A GENTLE LINE

 Zenit are a band from Turin that began as a musical research laboratory during a music festival in Perinaldo and later evolved into a stable project. The line-up features Leonardo Pallanca (alto sax), Zoe Ballestrero (keyboards), Emanuele Balboni (guitars), Salvatore Sanfilippo (electric guitar), Pietro Ballestrero (bass) and Gabriele Peretti (drums, caxixi). In 2026, the band self-produced and released their debut album, Linea lieve, drawing inspiration from musicians such as Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Garrett, Keith Jarrett, and Roy Hargrove. All compositions are by Emanuele Balboni and blend jazz with folk and rock elements, with every musician contributing to enrich the pieces with distinctive colours and nuances. It is an interesting sequence of dreamy instrumental tracks that at times remind me of an album by Area, their underrated 1980 Tic & Tac, the one recorded without the vocals of Demetrio Stratos. The cover art by Benedetta Ciarmoli aims to provide a visual representation of the album's content...

The opening track, "Libeccio" (South-west wind), sets the course: propelled by a gentle southerly wind, the sails of the ship the band has boarded seem almost to be seeking their own "Island of Canteloupe" amidst the calm waters of the Mediterranean sea...

Next comes a delicate, alluring track, "Un altro giorno, ancora" (Another day, once again), a piece where one can almost perceive the moon in the well (la "Luna nel pozzo"), though it would be unfair to draw too many comparisons with Area here...

The musical journey continues with "Scorci di mare" (Glimpses of the sea), a calm, nocturnal piece featuring rhythmic ripples that foreshadow the soft Latin-American influences of the following track, "Hola, chicos!"... Antes de hablar!

"Quattro passi in due" (Four steps in two) is a slow ballad featuring prominent piano and sax and a lovely electric guitar solo, while the almost bluesy "A domani" (See you tomorrow) opens with a beautiful bass part. Then, there is room for heartfelt sax and electric guitar solos set against a restless rhythm, leading to a finale where the tension eases and calm returns...

Zenit, 2024

"Zenit" (Zenith) is a long, complex track with dark undertones. The title seems almost to evoke the aspiration to reach the highest point of the celestial sphere. The musical journey is winding and the rhythm challenging to maintain, complete with a drum solo... Then another calm, dreamy ballad, "C'è spazio" (There's room) concludes the album.

On the whole, an interesting work that is worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.pietroballestrero.com/

HIGH CRIME

Anonima Sonora came to life in Turin in 2019 with the aim of playing original music inspired by the soundtracks of Italian crime action seventies B-movies (a genre known as poliziottesco), concocting an explosive cocktail of funky and prog in the vein of bands such as Calibro 35, La Batteria, Strato’s, L’Attimo del Dubbio or Apollo Beat. In May 2021 they self-released an interesting eponymous debut EP with a line up featuring Stefano Ruggero (bass), Marco Cerrato (sax), Carlo Peluso (keyboards), Matteo Pagliardi (drums) and Giovanni Peluso (guitar). The art cover gives an idea of the musical content...

The first track, “Titoli di testa” (Opening credits), starts by a short narrative part, a threatening dialogue between two men that sets the atmosphere. Then the music takes off with a frenzied funky rhythm and a perfect interaction between all the instruments. To leave is to die a little... In fact, the four tracks of this EP include some short quotes taken from their sources of inspiration, short dialogues from films such as Il cittadino si ribella (Street Law), directed in 1974 by Enzo Castellari, Milano trema, la polizia vuole giustizia (The Violent Professionals), directed in 1973 by Sergio Martino and Poliziotto solitudine e rabbia (The Rebel), directed in 1980 by Stelvio Massi, all proudly credited by the band.

The following “Asfalto” (Asphalt) begins by a keyboard pattern and a nervous rhythm section building up a tense atmosphere. Then the music gives way to a narrative quote describing a hold-up in the street and the consequent police reaction. When music starts again, the rhythm is tight and there are some jazzy passages underlining a car chase and a shooting...

