The gift of life), is a reflection full of mercy and hope where the lead vocals and choir interact. “Like a stream which wants to wet the sand / You will be my brother... Your life is so great to be called never ending...”.

The re-release on CD also features a bonus track, “Mese di maggio” (May). It’s just a melodic pop song that contrasts with the rest of the album and adds nothing to this work...

From the book Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

The band have recently completely re-recorded the whole album with new versions of the old pieces and some unreleased tracks...

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LATTE-E-MIELE/316295138804

Empirical Time come from Padua and began life in 2011 on the initiative of Riccardo Scarparo and Andrea Baggio. Their aim was the recording of original compositions with the use of classical and electric instruments, inspired by bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis or Premiata Forneria Marconi, and featuring lyrics taken or inspired by poetry and literature. After a first demo in 2011, they released a début album in 2013, titled Songs, Poems And A Lady, on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records, with a line up featuring Riccardo Scarparo (keyboards, lead vocals), Andrea Baggio (bass), Federico Galleani (guitars, vocals), Giovanni Croatto (guitars, vocals) and Robert Anthony Jameson (drums, vocals). Thanks to the help of their producer Mike 3rd and to the mastering by Ronan Chris Murphy, the sound quality is excellent although, in my opinion, the music every now and again seems a bit too derivative. As suggested by the cover, this is a concept album dedicated to a mysterious Lady, a muse with many faces, a strange character to discover...

In fact, the album begins by five tracks taken from The Lucy Poems,a series of poems composed by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth between 1798 and 1801. In the series, Wordsworth examines the poet's unrequited love for the idealised character of Lucy, an English girl who has died young. The idea of her death weighs heavily on the poet throughout the series, imbuing it with a melancholic, elegiac tone. Whether Lucy was based on a real woman or was a fruit of the poet's imagination has long been a matter of debate among scholars. Generally reticent about the poems, Wordsworth never revealed the details of her origin or identity... Most critics agree that she is essentially a literary device upon whom he could project, meditate and reflect... (from Wikipedia)

The first piece is taken from “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal”. The music initially recalls Pink Floyd's dark side of the moon, but then sudden surges of keyboards light the fire and bring in some EL&P reminiscences sweeping out fears and shadows... Next comes the ethereal “Strange Fits Of Passion”, a long track that every now and again reminds me of an Australian band called Augie March... Then “She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways” features a slow pace and melancholic tones and leads to “Three Years She Grew In Sun And Shower”, another complex piece where Pink Floyd influences are apparent although filtered with a personal touch and a pinch of tarantella. The nocturnal “I Travelled Among Unknown Men” concludes the part of the album dedicated to the poetry of Wordsworth, infused with abstract ideals of beauty, nature, love, longing and death... “I travelled among unknown men / In lands beyond the sea / Nor, England! Did I know till then / What love I bore to thee...”.

Lucy is a name that is usually associated with sky and diamonds. Well, on “Diamond Lady Pt. 1” diamonds are the symbol of the multifaceted personality of the mysterious woman who inspired the album. The music, again, recalls Pink Floyd but with some touches of exoticism that contribute to add some strange, disquieting colours to the portrait of the lady. With the excellent instrumental “Untamed”, the dreamy “Overshadowed Breathing” and “Diamond Lady Pt. 2” it forms a kind of suite full of shadows and lights. By the way, for the demo version of “Diamond Lady Pt.1”, in 2012 the band shot a video directed by Nicola Schito and starring Stefania Fornasier...

Two short instrumental tracks linked together, “Whispers From The Past” and “Dancing On Saturno” conclude the album with waves of dark energy and some bright, soaring melodic passages.

On the whole, I think that this is an interesting work but I'm sure that this band will do even better in the future.

More info:

http://www.empiricaltime.com

https://www.facebook.com/empiricaltimeband

Zion began life in Naples in 2000 on the initiative of Francesco Cimminiello and Domenico Sepe. After some line up changes and two demos, in 2006 the band self-released a first album entitled The Three Hands, influenced by hard rock and vintage sounds, completely sung in English. In the following years the band turned to a more original, mature Italian style and, after a hard studio work, in 2014 self-released an interesting concept album, 9P - Nove pianeti (9P - Nine Planets) with a renewed line up featuring Francesco Cimminiello (bass, moog, vocals), Michele Boggia (organ, keyboards, synthesizer), Mauro D'Ambrosio (drums) and Vittorio Galdi (vocals, percussion). The overall sound could recall bands such as Le Orme or Quatermass but it's not too derivative and the music perfectly fits the storyline. As for the lyrics, according to the band, they are freely based on a kind of apocryphal pseudo-gospel and tell of a spiritual journey from the darkness of hell to the holy light of God that is in some way depicted by the art cover by Antonio Massa.

