BRIGHT LIGHTS

Sunlight is the second album by Drift Lab, a jazz rock project based in Rome and led by Manuele Montesanti. It was self-released in 2026 with a completely renewed line-up featuring, along with founder member, composer and leader Manuele Montesanti (piano, synths), the new members Marco Pistone (bass), Guido Della Gatta (guitars) and Roberto Porta (drums) plus the guest Carlo Maria Micheli (sax). According to the official website, this is music "written with rigour but performed with freedom, where improvisation finds its home within intricate harmonic architectures". Drift Lab is an open, constantly evolving project, aiming to shape a sound that blends "jazz roots and contemporary imagery, instrumental virtuosity and electronic curiosity, composition and experimentation". The art cover tries to give a visual form to the musical content...

Electronic sounds and a brief drum roll introduce the album's title track, "Sunlight". It's a bright piece, full of frenetic energy, ready to wake us up to face a new busy day. A kind of urban ride illuminated by the sunlight...

The following "Yellow Fire" is a piece with a jagged rhythm but full of warmth and melodic flares that leads to "Bump" a jazz rock track full of nocturnal and disquieting atmospheres with excellent interweaving of guitar and keyboard that share the solo parts, supported by a never banal rhythm section...

"A-M-M-I-M" somehow revisits and reinterprets a piece from the previous album ("M-I-M-M-A"). It's a relaxed track that at times invites you to dance the night away while "Serendip" is a slow, sensual piece featuring guest saxophonist Carlo Maria Micheli and a certain oriental exoticism. The title refers to the ancient name of the island of Ceylon...

"Chaste Countrywoman" starts with the bass in the foreground that traces a funky rhythm, then the electric guitar outlines melodic paths that take the song in other directions... Next comes "Bleep" is a complex and fast piece where all the musicians showcase great technical skills and a notable interaction.

"bYpOLAR" begins with an old video-game atmosphere and continues with irrepressible freshness, alternating more relaxed moments with others where the pace becomes pressing and lively. Ten, the dreamy "Evolving" concludes the album. A beautiful official video was shot for this piece, completing the sonic universe the band has evoked with images of a disturbingly beautiful dystopian future...

On the whole, an excellent fusion work!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://driftlabmusic.com/

FROM DISTANT LANDS

Le Terre Lontane are a Roman band whose roots date back over ten years. After many difficulties and a long process of composing, studying and performing on the local scene, in 2025 they self-released their first studio EP, “Il viaggio, Parte I” with a line up featuring Daniela Palumbo (lead vocals, keyboards), Valerio Talevi (bass), Marco Venarotta (drums) and Simone Coria (guitars). According to the band, it is a conceptual work, the first part of a musical story that tells the adventures of a human being (the listener), transported on a journey within himself. From the ordinary madness of his daily life to the very core of his being, he must face countless challenges and temptations to rediscover his true essence… The overall sound of the band is built on acoustic bases and Mediterranean influences, but the ability to compose, arrange and propose personal musical ideas is remarkable and I am convinced that those who love bands such as Corde Oblique will find their music very interesting...

 

 
The album opens with "Cento dune (Panico)" (Hundred Dunes - Panic), which expresses a sense of loss and anguish through music and lyrics. In an ever changing world, a deeply rooted sense of fear emerges in a humanity alienated and accustomed to a life where there is no room for doubts or questions. However, the protagonist's need to discover the true nature of his being forcefully takes root. The journey begins in an inner desert. A hundred dunes loom on the horizon, you can see heavy footprints of unknown shadows and unfamiliar lights in the sky while lightning and thunder strike a fiery land. The protagonist enters a labyrinth whose exit leads to the truth. A hundred voices tell him to continue, and a hundred paths await him...

On the following "Miraggio" (Mirage) the protagonist appears lost in the desert that stretches out within and outside him. The landscape is surreal, with silken dunes and fiery air, empty lands and a hazy view. A snake comes out of the blue, then in the protagonist takes hold the desire to escape to an island of hope, a source of truth. The island can be seen on the horizon, brilliant and precious as the sea approaches. A ship unfurls the sails ready to sail... But it's only a dangerous mirage the protagonist must free himself from. The finale, with the piano in the forefront, is excellent. It's a pity that the instrumental coda wasn't developed more...

 

 “Terre lontane” (Distant Lands) brings up nocturnal atmospheres. The music and lyrics depict strange waters and a land with two clear blue moons. If you find it, drop anchor in the icy water and try to reach it. It's the land of eternity where time stands still. It will quench your thirst and your soul will sleep. But do not trust the call of the mermaids. The heart often deceives...

“Sulla riva” (On the Bank) marks a decisive step to the final destination. The music evokes the colour and smell of orchids as the wind passes between blue amber rocks. The protagonist makes up his mind, he will leave on the shore what he was and what he knows, then he will follow the flight of a hundred fireflies to seek for freedom. There’s a mystery to unravel in his heart, and he finally feels like he belongs to himself again...

The sound of the sea waves crashing on the beach and a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio introduce us to the last song on the setlist, “Lidia,” where the vocal lines and lyrics evoke a strange female character, a goddess waiting for the protagonist. If she sings, the soul comes out. She flies without wings, lonely, and she leads to dreaming. She's a goddess who’s always waited for the fragile heart of a fragile creature...

On the whole, an album that’s too short and leaves a sense of incompleteness. The story of the journey’s end is missing. Let's hope that the band don't make us wait too long to tell it and complete this truly interesting work!

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

SHARP BLADES

 After the restart in 2014 on the initiative of founder member and main composer Pericle Sponzilli, Lame di luce is the second studio album of Reale Accademia di Musica’s new course. It was released in 2022 on the Sony Music label with a renewed line up featuring Pericle Sponzilli (vocals, guitars) along with Fabio Liberatori (piano, Hammond organ, synth), Erika Savastani (vocals), Fabio Fraschini (bass) and Francesco Isola (drums) plus the guest Danilo Pao (Fender VI). The overall sound is noticeably distant from that of the 1972 debut album, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. Vintage sounds alternate with more modern ones, and the female voice fits particularly well into the sonic textures. Pericle Sponzilli’s songwriting skills have not been tarnished by the passage of time, and the final result certainly lives up to expectations...