“Un altro giorno per morire” (Another day to die) starts with a fast pace and pumping bass lines adding adrenaline. This piece has strong jazz rock flavour with the sax in the forefront. In the middle the rhythm calms down and on a dramatic organ background you can hear the hurried footsteps of a fleeing man and those of his pursuer, bursts of machine gun fire and groans of pain. After the murder the rhythm takes off again...

“Il cerchio nero” (The black circle) opens with an ominous warning about the risk of hiring a professional hitman who is too stupid, then the music takes you on another ride across a dangerous metropolitan landscape for a kind of safari where you don’t know if you are the hunter or the hunted...

On the whole, a very promising debut!

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

****************

Tutti i dettagli in cronaca, the second EP by Anonima Sonora, was released in 2024 with a renewed line up featuring Stefano Ruggero (bass), Marco Cerrato (sax), Carlo Peluso (keyboards, percussion, glockenspiel, melodica), Anna Truglio (vocals, samples, percussion), Enrico Beltrame (drums) and Giovanni Peluso (guitar). In particular, the voice of Anna Truglio, used as an instrument and that might recall Edda Dell'Orso, expands the musical palette of the band in a significant way. In my opinion, this work marks a step forward for the musicians involved in this project and sounds more personal and mature if compared with the eponymous debut EP. The vocalist took also charge of the graphic part...

This time the short film excerpts that the band used to add touches of colour to their music come from Milano violenta (Bloody Payroll), directed in 1976 by Mario Caiano, La polizia incrimina, la legge assolve (High Crime), directed in 1973 by Enzo Castellari and La malavita attacca... La polizia risponde! (The Criminals Attack, The Police Respond), directed in 1977 by Mario Caiano. According to an interview with the band, those grim films are a legacy to be valorised since they convey a certain vision of society and its dynamics and there are many analogies with the present beyond the obvious historical changes. Above all the coexistence of good and evil as opposite points of the same curve, dimensions so close that they almost no longer have boundaries...

The title track, “Tutti i dettagli in cronaca” (All the details in the crime news), opens the EP and starts by a dark solo organ passage, then there’s a sudden burst of energy and the rhythm rises. Vocals rising wordlessly and frentic instrumental parts lead to the following “Margot (Vedova di mala)” (Margot - crime widow) that opens with a dialogue between a bad girl and a bandit. The atmosphere is calm and dreamy, the man and the woman discuss about their future and the possibility to an existential redemption, leaving for another place where to begin a new life. Echoes of Piazzolla and tangos might suggest that a change is possible but in the middle section you can hear a wild shooting and a desperate, anguished attempt to escape as the music veers in another direction. Maybe the change is not for the better...

“Chi di noi due sono io?” (Which of us am I?) is an excellent jazz rock piece that leads to “Marsiglia” (Marseilles), a track that seems to drive you across the pages of a Jean-Claude Izzo novel. It starts by a slow pace and a strong Mediterranean flavour, the mood is dreamy but soon the dreams turn to nightmare with a powerful sax solo and raging drums in the background. You’re not in an exotic paradise and you may have to deal with a violent detective asking questions in a vicious way and without a warrant. In short, violence is what we breathe here...

On the whole, a very interesting work that is really worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

More info: 

https://www.blogdellamusica.eu/anonima-sonora-intervista/

BRILLIANT EXPLORERS

In 2006 Roby Munciguerra set up a new Procession incarnation for some live performances and from June to September 2006 the new line up featuring, along with Roby Munciguerra (guitar, backing vocals), also Samuele Alletto (vocals, flute), Stefano Carrara (keyboards, 12 string guitar, backing vocals), Enzo Martin (bass) and “Herman” a.k.a. Max Aimone (drums) plus the guest Danilo Pala (sax) recorded in the Overtone studio in Turin the new versions of the old pieces and a brand new one. Procession’s new album, produced by Dario Todesco and Ernesto Ausilio and entitled Esplorare, was released in 2007 on the independent Electromantic Music label with a nice art work that in some way depicts the intricacies of its musical content...