The opener “Plutone” (Pluto) begins with an evocative keyboard passage, then powerful organ waves and a nervous rhythm section set a dark atmosphere. Not only is Pluto the ninth planet from the sun in the solar system but it's also associated with Pluto or Hades, the ruler of underworld in classical mythology, God of the Dead and Riches. The journey towards the light begins right here, in this land of darkness and doom where crime and sin rule... “Helios, please tell me if there is a path / That could lead me to you...”.

Then the dreamy “Nettuno” (Neptune) takes you to the eighth planet from the sun, named after the Roman God of the Sea. Here you get lost in the smell of the sea and in your thoughts as you glide in a blue dream. There's sand in your hands and distant echoes fill your ears. You're surrounded by a strange silence while the distant light of the sun is burning on your chest, it's your last resort, nothing but the sun can show you the way...

The next leg is “Uranus”, the seventh planet from the sun, named after the primal Greek god personifying the sky. The atmosphere is tense and full of mystery. In the night you can observe the timeless dance of the nine planets around the sun while the stars are looking for a balance in their astral trips. This is the only track on this album sung in English... “Like owls need sun to rest / The humans need night to find their own light... Uranus God! Master of Thunder!...”.

Next stop is “Saturno” (Saturn), the sixth planet from the sun, named after the Roman God of Agriculture. The lyrics depict a tired peasant, there are tears running down his face, cuts in his hands and sweat on his forehead. At night he can't rest, he goes through nightmares and strange signs, bad omens such as toads, owls and spiders... “I prey to you, God of Earth / Give me peace instead of war / Please, tell me when men are wrong...”.

“Giove” (Jupiter), the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System is also associated to the Roman King of the Gods. Here the music and lyrics depict a haughty king who rules over his people with unlimited powers and no mercy. But in the end there's some room for hope left. Suddenly the rhythm calms down as the lyrics describe an unexpected meeting: one day, looking towards the starry sky the king sees a face with sweet eyes, blond hair and a sunny smile. “You have to serve, not to rule in this world” - tells him the vision. And the king feels like an adult coming back to childhood, touched by the light of his creator.

The marching beat of next track takes you to “Marte” (Mars), the fourth planet from the Sun, named after the Roman god of war and often described as the Red Planet. Here the music and lyrics describe an apocalyptic landscape drowned in war. There are bloody streets and singing swords, desperate screams of children soar in the air while the wings of Death are dancing all around. A whole city is rolling upon uncountable skulls, the skulls are like seeds carried away by the wind, destined to sprout in new fightings. But Mars is now worried since Helios could wage war on him...

The following “Terra” (Earth) begins by vocals a cappella, then the rhythm rises while the lyrics depict in some way the mysterious ways of life. Wisdom and madness are playing, day after day, in an endless ring-around-the-rosey while men are like children lost in an illogic dream...

The next leg is “Venere” (Venus), the second planet from the Sun, named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The music and lyrics describe in some way the meeting with a female grace that can light the spirit of humankind dancing in harmony around the planet, defying even the darkest fate...

This spiritual journey is coming to an end. The last track is divided into three parts. The first one takes you to “Mercurio” (Mercury), the smallest and closest to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System, named after the guide of souls to the underworld, the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves. The lyrics tells about a man who tries to sell his life, too complex and cold... But who's buying it? The second part, “Helios”, tells about the final goal of this spiritual journey describing in music and words the perfect balance of spirit and body. Everyone has a place in this world and has to find it to let the light of the creator shine on him... The third part is an instrumental “outro” that concludes this excellent album.

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/zionprog

La soluzione semplice (The simple solution) is the fifth studio album by Sithonia, an Italianprog band from Bologna whose roots date back to the mid-eighties. It was released in 2011 on the independent label Lizard Records, after a long hiatus and a hard studio work, with a line up featuring Paolo Nannetti (organ, Mellotron, synth, backing vocals), Roberto Magni (guitar, mandolin), Oriano Dasasso (piano, synth), Orio Cenacchi (drums), Valerio Roda (bass) and Marco Giovannini (lead and backing vocals). The final result of their efforts is a good mix of vintage atmospheres and new musical flavours and I'm sure that fans of Italian prog will appreciate this concept album about dreams and time passing by, where the music and lyrics draw an imaginary bridge across past and present. But maybe the art work by Roberto Magni describes the content of the album better than my words...

