INFINITE HORIZONS

Shards Of Infinity took shape in Turin in 2012 on the initiative of Alberto Cubito, Federico Cioci and Luca Capurso with the aim of blending progressive and power metal. After a long, hard work, with the help of producer Stefano Torchio, in 2017 the band self-released a debut album entitled Horizon Seeker with a line up featuring Alberto Cubito (drums), Luca Capurso (flute, bass), Federico Cioci (guitars, bass), Max Lanz (keyboards), Luca Damicis (vocals) and Marcello D'Ascenzi (guitars). According to the band, it’s an oneiric concept album dealing with the search for truth, a goal always out of reach like the horizon and all the tracks are linked together...

 

The short opener “Eternity Of Truth” sets the atmosphere with narrative vocals and an exotic musical landscape in the background. The protagonist starts his journey seeking for the eternity of truth within the limits of his consciousness... Then, on “What Remains Of Nothing” we meet quasi operatic passages and harsher sections while classical influences are wisely blended with prog metal. Every now and again bands such as Rhapsody Of Fire or Blind Guardian could come to mind as the plot of the concept unfolds in a flight between consciousness and unconsciousness, under a bleeding red moon...

“Silent Cage” depicts the feelings of the protagonist in his home, haunted by sad memories and facing the call of destiny while the following “The Journey Has Begun” deals with the battle the protagonist has to fight to reach the rising sun of hope and the harmony that will emerge from chaos. This track features the guest vocalist Marco Salusso from the folk metal band Legacy Of Silence and alternates raging passages with some folksy parts...

 

 

“Riding Towards The Sun” is another fiery track with a good use of flute that conjures up winged horses and riders on the brink of madness trying to reach the source of time and the origin of dreams... Then, “Desert Of The Frozen Souls” describes the protagonist going across a strange, misty desert where he meets an eerie apparition and can see the souls of men who have lost every hope and now are trapped in transparent icy stones...

 

“Winged Maiden” tells of a vortex of sand and of the fall of the protagonist into the abyss. Before it’s too late he is saved by a mysterious winged woman who, under the moonlight, enters into his dreams... Then, the melancholic “Vision Of No Return” describes the protagonist longing for the vanished vision and getting lost in an endless chaos. The vision can’t come back... The title track, “Horizon Seeker” closes the album with the dark regrets of the protagonist who realizes that the horizon can be reached only after passing away and gets ready for a final flight into the light of the afterworld.

 

 

On the whole, even if the concept might be a bit confused (like a dream) the music is good and fans of bands such as Rhapsody Of Fire could find this work very interesting. I think it’s a pity that the band didn’t use their mother language, especially in the numerous operatic passages, anyway have a try and judge by yourselves...

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

By the way, after the album was released Shards Of Infinity line up went through many changes but the band is still alive...

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/shardsofinfinity/ 

 

 

PLAY AND ILLUSION

Il-ludere, the third album by Genoese band Il Tempio delle Clessidre, was released in 2017 on the independent label Black Widow Records with a renewed line up featuring Elisa Montaldo (keyboards, vocals), Fabio Gremo (bass, classical guitar, backing vocals), Giulio Canepa (electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Mattias Olsson (drums, percussion, keyboards) and Francesco Ciapica (vocals). It confirms all the good qualities of the band’s previous works delivering an excellent brew of vintage sounds, crisp melodies and freshness. The title is a kind of calambour, a pun mixing the words illusion and play that gives an idea of the musical content while the enigmatic art cover by Elisa Montaldo adds a touch of mystery and surprise... 

The short opener “Le regole del gioco” (The rules of the game) sets the atmosphere by a sound of footsteps in the background, then you can hear a voice giving instructions in English to set up your stereo to get the maximum enjoyment from your listening experience... It leads to “La parola magica” (The magic word), a beautiful piece that evokes the memories of children fascinated with words in a time when words were things of beauty, each like a magical powder or potion that could be combined with other words to create powerful spells, not frustrating, annoyingly elusive clusters of letters... Well, this short quote from Lightning, a novel by Dean Koontz, can give you an idea of the subject matter while the music and lyrics try to take you back in time, in a purer world where dreams can come true and you can believe in magic...