The opener “C’era una volta” (Once upon a time) starts by a beautiful new introduction with piano and electric guitar in the forefront. From the very first notes you can appreciate the clear sound and the care that the band put in the new arrangements revitalizing the old repertoire with respect and competence. The new vocalist is absolutely up to the task and breaths new life into the story of the child who wasted his time looking for the sense of life, getting old without reaching his goal...

To better underline its apocalyptic, tense atmosphere, the new version of “Uomini di vento” (Men of wind) gives more room to dark organ passages while the hieratic vocals depict the terrible wind that rules on the world and bends nature, guided by its blind will, sweeping away terrorized men and a blurred reality...

Then it’s the turn of the melancholic “Un mondo sprecato” (A wasted world) where Samuele Alletto delivers in a very effective way the caustic reflections of the jaded clown protagonist of the piece, perfectly backed by a band able to add colours and emotions in the instrumental sections.

“Esplorare” (To explore) is the only new track on the album and it’s a pity since the vitality of Procession’s new course is great. It’s a piece that deals with the illogical but nonetheless powerful belief that things will change for the better in a new place. The music and words describe a young man that looks for another world to explore, a place where his fantasies will come true. He wears his dreams and sets off but later realizes that is all in vain and begins to feel lonely and desperate while his certainties fade away. He will have to take a step back to find the meaning of life...

The new arrangement of “Il volo della paura” (The flight of fear) is excellent and succeeds in conveying the disquieting feelings that a flock of birds provoke darkening the sky and the need to overcome the gloomy omens that they could represent...

Next two tracks reshape brilliantly, with good taste and respect, Procession’s first album, Frontiera, a conceptual work telling the story of a young man who leaves his home and family in Southern Italy searching for a job and a better life in a big city of the North. “Suite 1” includes “Ancora una notte” (One more night), “Uomini e illusioni” (Men and illusions), “Città grande” (Big city), “Incontro” (Meeting) and “Anche io sono un uomo” (I’m a man as well) while “Suite 2” includes “Un mondo di libertà” (A world of freedom), “Un ombra che vaga” (A wandering shadow) and “Solo 1” (Alone).

Then “Fiaba” (Fairy tale) ends the album by painting with new vivid colours the surreal landscape of an imaginary village perched on a mountain that hosts dreamers, poets and musicians. The inhabitants do not need money nor gold to be rich since happiness and peace are their real treasures...

On the whole, an excellent work that gives new life to the old repertoire of the band and leaves some hope for the future.

Procession: Esplorare (2007). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: The new musicians are superb players as is the vocalist... What one takes away from this disc is the love they have for the old material, mixed with a dynamic new energy and forcefulness that updates this material successfully. It must be very challenging to attempt to re-do your classic material decades later and bring something new to it without messing with the original magic. Procession have succeeded as well as I could imagine... (read the complete review HERE)

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

ONCE UPON A TIME

After their debut album “Frontiera” released in 1972, Procession released their second album for the record label Fonit Cetra in 1974 with a different line-up featuring the original members Gianfranco Gaza (vocals) and Roby Munciguerra (guitars) plus Maurizio Gianotti (sax, flute) and Paolo D’Angelo (bass). In studio they were helped by some guest musicians such as drummer Francesco Froggio Francica (Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno), keyboardist Ettore Vigo (Delirium) and vocalist Silvana Aliotta (Circus 2000). The result was excellent. The overall sound is less raw and aggressive compared to the previous album and dreamy acoustic atmospheres prevail while the lyrics by Marina Comin perfectly fit the music blending dreams and reality.

The opener “Uomini di vento” (Men of wind) starts with a rhythm percussion pattern, then an electric guitar comes in... “The wind blows strongly now / Men run away because they can’t stand it...”. Sax, flutes and vocals depict a world battered by the wind where scared shadows are looking for shelter. Reality and its hypocrisies are swept away...