 

The opener “Onde di sabbia” (Waves of sand) begins softly by a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio soon backed by the keyboards. The music and lyrics evoke a strange dream. The object of desire of a real passion appears like a mirage in a strange parallel world where you can see waves of sand and dunes into the sea...

The beautiful “Ascesa al Fuji” (Ascent to Fuji) takes us to Japan for a spiritual experience. In fact, climbing the Mount Fuji is more than a nature hike, as the mountain is not just a tourist attraction, it is a sacred place. The music and lyrics evoke a silent place where time stands still. Along the path, step after step, between oak trees and bamboos, you’re are left breathless as you try to hide the fear of falling. Then, at the top, you can listen to the wind around you instead of the echo of your fears. Eventually, comforted by a friend, you can enjoy the sunrise...

The ethereal “Due pietre preziose birmane” (Two Burmese gemstones) depicts two gems. One reproduces an eight-legged dragon, guardian of the sky, while the other represents a tiger, symbol of earth. The two beasts are fighting each other. The image of the fight evokes the contrast between the desire to chase one’s dreams by leaving for distant places or accepting the reality that the present reserves for us and staying in one’s comfort zone, giving up on adventure. It’s a kind of gambling game where the stake is your time...

 

“Lame di luce (Blades of light) is a melancholic piece about the fear of the unknown. The music and lyrics evoke the image of a man gazing out to sea from his home, transformed into a bunker of concrete and sand. Blades of light reflect off the walls and play with the shadows as the protagonist aims his gun at an imaginary target emerging on the horizon. Painful and tumultuous memories haunt him. Time cannot be stopped and the blue water turns blood red. The finale restores calm on the sea, as nature takes over under a starry sky...

The jazzy “Si parlerà” (They will talk) brings us the image of a hero from another civilization inventing an ageless world, a musician and poet whose sounds and words are not just notes and voices but trees that grow and do not bend. It's the dream of a better world where people talk to each other instead of waging war. Battles made of words and smiles to shed new light and illuminate emotions...

“Una ferita da disinfettare” (A wound to disinfect) is an introspective song that talks about feelings and relationships that are transformed by time. There are wounds that slowly heal, changing perspectives between regrets and thoughts turned to the faded magic of a smile that time has veiled with indifference...

 

Reale Accademia di Musica, 2022

“Ore lente” (Slow hours) is a beautiful piece about a train journey shrouded in mystery. A crowded station on a cold winter's day, a seat next to a silent, sleepy stranger, long hours without speaking, then a look that melts the ice in a breath...

“Incontri” (Meetings) is in the same mood and paints in music and words a love understood as art and perfection, a series of days and experiences to remember forever, a series of moments you wish you could capture and that never grow old, precious memories that will never leave you alone...

“Ossessione” (Obsession) is a lively and nervous track that describes a kind of metropolitan nightmare while the concluding track, the ethereal “Il cavaliere del cigno (L’addio)” (The Knight of the Swan - The farewell), is a touching farewell to someone who disappears forever in deep waters, a shadow that can no longer love, a hero that cannot be forgotten...

On the whole, an excellent work!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/RealeAccademiadiMusicaOfficial/ 

HOMELESS AND PROPHETS

Via Modesta Valenti is a progressive rock band based in Rome that took form in 2017 inspired by the likes of Genesis, Yes or Pink Floyd with a line up featuring Matteo Zanuzzi (vocals and lyrics), Adriano Sabatucci (acoustic and electric guitar), Francesco Mongatti (piano, keyboards), Gianmarco Palma (electric bass) and Luca Santi (drums). The name of the band refers to a homeless woman who, in 1983, died in poverty and in the cold of Rome Termini station, arousing much indignation for her state to the point of becoming a symbol, a kind of secular saint to whom the homeless people of the Italian capital turn. In 2002 the Municipality of Rome named in her memory a fictitious street where the homeless can apply for residency registration, via Modesta Valenti.

 

 In 2024 the band self released a debut EP, entitled Suite For The Last Prophet, containing just a long piece divided into twelve short sections for a total length of twenty-three minutes. It tells in music and words a surreal story, a kind of psychedelic dream where the band showcase their instrumental skills and a strong sense of humour. To be honest, in my opinion vocals and lyrics are not the strength of this work but the music is good and worth listening to, a nice patchwork of different styles and atmospheres stitched together with passionate coherence even if following a plot a bit confused...

 

Via Modesta Valenti, 2024

The suite begins by a piano solo introduction. Then the vocals on a marching beat evoke the image of a boy who enters in a public library and asks for a book about the human common denominator (“The Eternal Story”). The librarian gives him a copy of the Quran and while reading it the boy falls asleep and begins to dream. In fact, the following section tells of a crazy journey on camel back through the Arabic Desert (“Desert Trip”). When the boy arrives in La Mecca he can hear the voices and noises of the bazaar in a foreign language (here the lyrics turn from English to Italian) (“Bazar Blues”). Then the protagonist enters in a Turkish bath and the dream gets more and more blurred (“Jazzy Smoky Snake”) going on between mystical ravings about gods and prophets (“Pristine soul”), tempting and deviously enchanting women (“Barbara”), pseudo-scientific digressions (“Origins”), delirious political rantings about a borderless and endless world (“Silk And Mohair”), mysticism trapped into the unconscious (“The Final Fork”) and geometrical transcendentalism (“In The Mist Of Tempo Changes: Trying To Connect Two Dots”). Then it’s time to wake up, the protagonist is back in the library, in a world where you can find the words of God in the bookshops for sale (“La Mecca Conquest”). A short instrumental section (“A.C.U.C. Almost Completely Useless Coda”) ends the suite...

 

On the whole, a nice work that deserves a try.

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Via-Modesta-Valenti-61556383730618/

INSTRUMENTAL FUSION UNDER THE MOON

Drift Lab is a jazz rock project based in Rome that took off in 2020 with a line up featuring Manuele Montesanti (piano, keyboards), Federico Malaman (bass), Daniele Chiantese (drums) and Matteo Mancuso (guitars). According to their website, they were inspired by Bach, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and by fusion music and the connection with these musical worlds is exactly the reason why they met. In 2023 they self released an interesting instrumental debut album entitled Moonlight where Manuele Montesanti’s sound design experiments and synthesizer programming are the basis of musical compositions developed by the creativity and virtuosity of the all musicians involved in the project...