The opener “Treni di passaggio” (Passing trains) begins by some hypnotic piano notes and the noises of a railway station in the background. Then the music and lyrics depict a commuter who is coming home after a working day. All according to routine, it's just another day in his life. But suddenly something happens and you can experience a kind of emotional short circuit: the man has always fought against his dreams but now he realizes that he might be wrong while time is passing by... Then the rhythm rises and whirling waves of vintage keyboards draw him in the past where he gets lost for awhile like a child in a fairy-tale wood. After the instrumental middle section the vocals come back and the atmosphere becomes calmer... The commuter comes out from his dream with a new awareness: now he can accept his dreams and get along with his present life. Now he runs to catch his train, a new day can't separate what we are from what we were or what we had wanted to be... “But we live, it's sure / There's nothing to dream / I’m running fast, there’s a train waiting for...”.

Sithonia 2013

What kind of magic made change the protagonist's mind? The second track, “Tornando” (Coming back), is a beautiful short instrumental that starts with the sound of a tape in reverse. Now you have to set your watch back forty years, you're in a time warp... The following “Cronaca persa” (Lost chronicle) is a long, complex suite divided into six parts that tells about a lost summer full of music, colours and glances towards the sky. An obsessive voice repeats that those days can't come back and that you can't go back in time. Nonetheless there are moments that seem everlasting, imagines that you can't forget, memories that can't melt into the mist of the daily grind and dreams that keep on flying through the clouds of a rainy day... “The music goes, can't you hear it? / It soars through the brambles, it dances among the flowers and then it will remain... It comes from afar and plays with us / It won't go away...”. Those lost days now seem be running along the banks of a river, searching for a bridge to cross it while time is just a face on the water... Now you look in a mirror and see just a stranger, but sometimes memories come back with an overwhelming force and you have the illusion to be back there, just for a last time, just for a last stolen look... “The last time, just a last time / I do not want to ask for more... Nothing can change if you can't change a bit...”.

The short, evocative instrumental “Il tram del topo” (The tram of the mouse) leads to the title track that tells in music and words of a clash between different feelings in front of a difficult choice. The protagonist is now on the edge of an immense abyss and he's going to take a risk that he has never taken before... “I will not be asking from you the simple solution / You will not be the one who will look with me for all the answers we have never asked...”.

The short, delicate instrumental “Passeggiata” (Walk) leads to the conclusive “Il vento di Nauders” (The wind from Nauders), another long, complex track that conjures up the memories of a beautiful day of music and friendship spent in the Alps (Nauders is a lovely place in Austria, near the border with Italy and Swiss). Now the air is redolent of the smell of the woods and you get lost among sweet sounds and warm colours... Then the dream comes to an end, the mist of time disappears and you can listen again to the same hypnotic notes of piano that opened the album. The circle is closed, the protagonist is back to reality on the train that takes him home...

On the whole, I think that this is an excellent album, a real must for Italian prog lovers!

Sithonia: La soluzione semplice (2011). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: From short interludes to 20-plus minute epics it's all here: grand upbeat synths and warm melancholic piano pieces, lofty mellotrons, drop-dead gorgeous passages of Ant Phillips-like acoustic guitar, rippin' melodic electric leads, and hearty Italian vocals. The combination of the earthy sunset mellotron and the bucolic acoustic guitar segments give the album a truly gorgeous feel, contrasted with occasional feisty elements... Sithonia break no new boundaries and seek not to impress via technical ecstasy, instead, this is an album of lovingly crafted tales which seep into you over time. More than anything else this is progressive rock with tons of heart, a passionate pastoral world of folksy musical storytelling and vibrant rock... (red the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.sithoniamusic.it/sithonia/Intro.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sithonia/162973983745374?fref=ts

Elettrosmog began life in Verona in 2003 with a first line up featuring Michele Antonelli (vocals, guitar, flute), Francesco Delli Paoli (bass), Alessandro Pontone (guitar), Massimo Babbi (keyboards), Cristian Maselli (drums) and Alessandro Savelli (bouzuky, banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar). They were clearly influenced by Italian prog bands of the early seventies such as Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme or Delirium (on their official website you could even find a short history of Rock Progressivo Italiano) but also by hard rock, jazz, blues, reggae and Italian canzone d'autore. After an interesting demo recorded in 2004, they started performing live on the local scene. Later, Alessandro Savelli left the band and in 2006 Elettrosmog self-released their first full length album, “Monologando”. According to the liner notes, it's a concept album dealing with the difficulties that human beings can experience when they have to communicate with each other in different situations. Well, probably the beautiful art cover by Andrea Sbrogiò describes the content of the album better than my words.