“Come nelle favole” (Like in the fairy tales) is another track full of positive energy that evokes the power of fantasy to overcome the frustrations of daily grind and find new harmony and new strength. Then it’s the turn of the dreamy “Dentro la mia mente” (Inside my mind) that tells about words, lyrics and how the inspiration can come like a lightning out of the blue if you really look for it inside your mind...

 

“Spettro del palco” (Spectre of the stage) is darker and tells in a operatic, theatrical way a story of passion, jealousy, betrayal, murder and remorse. On a virtual stage inside his mind, the protagonist relives again and again the tragic moment when he stabbed to death his woman and failed to kill her lover... Then, the melancholic “Prospettive” (Perspectives) depicts in vivid colours a misty night spent walking under the city lights trying to escape from a raw, smothering reality.

The title of the following “Manitou” refers to the spiritual and fundamental life force in the Native American theology and here the music and lyrics evoke the breath of freedom, the call of the wind and a timeless quest for truth and astral balance... Next comes “Nuova alchimia” (New alchemy) that depicts apocalyptic sceneries and warns about the risks of a future where men feel like gods and are free to manipulate life. Here technology becomes a dangerous, transcendental art... 

Il Tempio delle Clessidre 2017

“La spirale del vento” (The spiral of the wind) starts by a dreamy piano solo pattern, then the music and lyrics unfold between illusion and reality alternating reflective passages and heavier sections, taking risky spiritual paths towards dark horizons... Then a bonus track closes the album. “Gnaffè” features the guest Andrea Montaldo on percussion and comes from the 2016 Colossus-Musea themed compilation album Decameron – Ten Days In 100 Novellas (Part III). It’s a track with a very theatrical approach that tells in music words the story of a prank...

On the whole, an excellent album and a real must for every Italianprog lover.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Il Tempio delle Clessidre: Il-ludere (2017). Other opinions:

Michael Aussie-Byrd-Brother: Il Tempio delle Clessidre have crafted a work of highly intelligent, weightier and more challenging material here that demands constant time and multiple re-listens to grasp the subtlety and intricate details, which is far more satisfying than instant thrills that don't maintain over time. It ultimately means that `Il-ludere' is another first-class effort from one of the shining stars of modern Italian progressive rock... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.iltempiodelleclessidre.com/ 

FROM A DESERTED BEACH

I Giullari di Corte (the name means “the court jesters”) took form in Bologna in 2002 on the initiative of bassist Matteo Balestrazzi, drummer Alessio De Angelis and violinist Michele Poggio. After a first, immature demo, in 2003 the band went through a long period of hibernation due to the departure of Michele Poggio. In 2017 the project came back to life with a renewed line up featuring, along with the original rhythm section, multi-instrumentalist Paolo Zacchi and in 2020 the band self-released an interesting debut album entitled Presa di coscienza, a conceptual work about a story of spiritual rebirth where they blend vintage sounds and original ideas... 

 

The opener “Nautilus” is a good instrumental track inspired by seventies sounds. According to an interview with the band, it tells of a smuggler thrown overboard from a ship by his accomplices who awakens on a deserted beach and begins his spiritual path thinking about his past. The piece starts by the dark sound of the sea, then a bass solo pattern and obscure organ waves take us on the empty land...

The following “Vent'anni spesi così” (Twenty years spent like this) begins by a slapping bass line and an electric guitar riff, then frenzied organ surges and a pulsing drumming add tension and deep purple colours. It’s another good instrumental piece that leads to the jazzier, reflective “L'ombra di Sherlock Holmes” (Sherlock Holmes’ shadow). According to the band, here the music tries to evoke a sort of introspective journey in search of useful clues to understand what does really matter in your life, to evolve and become a better person... 

 

Next comes “La cicala e la formica” (The cicada and the ant) whose title was inspired by a famous Aesop’s fable while the music alternates relaxed atmospheres and darker passages, all sprinkled with a pinch of jazz. It leads to the excellent “Viaggio in treno senza biglietto” (Journey by train without ticket) whose melodic lines every now and again could recall Genesis’ White Mountain. It’s the first sung track of the album, the music and lyrics evoke the image of a military train leaving the railway station directed to the front, a one way journey without ticket for many soldiers and their heavy burden of broken dreams and lost memories. Nonetheless, for the survivors a new awareness will rise...