 

The beautiful title track, “Moonlight”, opens the album with pulsing bass lines, hectic drumming and delicate melodic breaks that drive you through metropolitan dreams under the moon and the city lights... Next comes “Murano”, another excellent dreamy track full of dappled colours and soft atmospheres. The title refers to a locality in the Venetian Lagoon, best known for its glass making...

“King Of Nothing” is darker. It opens with the bass in the forefront and goes on with a perfect interaction with the other instruments evoking a strange sense of uneasiness while the following “M-I-M-M-A” is lighter and carefree, almost suitable for dancing...

 

“Chatterland” is calmer and with a laid back attitude. The great technicality of the solos never clouds the sense of melody and musicality of the piece... Then it’s the turn of “Japanese Experiment” a piece that slowly grows to take you to distant territories where all the members of the band showcase their great musicianship...

The brilliant “My Os” blends jazz rock with a touch electronica evoking the development of a very particular operating system and leads to the final track, the reflective, intense “Rebirth”...

On the whole, an excellent album of modern fusion

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:
https://driftlabmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DriftLabMusic/

FLYING PAINTINGS

In 2008 Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno, one of the many one shot bands of the Italian progressive scene of the early seventies, came to life again on the initiative of singer and guitarist Luciano Regoli and in 2010 they released a new album on the independent label BTF, “Il pittore volante” (The flying painter). Along with Luciano Regoli the line-up on this work features the veterans Roberto Gardin (bass, guitar), Nanni Civitenga (bass, guitar, keyboards), Walter Martino (drums) and some prestigious guest musicians as Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, Lino Vairetti, Nicola Di Staso, Maurizio Pariotti and Carl Verheyen to name just a few. Anyway “Il pittore volante” is mainly the brainchild of Luciano Regoli who wrote the music and lyrics and conceived it as a concept album inspired by a book of the same title, a kind of travelogue that he wrote and published some years ago and that he dedicated to the late Iginio Gonni, a painter and a friend, who died in 2003. The basic idea was that of an old painter who flies and looks at his life from above. In the booklet you can find not only the lyrics but also a picture for every piece painted by Luciano Regoli himself. As for the music, the overall sound is not stuck in the seventies and in this work you can perceive even metal influences along with a more typical Italian progressive style. Well, during the nineties Luciano Regoli had been a member of the prog metal band DGM and he doesn’t disown this experience...

The opener “Il cambiamento” (The change) tells of a spiritual metamorphosis. It starts softly with a mystical atmosphere, then hard guitar riffs and harmonica introduce the change... “It happened in those days / Something revolted inside me / Fast as a blizzard... Alone in that room I fell asleep / Dark dreams / Alone in that room I woke up in discomfort... Ah! I was changing and I didn’t want it / But I was coming to life again / Yes! I was coming to life again...”.

“Il vecchio” (The old man) begins with a piano solo introduction. It’s a tense, melancholic track depicting the meeting with an old friend who has just had a stroke... “They had cut off his hair / That old madman was trudging up the hill / Marked by the paralysis that had darkened his mind, his limbs, his fingers / I remember him just a few months before / Enormous, disdainful, with a magnificent beard...They had cut off his hair...”.

“Il fuoco” (The fire) features a duet with sweet, dreamy female vocals and an ethereal, suggestive nocturnal atmosphere. The lyrics and music depict fire as a metaphor of fear before a natural impending event, a fire burning false fairy tales, pains, fears, desires and thoughts... “The night was over there, in front of me / Some rocks were burning / Above me gentle wings were flying away / They were flying high, they moved the air with a dull noise / So I followed them, with the light behind my shoulders / Towards dark clouds...”.

“Eagle Mountain” is a long, complex track that tells about a journey through the desert in North America. A good acoustic guitar intro by Nicola Di Staso (former member of Libra and in the line-up of Daemonia) leads to new horizons and spectacular panoramas where two friends enjoy the quiet, strange atmosphere of the desert until, in the middle of a magnificent, silent landscape, they find an old truck. There’s a sudden change in mood. The truck stands still but the engine is running, the driver is naked and... dead! “He let us stare at him while the night was falling in us / The day after in a café people were whispering about him / But the air was clear / We went out / I switched the engine on...”.

“La mente” (The mind) features a dark, nervous mood. It’s a kind of dive into madness and the lyrics draw images that seem to come from a Stephen King novel. An enormous wasp trying to enter the room, an agoraphobic scene in the subway... “My God! What is happening to me? I’m alone, with my only enemy / I’m alone, with my ego...”.

“L’uomo nuovo” (The new man) is another beautiful track. It was arranged by Claudio Simonetti and it seems conceived as a thriller score. It is about fear, the fear that a man has to overcome to reach knowledge... “At the beginning of the tunnel, under the subway / That noise of water running, under the subway tunnel / I paid attention but I couldn’t understand the origin of that noise...”.

“Le anime” (The souls) features a slow pace and a haunting mood. It depicts a nocturnal landscape. It’s midnight on Elba Island and while the protagonist walks back home along a narrow street he can see the people that used to live there when he was a child and that now are nothing but shadows... “They can’t see me / But I recognize them all...”.

“Raoul” is set in Paris. It’s a complex piece that starts as a strange mix of hard rock and Italian melody (a particular blend between Aerosmith and Quartetto Cetra I dare say), then the rhythm calms down and the atmosphere becomes dramatic. The music and lyrics depict a drunken clochard that’s sleeping under cardboard... “What made him still appear as a man was just a name / That name tattooed on his wrist / Only that name, Raoul...”.

“La spiaggia” (The beach) is set in Portugal. It’s an amazing short ballad featuring a swirling flute and a vocal style that could recall the Italian minstrel Angelo Branduardi. It tells of a strange meeting on a solitary beach on the Atlantic Ocean with a threatening sea that seems like dog on a chain, desperately barking because it couldn’t go any further, blocked by the high cliffs... “I felt as if I couldn’t breathe on the beach / The rocks behind me and the thundering sea in front of me / All night long with that dull noise...”. A good finale for an excellent album.