The opener “Trappole per topi” (Mousetraps) is a nice track full of obscure energy. The music and lyrics depict a man who's on the verge of folly, a dreamer who desperately search for a shelter from the daily grind. He's surrounded by people he can't understand and who show off a false serenity... “Enough is enough! My head is blowing up / I have to run away from here / A stereophonic madness completes my mania / It reverberates and swings for me...”.

The following “Economania” is a caustic track about the “New Economy”, where money rules and the marketing laws decide what you have to do. So, you have to stop thinking of social ideals, nothing matters but your ego... The new economy ethic becomes a silly and vain vicious circle where men act like marionettes stumbling on the threads of the Euro-autarchy, pushed by ambition and materialism.

“Fiore di carta” (Paper flower) is a melancholic, introspective track where the music and lyrics depict a man who gets lost in a labyrinth of madness and who's burning out like a paper flower, stranded and poisoned by a nightmarish solitude. Suicide or hypocrisy can't save his soul...

“Dialogo” (Dialogue) is a short acoustic, instrumental interlude that leads to the following “Quanto costa un litro di benzina?” (How much does a litre of gasoline?), an ironic track that blends reggae and Jethro Tull. The music and lyrics tell about a man obsessed by the ever growing cost of oil who decides to buy a bicycle and ride it feeling like Fausto Coppi.

“Non è così (Il mio regalo per te)” (It's not so – My present for you) is a complex track featuring many changes in mood and rhythm. It begins softly, the atmosphere is dark, melancholic then the rhythm rises and at some point Focus and Jethro Tull could come to mind. A man realizes that he's adopting ideas that he doesn't share just to get along with his sweetheart and he's getting tired to live as a hypocrite. The breaking up is traumatic, his last present might be mischievous and dishonest... Just his voice recorded on a tape: slow, magnetic words that will take him away forever.

The following “Monologo” (Monologue) is a short, delicate instrumental piano solo track that leads to “Compromesso storico” (Historic compromise), a powerful, complex track that draws in music and lyrics the portrait of a cynical politician who's good for every season, a demagogic media metastasis who knows how to use democracy in spite of ethics.

“Tu ti senti meno” (You feel less) is another track that describes the crises of a relationship in an effective way. A woman wants too much from his man, but she can't have everything and the game is over and there's no room left for words... The final track “Rootood” is a short instrumental where you can hear a telephone call and the recorded voice of an answering machine. A good conclusion for a very interesting album that in my opinion is really worth listening to.

After the recording sessions bassist Francesco Delli Paoli left the band and Paolo Iemmi stepped in. Unfortunately, the new line up didn't last for long and in 2007 Elettrosmog split up. Anyway, two years later a new band called Astrolabio came to life from Elettrosmog's ashes... But this is another story!

More info:
http://www.astrosito.it/altro-materiale/
https://myspace.com/elettrosmogrpi

Anabasi Road are a young band from Reggio Emilia that came to life in 2009 with the aim of blending prog, hard rock and blues with a touch of freshness and a great passion for vintage sounds. The name of the band refers to the Ancient Greek and evokes a hard march uphill. After a good live activity on the local scene, in 2014 they self-released an interesting eponymous album with a line up featuring Andrea Giberti (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Massimiliano Braglia (guitar, drums), Alessio Gambarelli (guitar), Riccardo Vecchi (bass), Luca Orlandini (keyboards, organ, piano) and Nicholas Corradini (drums, guitar). Although they can't be considered the most original band on the rich current Italian prog scene, Anabasi Road are a talented bunch of musicians and on their debut album they showcase a good potential. If you like bands such as Wicked Minds or Psycho Praxis I'm sure you will appreciate this work as well.