“Un mondo sprecato” (A wasted world) is more reflective and darker and features good electric guitar and sax solos... “I wasted a world trying to understand / But I don’t know how to begin / Man, you look at me and you don’t understand / I used to live like you / A bitter life like many others / But I made up my mind and now I know / You’re laughing at a clown / That has stopped playing with the wind now... You are laughing without asking yourself what this tale could mean...”.

 

On the long, complex “C’era una volta” (Once upon a time) the band tries to explore the “dark side of the moon” and the sax and vocals every now and again run after Pink Floyd’s shadows... The lyrics are about a quest for true life: a child sets off looking for the sense of life and when he thinks he has found it he realizes that he’s now old and that he has wasted his time...

 

 

“Notturno” begins softly, with acoustic guitar and flute drawing a strange, disquieting dreamy atmosphere... “A boat sails lightly on the sea / There’s a man on the edge / And the breeze wets his face / And the night gets darker / The man seems to be looking for life / But what is he looking for? He’s not a fisherman... And the sea gets darker and darker / And the man leaves the edge / Now the boat is lighter...”.

“Il volo della paura” (The flight of fear) is another beautiful dreamy track. The lyrics depict a flock of seagulls that darken the sky. When they land all together the earth is shaken. Men, who can’t fly, are scared and remain on their shaken world where there’s only a wall left, so hard to climb... Just a thousand wings and so much fear!

The final title track “Fiaba” (Fairy tale) describes a village on top of a hill where live people refusing the rules of the world and enjoy their peace... I think that the inlay painting featuring classical and rock musicians climbing the hill describes this track better than words...

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

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Procession: Fiaba (1974). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: Fiaba is a well rounded and musically satisfying album that will certainly entertain you even if it doesn't make the top of your list. A fabulous painting on the gatefold mini-lp edition shows the band and orchestra traipsing up a hill for an apparent jam at a medieval castle. It may not be the most representative album of the Italian scene but I doubt this album will disappoint anyone looking for good music... (read the complete review HERE)

REFLUX

 Quinto Stato is the third studio album by Arti e Mestieri and was released in 1979 on the independent label Cramps Records with a renewed line up featuring Furio Chirico (drums), Marco Gallesi (bass), Marco Cimino (piano, synth, clavinet, Moog - former member of bands such as Errata Corrige and Esagono), Claudio Monafia (guitar, flute, vocals) plus the contribute of the guests Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Rudy Passuello (lead vocals, bassoon), Arturo Vitale (sax), Gigi Fregapane (vocals), Gino Torni (vocals) and Flavio Boltro (trumpet). The overall sound is more straightforward than in the past blending jazz-rock and committed lyrics and every now and again this work could recall the seventies albums released on the Cramps label by artists such as Eugenio Finardi or Alberto Camerini...

 

The caustic opener “Quinto Stato (emarginato)” (Fifth State – Outcast) tells the misadventures of a musician falling into marginalisation in a time of ideological crisis, called in Italy riflusso, characterized by the betrayal of the ideals of the seventies, swept up by problems such as drug addiction, unemployment, corruption or criminality... The title refers to a famous tableau by Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, made in 1901 and representing the Fourth State assuming class awareness and marching together, a well-known symbol for progressive and socialist causes. In this sense, the Fifth State of the title is located on a lower level and the protagonist feels like an outcast without hope...

Next comes “Vicolo” (Alley), a nice instrumental track featuring slapping bass lines and soaring synth melodies that leads to the following “Arterio (sclerosi)”, a venomous ranting against the Italian political class of the time, here described as an incompetent gerontocracy clinging on power and crowded with hunchbacks and dwarves...

Next comes “Torino nella mente” (Turin in the mind) that closes the first side of the LP. It’s a calm piece that could recall Perigeo with a good flute work that contrasts with the pulsing rhythm section. It paints with its notes the hazy urban landscape of an industrial, busy city that is not without charm and beauty...