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

La Nuova Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno: Il pittore volante (2010). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: A well rounded album which perhaps could be accused of trying to put too many ingredients in one dish, but I'm sure that some of these ideas have been percolating for years and restraint/minimalist considerations were not among the goals of the project. Thank goodness for that, as musical extroversion is usually put to great effect by RPI bands! "Il Pittore Volante" offers great variety, superb musicianship, and gorgeous packaging/artwork. This is one of the most interesting releases of 2010 and should make some end of year lists... (read the complete review HERE)

 

HOLY TRIBE

Tribal Domestic is a studio album that was released by historic Roman band Il Rovescio della Medaglia in 2016 on the Cramps - Sony Music label with a line up featuring founder member and main composer Enzo Vita (guitar) along with John Macaluso (drums), Cristiano Micalizzi (drums), Gianluca Catalani (drums), Fernando Petry (bass), Nalle Pahlsson (bass), Rino Amato (keyboards), Vivien Lalu (synth), Chris Catena (vocals), Pino Ballarini (vocals), Jannes Stark (guitar) and the Orchestra Filarmonica Calabrese directed by Alexander Frey. This work mainly comes from the initiative of Enzo Vita, as can be guessed from the art cover where he’s portrayed in the forefront with is guitar ready for action while in the background you can see many gears and wheels turning to support him. It marks the return of Il Rovescio della Medaglia to the complex structures of the band’s heyday after the disappointing pop rock oriented 2011 album Microstorie...

The opener “Tribal Domestic Suite” is a long, complex piece divided into nine parts respectively subtitled “Le note degli idoli” (The idol’s notes), “Tributo agli dei” (Tribute to the gods), “Raduno dei vecchi” (Gathering of the old men), “L’ultimo dei sogni” (The last of dreams), “La notizia” (The news), “Il diario” (The diary), “Simbiosi” (Symbiosis), “La chiave inglese” (The wrench) and “Il crepuscolo delle illusioni” (The twilight of illusions). In my opinion, it’s an excellent piece, composed by Enzo Vita and arranged with the help of Rino Amato, where the guitarist and his group of rock musicians perfectly interact with the orchestra. The music flows without drops in tension as the lyrics, well interpreted by Chris Catena, conjure up images halfway between a confused stream of consciousness and divertissement. Shocking, alarming articles about a world where solidarity and freedom crumble provoking rash reactions, the sad reflections of a man on the brink of a personal crises leading to madness, the search for balance and the refuge in an inner-self able to create its own world, regret and bewilderment and finally the image of a man running barefoot in the evening without the tools to fix up his life...

“L’origine” (The origin) is another beautiful track where orchestra and rock instruments interact. The mysterious incipit sets the atmosphere, then the music and lyrics take us on inner journey to the origin of life. Birth is a big bang for everyone, it’s the moment of the perception of the whole, a truth we progressively forget giving names to things and identities to persons...

On the instrumental “Mutazione X” (Mutation X) Enzo Vita’s guitar is in the forefront and takes the listener on a fiery ride through the hard rocks of Sodom and Gomorrah and to the atmospheres of Il Rovescio della Medaglia 1971 debut album, La bibbia, although with an updated sound. Then it’s the turn “La sacra eternità” (The holy eternity) explicitly inspired by La bibbia, in particular by its last two tracks, “Il giudizio” (Judgement day) and Il diluvio (The flood). Here, introduced by a dark marching beat and a hint of liturgical choir, the music and lyrics describe the protagonist’s soul entering the afterlife where it joins the whole, beyond good and evil. It’s a place where there’s no one to judge, no measure or need to invent anything, here come those who have the dignity of looking straight in the face their own oblivion, beyond the sky and the sea, because the eternity is holy...

“L’apocalisse” (The apocalypse) is the only track featuring the vocals of Il Rovescio della Medaglia old singer Pino Ballarini. It’s an ironic piece that blends hard rock, classical influences and a touch of operetta evoking a daily, raging apocalypse in a world where media confusion rules. In a story containing many other stories, restlessness carries away the protagonist, on the wings of madness, towards a place where he can enjoy a panoramic view on his memories and regrets... Last comes the sparkling instrumental “Proclama II” (Proclamation II) that concludes the album with a lively beat and electric guitar fireworks.

On the whole, an excellent work that marks a rediscovered creativity for Enzo Vita and his new and old companions.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info: 

https://www.facebook.com/ilrovesciodellamedaglia/ 

JOYFUL MEMORIES

Quella Vecchia Locanda’s second and last album “Il tempo della gioia” (The time of joy) was recorded in 1974 with a different line-up featuring veterans Giorgio Giorgi (vocals, flute), Massimo Roselli (piano, organ mellotron, moog, vocals), Patrick Traina (drums, percussion) and Raimondo Maria Cocco (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals) plus Claudio Filice (who replaced the American violinist Donald Lax) and Massimo Giorgi (who took the place of bassist Romualdo Coletta). The strong classical influences are still there but the overall sound is slightly different from the eponymous debut album and features a jazzier, darker atmosphere. The art cover is magnificent and tries to describe the content of this work where the music and words weave nightmares and dreams.

The intense, dreamy opener “Villa Doria Pamhili” begins with a beautiful piano pattern, then acoustic guitar and violin delicately come in and melodic vocals try to describe the feelings that you could experience going to a pop festival in the early seventies... A sweet harmony plays with nature, soaring and gliding on the grass while joy makes people vibrate...

“A forma di...” (In the shape of...) is a classically inspired short instrumental that could recall “Traccia” by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It starts softly, as if the music was coming from a distant place... Violin, counter-bass, flutes and harpsichord, then soaring vocals used as an instrument to colour some melodic lines... An amazing track!

The title track is more complex. It begins with a delicate, romantic melody. A sundown on the sea, a magic carpet ride towards new horizons... Then a sudden change in rhythm and mood brings in dark shadows... “It’s as if you were beating the time of joy / And never the time of pain / Your smile is already there... Suddenly the air is trembling / Fear has already taken you...”. Some vocal passages could recall the gloomy atmospheres of “Ys” by Il Balletto di Bronzo, while others recall Hans, PFM’s merchant of dreams, and his coach... A very particular dream full of colours and musical nuances...