Anabasi Road 2014

The opener “Pleasure In Me” starts by nervous electric guitar riffs and dark organ waves. The music and lyrics describe a haunting presence and an insane, dangerous passion that rises like dust on the road while a strange, silent feeling sets hope and time on fire. The following “Clashing Stars” is a kind of wild prayer to the sky for a new life and tells about a desperate, merciless need for vendetta in an endless war where there's no room for respect and pity.

Next comes the disquieting “Dreaming For You” where the music and lyrics describe a strange experience: a restless dream, a fall into a windy grave, a lapse of reason with blind lies whirling inside your mind... It leads to the long psychedelic blues “Say Man”, haunted by the ghost of Jim Morrison.

“Guerra Mondiale” (World War) is the only track sung in Italian on the album and I think that it's a real pity that the band didn't exploit more their native language. It begins by a delicate piano pattern, then the music and lyrics describe the feelings of a soldier in a dark, wet night before the battle... There's blood on the ground and on the hearts, you can hear cries and shouts, marching men and bombs falling all around... A great track!

Album cover

The following “Maybe Tomorrow” is full of rebellious energy and invites you to fight against the people who try to manipulate your conscience and your mind. It leads to the long, dark “I Walk Alone” that depicts in deep red colours a man possessed by a haunting vision who looks at him through a shining glass. Filled with pain and rage, with no hope nor God, now he walks toward his new dark Lord... The bluesy “Requiem” concludes the album with no prayers, no cries and no shouts but a great electric guitar solo.

On the whole, a good album for classic rock lovers.

More info:

https://it-it.facebook.com/AnabasiRoad

http://www.anabasiroad.it/

Lineateorica come from Rome and their roots date back to the early nineties when Daniele Lausdei and Alessandro Milza formed a band called Praetermittel to play original compositions along with covers of bands such as Jethro Tull or Marillion. Later they changed their name into Lineateorica and in 2005 recorded a first demo, Adesso. In 2014, with a renewed line up, they finally self-released an eponymous official debut EP featuring four properly re-recorded tracks from their old repertoire. The current line up features Daniele Lausdei (bass), Andrea Giuliani (guitars), Simone Serra (guitars), Roberto Ciai (drums) and Nello D'Agostino (vocals) plus Luca De Marchis on flute as a special guest. Although there are no keyboardists involved in this project, the band successfully managed to weave a fine musical fabric with a perfect interaction between all the instruments blending prog, folk and melody. This promising EP sounds fresh, rich in ideas and it is really worth listening to...

The opener “L'ipocrita” (The hypocrite) features a brilliant drumming and sudden changes in rhythm and atmosphere. The music and lyrics describe the inner struggle of a cynical man who conceals his goals. In some way he wears a mask of hypocrisy that can blot out his feelings but now he needs to get rid of it. The price to pay is high but his reward is freedom...

The following “B-friend” describes another inner struggle. Every day you have to make some choices but you can't stop growing up even when you realize that you can't change the world... Then comes “Non c'è più veleno” (There's no more poison), a track full of energy that tells of a broken friendship and of the therapeutic role of forgiveness, of faded photographs, timeless memories, doubts and obsessions, sounds and colours... “Set your words free from resentment / There's no more reason that can push you back again...”.

album cover

The complex “Un'altra avventura di Kohn” (Another adventure of Kohn) concludes this interesting work. It's a beautiful piece featuring hermetic lyrics about hope. There are no liner notes to explain who Kohn is but he seems a man in trouble who gets help from a woman called Anna, a kind of angel, maybe a nurse who can speak to his heart... “Every time you try to go further / You know there's Anna / Who takes you by the hand...”.

On the whole, a really good work!

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

Linateorica: Lineateorica (2014). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: Lineateorica should be very proud of what they've delivered here. It's a shorter album full of charismatic vocals, melodic tunes, exciting playing and dangerous instrumental passages, that you just want to keep playing over and over. The possibilities of what the band could achieve on a proper long-play album is very promising and exciting... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Lineateorica

http://www.lineateorica.it/

Tangerine Stoned are a young band from Rimini that was formed in 2011 on the initiative of Chris Jei Gasperini and Alex Key Masti with the aim of recreating the sounds and atmospheres of late sixties and early seventies psychedelic rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Doors, Cream, Seeds or Jimi Hendrix Experience just to name but a few. The approach of the band to the song-writing is almost philological and the their sources of inspiration are apparent but they managed to add to their palette a pinch of colourful exoticism and a good deal of freshness and enthusiasm.