 

Side B opens with “Mercato” (Market), a beautiful track with a vein of suffused melancholy and a pinch of exoticism. Here vocals are used just as an instrument and the relaxed atmosphere could be the perfect background for some scenes from a seventies film shot in the streets of an Italian city...

Then it’s the turn of “D’essay”, an ironic track that tells of a police raid in an art-house cinema... A genial film about alienation and social crises, ten spectators in all for the premiere. When the police arrive all of them are searched, one hides a joint and complains... Well, it’s just another ordinary evening of urban commitment!

Then the short, dynamic “Arti” (Arts) leads to the last track, “Sui tetti” (On the roofs). Here vocals are used as an instrument again to give colour to a relaxed jazzy piece where melancholic sax notes seem flying over a sleeping city that wants to dream on...

On the whole, a good album performed by a skilled group of musicians but not an outstanding one.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Arti e Mestieri: Quinto Stato (1979). Other opinions:

Peter Thelen: Chirico is still there, but original keyboardist Beppe Crovella and violinist Giovanni Vigliar are nowhere to be found, and original guitarist Venegoni only guests on a couple tracks. As a result, their sound morphed into a more streamlined and funky jazz-fusion style, losing some of its early delicacy. In addition, new singer Rudy Passuello has a far more aggressive delivery and dominates the music on the tracks where he sings. Four of the album's eight tracks are purely instrumental, and on those the band still shines brilliantly, even though it's in the new style. In short, this isn't a bad album, but it doesn't live up to the standard set by their first two... (Read the complete review HERE)

TOMORROW WALTZ

After a good live activity, supporting bands like PFM and even Gentle Giant, in 1975 Arti & Mestieri released their second album “Giro di valzer per domani”. The line-up, along with founder members Furio Chirico (drums), Beppe Crovella (keyboards, piano, mellotron, Hammond), Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Giovanni Vigliar (violin, percussion, vocals), Marco Gallesi (bass) and Arturo Vitale (sax, clarinet, vibraphone), here features a new member, vocalist Gianfranco Gaza, from another band from Turin, Procession. Despite the presence of a lead singer the weight of instrumental tracks prevails over committed lyrics and vocal parts. The music is in the same vein as the previous album, delivering an original, perfectly balanced twining of jazz, rock, classical music and folk.

 

The opener “Valzer per domani” (Waltz for tomorrow) is a light, joyful instrumental. Furio Chirico’s drumming is brilliant while the melodic lines played by the violin seem to bring some gusts of optimism.

“Mirafiori” is more complex. It begins softly with delicate melodic lines, then the rhythm takes off backing a following frenzied violin solo. Changes in rhythm and frenetic solos seem to depict a very busy place... Mirafiori is the name of the Turin district where there is the most important car factory in Italy, Fiat Mirafiori, a symbol of the industrialization of the whole country.

On “Saper sentire” (Knowing how to feel) you can listen for the first time on this album to Gianfranco Gaza’s voice. It’s a nervous, introspective track inviting you to avoid the venomous spells of consumerism and trust your feelings... “Why are you crying if I’m here with you? / If you look for me / You will find me inside you... Just a few people know what a man is now / But there are many people who can easily feel it...”.

 

“Nove lune prima” (Nine moons before), “Mescal”, “Mescalero” and “Nove lune dopo” (Nine moons after) are closely linked together and form an exciting instrumental suite featuring sudden changes in mood and rhythm. The titles could suggest a spaghetti western setting, featuring Indians and cowboys and the cavalry charging... Well the music here is very different from an Ennio Morricone soundtrack but the band showcase great personality and musicianship, so you can imagine what you want while listening to this wonderful flow of notes!