“Un giorno, un amico” (A day, a friend) features jazzy touches and violin rides, delicate calm passages and fiery ones. It’s a long, complex track full of changes and colours. Take a deep breath and imagine running to the sun, just to find new sparks of life and old fears, hidden words and thoughts concealed in a secret jewel-case... 

 

The last track “E’ accaduto una notte” (It happened one night) is dark and gloomy. It describes in music and words a nightmare. It begins with a choir setting a gothic atmosphere, then the music goes on quirkily while the lyrics depict a snake crawling through the rocks in the night, a car falling into the void, bad omens and vanishing hopes... “A roar bursts out / A flash of fire / That suffocates voices already extinguished...”.

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Quella Vecchia Locands: Il tempo della gioia (1974). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: This would have to be one of the top candidates to suggest to someone as an essential Italian album and one that covers most of the traits that make them special: creative songwriting fusing the rock, classical, and jazz genres; immaculate production with great attention to recording details; exceptional use of violins, flutes, and other classical elements; warm and passionate Italian vocals; and perhaps most importantly an unabashed willingness to project a most romantic style of music... (read the complete review HERE)

You can read an interview with some members of the band HERE

FROM RELIGION TO PHILOSOPHY

Io come io is the second album by Roman band Il Rovescio della Medaglia and was released in 1972 on the RCA label with a consolidated line up featuring Enzo Vita (guitar), Stefano Urso (bass), Gino Campoli (drums) and Pino Ballarini (vocals, flute). It’s another concept album in a hard rock style that in some way confirms qualities and flaws of its predecessor, La bibbia. The music is full of energy but the overall sound quality reflects the hurried recording sessions and an approximative production. To explain the concept, the liner notes quote some lines from German philosopher Hegel... “In philosophy the determinations of knowledge are considered not unilaterally, only as determinations of things, but together with the knowledge to which they refer, at least together with things; i.e. they are taken not merely as objective determinations, but also as subjective determinations, or rather as determinate species of the mutual relation of subject and object...”. However, do not worry! Despite the ambitious liner notes and the subject matter (an introspective quest for Truth), the lyrics are not abstruse nor pretentious and Hegel’s thought here is filtered and interpreted very loosely and with a particular hippy style point of view...

The opener “Io” (I) starts by the sound of gong, then drums and electric guitar set a tense atmosphere. The music and lyrics evoke strange visions. Things and people, places and feelings come through the mist of time, something is coming closer. It’s the memory of a past experience, a shadow. It’s a man who once taught to the protagonist the secrets of life, he was old then but now he’s much younger than the protagonist himself. It’s like in a strange dream where the protagonist has to face the thought of life and death, he has yet to understand how beautiful life is and he trembles because he can’t understand what death really means... “You say that everything I said to you is true / But I’m scared when you say you don’t know how good it is to die!”...

“Fenomeno” (Phenomenon) is a long track divided into two parts respectively subtitled “Proiezione” (Projection) and “Rappresentazione” (Representation). It begins by a strummed acoustic guitar pattern broken by heavy electric guitar riffs and a choir that could recall Il Balletto di Bronzo’s Ys. The music and lyrics conjure up the image of the protagonist lost on a mysterious road, wandering in a thousand directions without a clue, desperately trying to understand what’s false or true. The world around him is empty, amorphous and lifeless, in the morning there’s no sun, in the evening there’s no moon. After a calm middle section, suddenly the rhythm rises. The protagonist can see a light and someone calls him, a door opens for him... “Time, space, now I no longer live / Am I the real me?”...

The cathartic “Non io” (Not I) opens the second side of the original LP. It begins with a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio and soaring flute notes, the atmosphere is peaceful and dreamy. The music and lyrics depicts the new awareness of the protagonist who can see his past days unfold behind him. Now he hates money and reflects about the true values of life such as the love of a mother for her children. Naked, barefoot, the protagonists wants to go where the sky ends and the sea begins in search for ideals that can’t fade away over time like beauty or richness... “I still want to go on my way, where the sky joins the sea / Leaving alone behind me that man who has no truth...”.

The last track, “Io come io” (I as I), is divided into two parts subtitled “Divenire” (Becoming) and “Logica” (Logic) and marks the achievement of the inner journey of the protagonist. He’s found the light and the light is burning in him like a sun that will never die. The positive energy of the long instrumental coda describes the power of Truth and self-awareness...

On the whole, an interesting concept and a good work.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Il Rovescio della Medaglia: Io come io (1972). Other opinions:
Tarcisio Moura: There are some hints of good ideas here and there, and the general notion that the musicians might be good at their instruments. The main problem is that of the production: it is so bad is hard to tell what´s really wrong here. I heard this CD as many times I could stand, just to believe it was even released with such a poor sound. Hard to tell if they would come up with something really interesting had they got a better studio or producer or both, but certainly it could not be worse... (read the complete review HERE).

 

In 2020 vocalist Pino Ballarini announced the release of a new work entitled Io=Io 2020 featuring the re-recording of the whole album from 1972 with some new tracks to complete the concept and some re-recorded tracks from Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s albums La Bibbia and Contaminazione. So far, all we know is the cover, the line up, the track list and there’s a video promo. Not the album yet... I’m looking forward to listen to it!

 

More info: 

https://www.facebook.com/PinoBallariniOfficial 

A NEW CONTAMINATION

Contaminazione 2.0 is a live album by Il Rovescio della Medaglia that was released in 2020 on the independent Jolly Roger Records label. It captures a very particular performance of the band with a line up featuring Enzo Vita (guitar), Pino Polistina (guitar, backing vocals), Nicola Costanti (piano, keyboards, vocals), Carmelo J. Arena (synth, Hammond, vocals), Andrea Castelli (bass) and Andrea Bruni (drums). In fact, the album was recorded at Abbey of Saint Galgano in Chiusdino, Siena on September 11, 2018 with the help of a string quartet formed by Federico Galieni (violin), Francesco Gemo (violin), Emanuele Guadagni (viola) and Katie Bruni (cello) plus the special guests Vittorio De Scalzi (flute) and Marco Fusi (Scottish hornpipes). As you can guess from title and the art work by Carmelo J. Arena and Piera Arena, it’s all centred on Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s 1973 album composed with Maestro Luis Enriquez Bacalov, Contaminazione...