“Presa di coscienza” (Awareness) opens with a nice piano passage and an atmosphere that could recall Il Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. In the second part of the piece a disquieting, almost out of tune vocal melody describes a rainy night where a new hope is growing... “Il prezzo” (The price) follows in the same vein complaining about the cost humanity has to pay for a war. What’s the truth behind the conflict? 

 

I Giullari di Corte on stage, 2019

  

The instrumental “Il messicano” (The Mexican) is lighter and mixes the atmospheres of seventies Italian soundtracks with reggae and a carefree attitude. Then it’s the turn of “Dolcetto o scherzetto?” (Trick or treat?), a lively track full of energy that resumes the experience of a man who tries to follow the flight of the angels and falls down betrayed by his vanity and a trick of the devil. Then the instrumental “Sabbatho Nero” closes the album paying homage to Black Sabbath...

On the whole, a nice home brewed work although, in my opinion, the vocal parts are not always up to the task.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info: 

https://www.facebook.com/igiullaridicorteband 

A STRANGE SUBMARINE KINGDOM

Il Buco del Baco (the name means “the bug’s hole”) is a strange, mysterious project based in Milan. According to their website, the band came to life in 1970 under the name Gli Altri and disappeared soon after the recording sessions of what should have been their first album. According to their biography, in 1971 the band escaped an unlikely plane crash, got hibernated in an iceberg and woke up in 2016 emerging from a long cryogenic sleep... Then, in 2018 they changed their name into the current one and in 2021 released a concept album entitled Sotto il segno della lampreda (Under the sign of the lamprey) on the independent label Lizard Records with a line up featuring Carlo Mastrangeli (drums, vocals), Gianni De Scalzi (bass, vocals), Fabrizio Nocenzi (Moog, piano, vocals), Daniele Graziani (Hammond, keyboards, vocals), Gaetano Trionfanti (guitars, vocals) and Saverio Silvani (flute, vocals). Are the names of the musicians listed in the booklet nothing but pseudonyms hiding their real identity? I don’t know. Are they serious? Maybe not... Anyway, although Il Buco del Baco might look just as the parody of a seventies Italian prog band reunion their music is worth listening to...

 

 
The opener “Lo scafandro di Sandro” (Sandro’s diving suit) introduces the subject matter of the concept, a surreal submarine journey where the protagonist is looking for his sweetheart, a kind of siren called Rosalisca. The music draws unashamedly on vintage sounds and seventies influences while the lyrics tell of the protagonist who borrows the diving suit of his friend Sandro and sets off for his quest into the deep see...

“Mi immergo negli abissi” (I dive into the abyss) and the following “Dimmi, calamaro!” (Tell me, squid!) describe the first impact of the protagonist with the submarine world and its creatures. He meets some scared mackerels and a squid... A man who talks with the fishes asking for information? Well, the atmosphere of this concept is that of a funny comic strip full of irony and double meanings!

“Il disprezzo della sogliola” (The contempt of the sole) recalls Franco Battiato and tells about the meeting with a monstrous, raging sole. Next comes “Un dedalo di corallo” (A coral maze) where the protagonist gets lost into the coral reef, under the mocking glares of a sawfish. Despite the difficult situation he keeps on looking for his goal... Here the music reminds me slightly of BMS.

“Forse è lei” (Maybe it’s she) blends Jethro Tull and Lucio Battisti and tells about the distorted visions of the protagonist who think he sees his sweetheart among swordfishes, sharks, sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs, cuttlefishes and other creatures... But he’s wrong!

Then it’s the turn of the long “Nel regno delle lamprede” (Into the lampreys kingdom) where the protagonist meets a hammerhead shark, a pearly razorfish, a spine trumpet fish, a clownfish, a triggerfish, a blowfish and finally enters the palace of the great lamprey. Here he realizes that Rosalisca doesn't love him: the great lamprey submitted her to his own power reducing her into a state of subjection and there’s no way to bring her up back home with him...

The last track, “Il plagio di Rosalisca” (Rosalisca’s plagiarism), is the weakest of the lot, a clumsy patchwork made of quotes from Lucio Battisti best known songs. Eventually the protagonist emerges from the sea alone and ends up to get drunk at the Milly Bar...

On the whole, a funny exercise of style with some ups and downs that deserves a try.
You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/IlBucoDelBacoOfficialPage/