“Dimensione Terra” (Dimension Earth) is a short instrumental featuring tense drumming and catchy sax patterns that leads to the committed “Aria pesante” (Heavy air) where the desire to change the world and rage shape a dreamy atmosphere turning into a nightmare... “Yesterday you were dreaming to set the city on fire and hang all the inhabitants / Today you wake up and, you know / It’s sad when you realize that you have no fire and that they have put a rope around your neck...”. The heavy air of the years of lead!

Three short instrumentals follow, forming an evocative, dreamy suite, the ethereal, nocturnal “Consapevolezza parte 1” (Awareness part 1), the joyful, wild “Sagra” (Feast) and “Consapevolezza parte 2” (Awareness part 2), a short reprise of part one. 

 

The bitter-sweet “Rinuncia” (Renouncement), is piece about the generation gap that is structured as a dialog between parents and son. The vocals feature Eugenio Finardi (albeit not credited) who in 1975 released his debut album on Cramps Records, the same label as Arti & Mestieri and Area. “The dreams that were born some years ago are now like trees broken by the weather / Time slipped out from us and we are not children but fathers now...”.

Next comes “Marilyn” an instrumental that begins with a delicate piano pattern, then sax and drums help stir the flow of the music. The last track “Terminal” is another excellent short instrumental where violin and vibraphone perfectly interact with the other instruments. On the whole an excellent album...

 

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

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Arti e Mestieri: Giro di valzer per domani (1975). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: For me personally the music is at times too busy and this is why I give a higher rating to something like Esagono, who may not have quite the chops of this band but arguably provide more emotionally satisfying music. "Giro" can be a simply exhausting listen that rarely gives the listener a chance for a breather - of course I realize this is a plus for many of you... (Read the complete review HERE)

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/ 

 

 

MOON AND SUN

 Illusion Of Gravity took shape in Turin in 2013 on the initiative of keyboardist Umberto Alberto and drummer Davide Garofalo. After some line up changes and a first period spent performing cover versions of pieces by Pink Floyd, Genesis, PFM, Caravan or Porcupine Tree, they started to work on their own compositions with the aim of merging into a progressive rock core a combination of different musical genres. In 2020 they finally self released a debut album entitled Too Late with a line up featuring Umberto Alberto (keyboards), Davide Garofalo (drums), Federico Aluzzi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alessandro Cascella (lead guitar) and Gabriele Zuddas (bass). The final result is a good mix of modern and vintage sounds... 

 

 

The opener “Too Late” starts by a spacey crescendo that could recall Pink Floyd, then the dark, pulsing atmosphere gives way to a more melodic part where the music and lyrics evoke the regrets for some wrong choices made in the past but also the awareness of the need to go on. If you try, you might find that it’s not too late to redeem yourself learning from your errors but you have to fight hard to come out from the abyss of a personal crises and never stop to hope in better days to come... 

 

“Shining Bliss” blends eighties keyboard sounds and more aggressive parts with electric guitar riffs in the forefront to depict and criticize a false, hypocritical world where appearances rule and the value of a person is based only on his or her richness and bloodline... 

 

 

The dark “Strange Home” conjures up haunting presences and painful memories that keep you stuck in a house once familiar and now transformed in a kind of mental prison. The following “I Can” starts by a keyboard pattern with a strong new wave flavour, then the music takes another direction while the lyrics depict an effort to break through from a bleak reality getting lost in a psychedelic trip... 

 

The long, complex epic “Kua Fu” closes the album with fiery guitar riffs and other brilliant instrumental passages. The title refers to the name of a giant who wished to capture the Sun, a legend in Chinese mythology that the band tells through the voice of Kua Fu by interpreting his desperate, crazy effort to tame the light. There are many versions of this myth, here the Moon, queen of the night, has mercy of the protagonist and tries to save him from the burning power of the Sun... 