The location of the concert is surrounded by a magic aura. The Abbey of Saint Galgano was a Cistercian Monastery whose construction began in 1220 around the site of the former hermitage of the saint, in the valley of the river Merse, between the towns of Chiusdino and Monticiano, in the province of Siena, Tuscany. It’s a place full of mysticism and spirituality, despite having been deconsecrated since 1789 (the first year of the French Revolution), and is related to the Arthurian cycle of the Sword in the Stone. In fact, nearby lies the hermitage of Monte Siepi where, according to legend, Saint Galgano retired to life as a hermit in 1170 and, as a symbol of peace, stuck his sword into the rock, where it is still today. The roofless walls of the Gothic style 13th-century Abbey church still stand and it’s exactly inside those walls that the stage was set...

Contaminazione, a concept album telling the story of a mad musician who think to be the heir of Bach, was conceived for rock group and orchestra and it’s not easy to play it live. For this concert the band re-arranged and played the whole work without the orchestra and in a “rockier” but effective way, with amazing harmony vocals and the classical touch of the string quartet. The sound quality is perfect and all the musicians involved showcase great technique and passion. The result is astounding and, in my opinion, this live album should be considered a good complement to the original one...

As bonus tracks, on the Cd were included three other pieces taken from Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s debut album, La bibbia, that were recorded on May 5, 2019 during a concert in Barberino Tavarnelle, near Florence.

Overall, a great document of the band’s vitality on stage.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/ilrovesciodellamedaglia/ 

 

FIFTY YEARS AFTER

Fifty years after Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s debut album, La bibbia, the band’s founder member, guitarist and main composer Enzo Vita gathered around him a group of talented musicians and completely re-arranged and re-recorded it with the new line up featuring, along with the leader, also Marco Pisaneschi (drums), Davide Pepi (guitars, backing vocals), Nicola Costanti (keyboards, lead vocals) and Nicola Castelli (bass) plus the guest Caterina Costanti (flute). The new album, entitled La bibbia 50th Anniversary, was released in 2021 on the independent Jolly Roger Records label and stems from the work of accomplished, experienced musicians familiar with up to date recording techniques while the debut album was the fruit of the passion of young inexperienced youth. If compared with the original old LP it sounds far better and gives new life to compositions that were filled with enthusiasm but penalized by the hurried recording sessions and an approximative production...

The instrumental opener “Nothingness (Il nulla)” is shorter and completely different from the original from 1971 (in fact it’s credited to new guitarist Davide Pepi). It’s an atmospheric, spacey track that leads to “La creazione” (The Creation) where you can appreciate the great keyboards work and creative drumming that reshape this piece about the creation of World, Man and Woman as told in the Genesis. The sound is richer, clearer and more refined than on the 1971 album. The new vocalist is perfectly up to the task, as in the following “L’ammonimento” (The warning), a piece dealing with the powerful reaction of God against the claims of the Devil...

Il Rovescio della Medaglia 2021

The instrumental “Sodoma X Y” takes the place of the old “Sodoma e Gomorra” re-elaborating the old piece representing the busy, ruthless contemporary civilization. The new version adds colours and spacey flavours while maintaining the same raging energy. Then it’s the turn of the brilliant rendition of “Il giudizio” (Judgement Day), a piece where the music and words depict Man waiting for the sentence of God on his final day on Earth. The last track, “The Great Flood (Il diluvio)”, is a brand new piece (credited to Nicola Costanti) that replaces the original finale. It ends the album with a dark, gloomy atmosphere evoked by the church-like organ in the forefront while the English lyrics describe a great deluge and the waters sweeping away the Evil from the world...

The CD version of the album is completed by three bonus tracks, “The Creation”, “The Warning” and “Judgement Day”, alternative versions of “La creazione”, “L’ammonimento” and “Il giudizio” sung in English.

On the whole, an excellent work.

You can listen to the album HERE

Il Rovescio della Medaglia: La bibbia 50th Anniversary (2021). Other opinions:
Henry Schneider: Bombastic, aggressive Italian prog rock with inspired guitar solos, rich Hammond organ runs, and emotive singing abound. Having never heard the original, I have no baseline for comparison. Suffice it to say, if you are a fan of 70s Italian prog rock, you will not be disappointed... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/ilrovesciodellamedaglia/ 

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Il Rovescio della Medaglia came to life in Rome in 1970 from the ashes of a beat group called I Lombrichi. After a good live activity and some time spent in the rehearsal room honing their skills, in 1971 they released an interesting debut album, entitled La bibbia, on the RCA label with a line up featuring Enzo Vita (guitar), Stefano Urso (bass), Gino Campoli (drums) and Pino Ballarini (vocals, flute) who replaced their first singer Gianni Mereu. It was recorded live in the studio in just a few days and, as you can guess from the title, it’s a concept album inspired by some passages of the Old Testament. It’s mainly an instrumental work in a hard rock style inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix or Led Zeppelin with some touches of beat. The art cover was inspired by the name of the band that means “The Reverse of the Medal”...

 

The opener, “Il nulla” (Nothingness), is an instrumental piece that grows slowly, with experimental sounds trying to evoke the primordial chaos... It leads to “La creazione” (The creation) where powerful electric guitar riffs backed by a steady rhythm section and hieratic vocals evoke the explosive energy of the creative work of God as told in the bible. Six days to make light, sun and stars, green meadows, animals and eventually Man and Woman to whom God gave Freedom, Love and Peace, the greatest gift. On the seventh day the maker lay down and rested... Here the rhythm slackens and wordless vocals lead to a fiery electric guitar solo before another soft passage and a final surge that introduces the last track of the first side of the original LP, “L’ammonimento” (The warning), describing in music and words the wrath of God and His holy foot trampling and crushing the Devil’s head.