In 2013 Tangerine Stoned released an eponymous debut album on the independent label Moonlight Records featuring six tracks for more than 33 minutes length where from the very first notes you can perceive the ghost of Jim Morrison freely riding all around. “Venice”, “Clean Window”, “Blues In Door”, “Dirty Ceiling” and “Nave da bar” (Pub ship) are all sung in English (even if the last has an Italian title) and flow lightly away one after the other opening the doors of nostalgia. Of course, the music here does not shine for its originality, nonetheless it's a pleasant listening.

However, the last one, “L'urlo della strega” (The scream of the witch), in my opinion is by far the best one. It's a long instrumental track that begins softly with a strange oriental flavour, then the rhythm rises taking you on a mystical, cosmic trip through the unconscious... On the whole an interesting debut although I'm sure that Tangerine Stoned can do better in the future. By the way, soon after the album was released the keyboardist left the band and now the current line up features Chris Jei Gasperini (lead vocals, harp, bass), Danièl Gasperini (bass, guitar), Francis J. Bartowski (guitars, backing vocals), Alex Key Masti (guitars) and Vince Vincenti (drums, percussion).

You can listen to the complete album in streaming HERE

Tangerine Stoned: Tangerine Stoned (2013). Other opinions:

Jack Gillen: Tangerine Stoned have made a bluesy, psychedelic album on par with some of the best from the height of the genre, circa 1967. And yes, at times, this album is very much a Doors-ian trip. Young Doors, though, not bloated, alkie, bearded-to-hide-the-double-chin Morrison Doors... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/TangerineStoned

Semiramis were one of the many bands of the Italian progressive scene of the early seventies. They came from Rome and the line-up featured Paolo Faenza (drums, percussion and vibraphone), Marcello Reddavide (bass), Giampiero Artegiani (classical and acoustic guitar, synthesizers), Michele Zarrillo (guitars, vocals) and his brother Maurizio Zarrillo (piano, keyboards). Their debut album “Dedicato a Frazz” (Dedicated to Frazz) was released in 1973. It’s a concept album about the dreams and the feelings of an imaginary, strange character, Frazz. Frazz is an acronym made with the initials of the members of the band... During the studio sessions Semiramis managed to shape a very mature sound, blending hard rock, progressive rock and classical influences. The quality of the recordings is not flawless and the music is perhaps not particularly original but the overall result is remarkable, especially if you consider that all the members of the band were very young then. The album was not successful but, as years passed by, it became a “cult album” among prog collectors, not only because of the quality of the music but because of the beautiful art cover as well.

The opener “La bottega del rigattiere” (The second hand dealer’s shop) is disquieting and dreamy. It depicts a strange, magical shop where, behind a two-sided window, fantastic harlequins, puppets and other objects can make you live their sinful odysseys and their sad memories... “Old ice-heartened merchant / You have wiped out all the fairy tales / In your shop I can find only lost hopes... My kite is getting lost in the sky / Dancing on the notes of a waltz by that failed musician / Regretted and dead now...”.

“Luna Park” (Amusement park) describes another fantastic bittersweet dream. An innocent theatre allows you to dream an endless play where you can buy even the stars and throw them against the time that passes by... And when the dream is gone you are still searching on the ground for another coin to buy a couple of minutes to remember the lights of that dream...

Semiramis 1973

“Uno zoo di vetro” (In a glass zoo) starts with acoustic guitar and percussion, then dark church-like organ notes followed by heavy electric guitar riffs invite you to climb up into the sky from where, in an idyllic, peaceful atmosphere you can look below and see insane breathless shadows, lacking air in a glass zoo...

The complex, agoraphobic “Per una strada affollata” (In a crowded street) features fiery synthesizer passages and a nice classical guitar solo. The lyrics draw the images of dummies looking at the crowd through the windows of the shops while fear flows in the veins of the passers by... “It’s fear that flows in the veins / But it falls over in front of the buildings / Closing the way / And knocking on the door of your home!”.

Next comes “Dietro una porta di carta” (Behind a door of paper), calm and reassuring... “And in the silence around me / I find again the simplicity, my personality, my boldness / I’m back from my sky / I’m alone in my room / I’m burning my tired ideals / In love with a paper / Left on a white box / From where a spider reluctantly goes out...”. The instrumental finale makes the tension take off again...