The second side of the LP opens with the instrumental “Sodoma e Gomorra” (Sodom and Gomorrah) that starts by alternating drum rolls and electric guitar solos, then the rhythm takes speed for a wild, frenzied ride through a decadent world... Next comes the long epic “Il giudizio” (Judgement Day) that begins by a dark marching beat and a mysterious atmosphere. The music and lyrics depict the final trial of Man in front of God. Past and present of humankind are going to be judged while Man stands up crying, waiting for the verdict. Man can’t come back, he has stolen, hatred, betrayed, and murdered and now the sentence is granted... The final instrumental track, “Il diluvio” (The flood) is just noise evoking the terrible consequences of Man behaviour.

On the whole, a good album despite the raw sound quality.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Il Rovescio della Medaglia: La bibbia (1971). Other opinions:
Linus Wikström: In the end there's no reason to DISLIKE this record if you're in it for face-melting guitar bonanza with the odd bits and pieces of, let's call it 'sound expansion'. But fact remains that what I enjoyed the most was the always highly emotional and unapologetic Italian vocals... (read the complete review HERE)

BACK TO THE PAST

De Rossi e Bordini is a project that dates back to 2008 when keyboardist Gianluca De Rossi and drummer Carlo Bordini recorded an instrumental piece entitled “Il pozzo dei giganti” that was included on the 2008 Musea - Colossus themed compilation Dante’s Inferno - The Divine Comedy Part I. Then, both musicians were part of Cherry Five’s new line up along with Tony Tartarini, Ludovico Piccinini and Pino Sallusti. Unfortunately, when Cherry Five’s bassist Pino Sallusti passed away the band had to stop and De Rossi and Bordini went back to the duo formula. In 2021 they released an eponymous album on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash Records label. The art cover is taken from a tableau by Norman Blake painted in 1826 and represents a scene from Dante’s Divine Comedy...

The opener is a brand-new version of “Il pozzo dei giganti (Inferno, XXXI)”. It starts with Carlo Bordini reciting some verses from the Divine Comedy related to the scene depicted on the art cover, where you can see the giant Antaeus helping Dante and Virgil during their journey... “Ere further on we go, so that the fact may seem less strange to thee, know, then, that towers they are not, but Giants...”. The new version is prevalently instrumental, with Gianluca De Rossi singing just a few verses of the lyrics written by Tony Tartarini for Cherry Five’s version but it was not easy to replace the theatrical style of the vocalist and frontman. Anyway, the music is great and the result is not bad at all...

“La porta nel buio” (The door in the dark) is a new version of a Taproban’s piece from the 2013 album Strigma. It’s a long suite, a nearly 19 minute tour de force for the duo, that deals with a feeling of deep fear and the desperate search for an escape from a difficult situation. In the new arrangement the drums are in the forefront from the very beginning and their interaction with Gianluca De Rossi’s keyboards is perfect...

The last two tracks, “Natività” and “Camellandia”, come from the repertoire of Rustichelli e Bordini and were both included on the 1973 album of the duo entitled Opera Prima. The new versions were recorded live in Rome during the 2019 Progressivamente Free Festival and showcase all the potential of the duo on stage but, in my opinion, a little help from some guest musicians would have improved the performance...

On the whole, despite the lack of really new compositions this is a good work that is worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/derossiebordini/ 

FIRST AND LAST

Cammello Buck was the name of a Roman band that took form in 1971 with a line up featuring Paolo Rustichelli (keyboards, vocals), Pino Belardinelli (guitar), Mauro Morlacchi (bass) and Carlo Bordini (drums). The band had a good live activity and in 1972 was in the bill of the Villa Pamphili Pop Festival. With Pasquale Cavallo (from Panna Fredda) replacing Mauro Morlacchi, they signed a deal with the Delta label but, unfortunately, the band just managed to record some demos and two pieces for the score of the 1972 film Don Camillo e i giovani d'oggi directed by Mario Camerini. In 1973 Paolo Rustichelli and Carlo Bordini dropped the name Cammello Buck and went on as a duo releasing under their names an interesting debut album on the RCA label, entitled Opera Prima, completely based on keyboards and drums, with a few vocal parts...

The beautiful opener “Natività” (Nativity) is an excellent instrumental piece where dreamy, relaxed parts are blended with frenzied jazz rock passages giving form to an almost mystical atmosphere that, in some way, I think is well represented by the image on the art cover...

Next comes “Icaro” (Icarus), a long, complex track where the music and the hoarse, almost surly vocals of Paolo Rustichelli evoke gloomy, metaphorical labyrinths and the desperate desire to escape from them taking off in a vortex of rage and fear in a bold attempt to reach the sky. Two white wings are flying up and up until they suddenly fall down like and angel cast away from paradise in tears that prays for God’s mercy...

The ethereal “Dolce sorella” (Sweet sister) begins by a church like organ solo introduction, then the music and words conjure up an atmosphere of hope and almost religious expectation with vocals soaring like a prayer to a white goddess, a sweet sister that you can find into your heart and into your mind, a merciful force that can light up your dreams and help you in case of need...

“Un cane” (A dog) begins by a delicate piano intro. The mood is melancholic, the music and lyrics draw the image of a man who walks alone in the street, free as a dog... The man stops in a parking lot and finds his home under the sky, in the dark. He’s just a homeless that nobody helps. Nobody cares of him, not even those who profess to be Christians and call themselves true believers...

“E svegliarsi in un giorno” (Waking up one day) comes from the repertoire of Cammello Buck and a first version of this piece was included in the soundtrack of the aforementioned 1972 film with English lyrics and another title, “To wake up in the morning”. It’s a good track with hermetic lyrics that evoke rage and fear, faith and hope and, most of all, the desire of a new start in the morning, when the world of dreams slowly melts giving way to the threatening insolence of the real world...

The long, complex “Camellandia” starts softly by a dreamy piano pattern, then the rhythm rises driving you through imaginary landscapes full of colours and of exotic flavours. It’s a beautiful instrumental piece that ends the album with a strong cinematic atmosphere...

On the whole, a very good work! Unfortunately, the project didn’t last long and Paolo Rustichelli and Carlo Bordini parted ways soon after the album was released. So, their first opus was also the last...