“Frazz” features strummed acoustic guitar and a pastoral mood (every now and again this track reminds me of Felona e Sorona by Le Orme). It’s a reflection about the contrast between dreams and reality... “Sometime ago I was wondering about a winged horse / That used to take you to the moon, around the sky / To a frozen sun among golden clouds...You have many characters in a cartoon world / That smashes you down with its fake stories... In the end, why search for the truth?”.

The last melancholic track, “Clown”, concludes the album describing the thoughts of a jester after the show... “My comedy is coming to an end... About the love of a bearded old man / Who walks slowly with a stick / Resounding in a dark and empty street... Last spotlight on a jester / Alone, in the middle of himself...”.

On the whole a very good album. Well, now if you look at the beautiful inside cover, painted by Gordon Faggeter, an English artist based in Rome, probably you’ll recognize some images taken from the dreams described in the lyrics, like the spider escaping from the white box, the winged horse, the harlequin, the puppets, the glass zoo, the old man, the clown...

It’s very difficult to imagine that it’s really Michele Zarrillo the guitarist and singer of this band. Michele Zarrillo is today one of the best known Italian melodic pop singers while Giampiero Artegiani is a successful melodic song-writer and producer as well... What a waste of talent!

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

By the, way, a reunion is coming soon...

PROGRESSIVAMENTE FESTIVAL

Rome

24-28 September, 2014

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/events/276758952527107/?fref=ts

Find out more prog concerts in Italy:

http://arlequins.forumfree.org/

http://www.hamelinprog.com/calendario-eventi/

Proteo were formed in Trieste in 1996 by Marco Paulica (rhythm guitars, vocals), Matteo Copetti (lead guitar, sax), Alessandro Surian (bass) and Fabio Gorza (drums, percussion) and along the years the line up has always remained the same. The name of the band refers to a small animal called olm or proteus (proteus anguinus) that lives in the caves of the Karst plateau and that is best known for its adaptations to a life of complete darkness in its underground habitat. In some way it reflects the style of the band, a curious mix of pop rock and progressive rock influences.

After some demos and a good live activity on the local scene, in 2009 Proteo released a debut album on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records, Under A Red Polar Light, featuring eight well crafted original tracks where dreamy melodies and bright touches of musical colours unfurl avoiding banality. Although the overall sound every now and again draws on eighties atmospheres and could recall bands such as The Police, U2 or Talk Talk, the band successfully managed to blend these influences with a prog attitude and personal touch.

The opener “Colors To Give” is a kaleidoscope of images and emotions that flashes out eighties atmospheres and walks on the moon while the following “Eternity” takes you up and down through time and space, between heart and mind, where the streets have no name and eternity fades away dancing on Latin rock rhythms. Then comes the dreamy “Australia”, that reminds me slightly of Men At Work or Crowded House and conjures up images from the Lucky Country. The title of the following “Tales From The Ocean” could recall Yes but here the tales from the ocean are not topographic at all and the waves move gently in a controlled flow while the music and lyrics evoke nights on a beach blessed by the moonlight.

“Van Gogh” is another dreamy track that tries to take you a million miles away, under deep blue skies. As you can guess, it was inspired by the work of the famous post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh and leads to the spacey “Robota”, featuring short lyrics inspired by the work of Isaac Asimov. Then it's the turn of “I Wish I Could Fly”, a piece full of positive energy. The last track “Echoes Mankind (Part I)” is more complex and describes in music and words silent weapons in a time where war and peace seemed to play to hide and seek. Well, all in all this is a good album if you like AOR but the progressive influences here are mild and prog fans risk to be a bit disappointed...

Proteo's second album, “Republikflucht! …Facing East” was released in 2013 on Ma.Ra.Cash Records and in my opinion is more refined and mature if compared with its predecessor. Here the song-writing is bolder and the music, yet still rooted in eighties pop rock forms, perfectly fits the concept and helps to take you back in time. In fact, according to an interview with the band, this is a concept album inspired by books such as Anna Funder's C'era una volta la Ddr or Ryszard Kapuscinsky's Imperium, it's a reflection about the cold war and a way to look over the ruins of the Berlin Wall, facing East. A fatherland with a hand of fire and another hand of snow that hurts your heart when you try to embrace it, as sings Wolf Biermann in one of his best lieder. Well, here the music is a far cry from Wolf Biermann's but it successfully contributes to set the right atmosphere while the lyrics do not try to tell a story but just draw evocative images focusing on the hopes and feelings of the common people rather than on politics.