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Rustichelli e Bordini: Opera Prima (1973): Other opinions:
Jim Russell: The cover photo never fails to get a smile when I look at it. This Italian album from the classic period is pure keyboard heaven and I believe that vintage keyboards and drums are the only instruments used here... (read the complete review HERE)
Paul Fowler: The standard of playing is not surprisingly excellent as in the main are the compositions, surprisingly mature considering the young age of Rustichelli, the only downside being some decidedly rough vocals... (read the complete review HERE)

 

 

PROG AND JAZZ

The Cinema Show Quartet is an interesting project from Rome that came to life in 2018 on the initiative Paolo Bernardi with the aim of taking progressive rock pieces and dressing them up in jazz arrangements respecting their spirit. In 2022 the band self-released a good debut album entitled Fugue To Heaven with a line up featuring Paolo Bernardi (piano, keyboards), Luca Rizzo (sax), Flavia Ostini (contrabass) and Riccardo Colasante (drums). In my opinion, it’s a beautiful exercise of style where all the members of the band showcase great musicianship and gusto... 

The opener “Marooned Mother In The Sky” sets the atmosphere with a brilliantly arranged medley of Pink Floyd’s pieces that in some way are turned into something new and fresh. The interaction between sax and piano is remarkable and it’s backed by a discreet but effective rhythm section with excellent results...

Next comes Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, where you can hear swinging ragtime echoes, every now and again the music seems almost coming out from an old radio of the fifties while the following Genesis’ “The Cinema Show” drives your through dreamy, cinematic atmospheres on the wings of soaring sax melodies. In the middle there’s even room for a nice drum solo...

“Is There Anybody Out There? Part 1” is just a short break that leads to “Bure in the Fugue!” and to its Jethro Tull’s rhythmic variations on Bach’s theme with the addition of a strong jazz flavour that could even recall Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther’s Theme. Then it’s the turn of a beautiful treatment of Luis Enriquez Bacalov’s “Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls” and Jon Lord’s “Sarabande”... 

The notes of “Horizons Parte 1” introduce the following “Fugue To Heaven” and “La tua assenza” (Your absence), the only two original compositions of the album. In my opinion, both tracks are excellent examples of prog chamber music mixing classical influences, jazz and a charming romantic taste: the musicians involved in this project should have more confidence in their compositional skills...

Pink Floyd’s “Is There Anybody Out There? Part 2” leads to an amazing arrangement of Genesis’ “Firth Of Fifth” with some piano pyrotechnical passages and a delicate, dreamy sax part that takes you towards warmer sounds and Latin American latitudes. Then it’s the turn of Pink Floyd’s “Summer ’68” that here is combined with hints of Herbie Hancock’s Cantalupe Island, as to underline its hot subject matter...

A good arrangement of Genesis’ “In The Cage” and “Horizons Parte 2” precede the last two pieces that should be considered just two bonus tracks: a different version of Jethro Tull’s “Bourée”, here re-named “Bourée in Fugue!”, and of “Firth of Fifth” both performed by the flute ensemble Per un Pugno di Flauti, an Italian ensemble of flutists born inside the Santa Cecilia's Conservatory in Rome.

On the whole, a very interesting work that deserves a try.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064178103608

DIAMONDS IN THE RAIN

Diamanti is the second album by Mad Crayon and was released in 1999 on the independent Mellow Records label with a renewed line up featuring Alessandro Di Benedetti (keyboards, piano, vocals), Daniele Agostinelli (keyboards, vocals), Federico Tetti (electric guitars, sax), Daniele Vitalone (bass, electric guitar), Luca Cleri (acoustic and electric guitar) plus Stefano Crudele (drums), Simone Durante (Hammond organ), Monica Ward (vocals) and Eleonora Ricci (vocals). In my opinion, it confirms all the good qualities of the debut work and even marks a step forward for the band. This time all the lyrics are in Italian and the vocal parts sound more confident while the music tries to explore new territories with original compositions, a great sense of melody and fresh ideas... 

 

The nervous opener “La ballata dell'uomo nudo” (The ballad of the naked man) describes in music and words the feelings you can experience in a restless night where darkness steals your breaths, unveils your silences, turns up your cards and undresses your soul without mercy, leaving you in front of a light that shows your nakedness. All you have to do is heeding the call of fantasy and follow its course heading up towards the sky...

The reflective, melancholic “Deserti” (Deserts) tells in music and words about an inner desert that the protagonist carries inside him everywhere he goes and evokes distant voices dancing on the horizon, mirages of love and painful memories... 

 

Then it’s the turn of the beautiful instrumental “Glorioso destino” (Glorious destiny), a dynamic piece full of positive energy that leads to the dreamy “Pioggia di fiori” (Rain of flowers) where delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios and soaring melodies invite you to leave behind fake smiles and ephemeral pleasures to embark on a boat and sail through a calm sea, over the clouds, under a soft rain of flowers. An old man smiles at you... Welcome on board!

The excellent instrumental title track, “Diamanti” (Diamonds), blends romantic atmospheres and more aggressive passages and leads to “L'allegra brigata” (The merry brigade), a long, complex piece dedicated to all the friends of the band. It starts softly as the story comes to life from the ashes of reality and takes off on the wings of fantasy while the music and lyrics conjure up a fantastic voyage on a ship sailing across an unknown sea in search for the treasures of youth with a merry crew always open to adventure... 

 

Mad Crayon, 1999

 “Principe delle maree” (Prince of the tides) is a kind of celebration of the power of music and the healing force of singing. You have to set your heart free and follow the rhythm of the tide, then you’ll take off on an imaginary flight across mysterious lands and Oriental landscapes leaving behind the daily problems of a hostile reality... The short, evocative “Alchimia di una leggenda” (Alchemy of a legend) ends the album with a kind of tribute of the art of cinema. Narrative female vocals raise questions about the greatness and the righteousness of a man who conceives kingdoms of death and boasts his victories in front of those who cry, a man under the rain looks for shelter... Director, do not stop, please!

On the whole, a very good album full of melody and dreamy atmospheres.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Mad Crayon: Diamanti (1999). Other opinions:
Erik Neuteboom: On this CD Mad Crayon sounds tight, fluent and convincing, their compositions are tasteful featuring lots of pleasant changing climates, from dreamy to bombastic... The progrock from Mad Crayon doesn't sound original or complex but they deliver very melodic, harmonic and pleasant music... (Read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/madcrayon/