The opener “Echoes Mankind (Part II)” is a sequel of the last track on Proteo's debut album and depicts military plants and barbed wire along the border, a barrack-like homeland where people are kept as prisoners without consciousness, where bureaucracy rules but where there's still room for hope and where in spite of everything flowers can still break the ice. Next comes the long, complex “Berlin”, a surreal musical painting of a city that could resemble to a museum of modern art and where the free sky is blotted out by disquieting grey clouds. Then the dreamy “Eastern Fields” follows drawing images of a farmland on the edge of time where you risk to get lost in your thoughts, facing east, far away from home...

The lively “Funny Girls Playing Double Dutch” is the shortest track on the album and describes some innocent children merrily playing in a courtyard, unconscious of their destiny and scrutinized by men wearing uniforms. “Four-leaf Clover” is another long track dealing with feelings such as faith, hope and love under the iron curtain. “Republikflucht” concludes the album with a come back from this strange trip through time and space leading to mysterious and shadowy places, over fake theories and disused liturgies, underneath lost memories and black and white pictures.

All in all this is a very good album. Through the distillation of a myriad of influences Proteo have achieved a singular sound and if you like modern progressive rock with a melodic approach, you really have to check this album out.

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PROTEO/104325601830
http://www.reverbnation.com/proteo

Tacita Intesa come from the Casentino Valley, in the province of Arezzo, and are based in the little town of Subbiano. The band began life in 2012 with a line up featuring Alessandro Granelli (guitar, vocals), Filippo Colongo (guitar), Daniele Stocchi (keyboards), Thomas Crocini (bass) and Pasquale Balzano (drums). They were influenced by seventies prog and hard rock but managed to add a very personal touch to their original compositions. In 2014 they self-released an interesting eponymous debut album that sounds fresh and that is really worth listening to. The beautiful art work by keyboardist Daniele Stocchi in some way depicts the content of the music and lyrics, focused on the relationship between nature and science, progress and environment...

The excellent opener “Ciutikutown” is a complex track divided into three parts featuring a space rock atmosphere that perfectly fits the lyrics. The first one, Robotomia, depicts in music and words a robot picking up a beautiful, magical rose: it's the flower of life! In this way the robot breaks free from the chains of science. The second part, Epifania, describes the mystical rose breathing a new energy into the robot, its vibrations seem almost talking to him revealing the mystery of life and dissolving the shadows of the darkest arcane. The last part, Metamorfia, is a bluesy instrumental section that describes the transformation of the robot into a human being.

Tacita Intesa on stage

“Daigo” is a beautiful, short instrumental track with a melancholic atmosphere. Try to imagine a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean, there are magnificent, breathtaking landscapes in the background and an impending sense of tragedy in the air... In fact, along with the following “Valzer della Morte” (Death's Waltz), this piece was inspired by the story of the Daigo Fukuryū Maru, a Japanese tuna fishing boat which was exposed to and contaminated by nuclear fallout from the United States'Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954. The music and lyrics of “Valzer della Morte” depict in a poetical way that disaster conjuring up invisible lights, a sudden explosion and a cruel, evil flower stretching out its black petals, a tree of light and the dark fate looming over the twenty-three men of the crew, victims of the merciless bomb. Two great tracks!

Next comes “Portmanteau”, a short, aggressive track with a strong theatrical approach and a cabaret atmosphere featuring strange, cryptic lyrics dealing with the necessity of hiding yourself behind a mask of nonsense and the will to conform the chaos. It leads to the dreamy “Corona” (Crown) that deals with the harmony between Heaven and Earth. Here the lyrics describe a glance towards the sky to admire a beautiful crown of light and clouds, a gift coming from a lost paradise where ancient gods used to celebrate the poets and look at men with indulgence.

“Terzo rigo quarta parola” (Third line fourth word) is another excellent track where the borders between past and present are blurred and time stands still. In a new world you can fly high like a golden angel drawn by a galactic vortex of life that fades into the deep... “I've killed the god of Time / Tired of trembling...”.

The surreal “Periodo refrattario” (Refractory period) concludes this interesting work. It's an instrumental piece divided into six parts that tries to describe a world dominated by media and consumerism where people seem to have lost the sense of critical thought. Try to imagine a strange factory producing heads in series, there are queues in series... Assembly and welding follow, just before the final packaging and shipping!

On the whole, I think that this is a very good album from a very promising band. You can listen to the complete album and download it for free, so have a try and if you like it ask the band for the physical copy!

Click HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/tacitaintesa

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