 

On the whole, a good album full of nuances but that needs several spins to be fully appreciated. 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/illusionofgravity 

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON

 Avocado Moon Experiment is a project from Turin started in 2016 with the aim of composing a sci-fi rock opera blending progressive rock and metal. The project took a more definite form in 2020 and on the 30^th of December of the same year the band digitally self-released a promising debut album entitled Darrell's Journal 2116 with a line up featuring composer and multi-instrumentalist Giuseppe Floridia (guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals) along with Marco Benigno (vocals), Giulia Valerin (vocals), Luca Ragusa (guitar, bass) and Luca Zanon (drums) plus the guests Jacopo Albini (clarinet), Madalina Smocov (flute), Maria Beatrice Venanzi (violin) and Giuseppe Vizzini (flute). The album was recorded and mixed by Giuseppe Floridia in his Floryd Sounds Studio and collects the first five chapters of what is meant as a work in progress telling a long story set in a dystopic future... 

 

 

The nervous opener “Chapter 1: Dawn In Salem” sets the atmosphere and introduces the subject matter. In 2116, in a dreamless world, after a restless night the protagonist, a man called Darrell who lives in the city of Salem, volunteers for a project named Avocado Moon Experiment. The A.M.E. project was launched by the firm Avocado Industries that after the construction of a city on the moon named Jera, now is looking for some people to send there to experience a new utopia: a life where money and work are not necessary in a place where everything is in charge to the machines... 

 

 

In “Chapter 2: The Spacewhale”, on a steady marching pace we can follow the journey from the earth to the moon through Darrell’s journal. The following “Chapter 3: Beyond The Clouds” begins by a guitar arpeggio and soaring, dreamy notes of flute in the forefront backed by the rhythm section and the organ. Three months after the arrival in Jera life goes on lazy and peaceful but the protagonist feels that something is missing and his sense of nostalgia and confusion is strong. Then Darrell begins a relationship with a woman called Scarlett and they find mutual understanding and comfort... 

 

Avocado Moon Experiment, 2020

 

Next comes “Chapter 4: Innocence” that tells of the doubts and regrets of Darrell and Scarlett. They wonder where’s gone the inner fire that can stir desires and emotions and, between instinct and reason, they realize that something is lost while memories come back and the awareness of a new responsibility emerges... The last track, “Chapter 5: The Star Rover”, features some excellent, classical inspired, instrumental passages and welcomes the birth of the son of Darrell and Scarlett, Charles the Star Rover, who will learn to travel through space and time... 

 

 

On the whole, this is a good album with an interesting concept, nice melodies, a good interaction between theatrical male and female vocals and some beautiful instrumental passages. Waiting for the next chapters of the story, we have here a work of more than 32 minutes of music that is really worth listening to... 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Avocadomoonexperiment/ 

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

According to the official website, Braam Van Der Stock is not a rock band but a project, an experience that originates from the need to communicate, to launch messages, to express thoughts and moods through music. The name refers to one of the three prisoners of war who managed to break free from Stalag Luft III camp during World War II, in what is today remembered as the Great Escape, and the aim of the musicians is to pay tribute to this endeavour carried out with rudimentary and unusual means. The names of the artists involved in this project, based in a small town near Turin called Sangano, are not revealed in the booklet nor on the official website where they explain that as in the case of the Great Escape in which the tunnel to freedom was hidden under the name Harry, perhaps also the name "Braam Van Der Stock" hides something different… As for the music, for their self-released debut album, entitled Messa su strada (Mass on the road), they chose to interpret in a prog rock key the musical form of the Missa following the Catholic liturgical canons... 

The short instrumental opener “Introitus” starts by a solemn organ solo pattern, then the rhythm takes off and the music veers to hard rock territories. It leads to “Kyrie”, the first sung prayer in the Tridentine Mass, and usually part of any musical setting of the Mass. The Latin words sung on this track mean just Lord, have mercy...

Then it’s the turn of the long, complex “Gloria” that starts by a soaring choir. It’s a powerful piece where the Latin lyrics praise the Lord and the music alternates solemn, joyful passages to calmer, reflective parts… Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, goodwill towards men...

This particular rock mass goes on with other two Latin prayers, the “Sanctus”, a hymn sung before the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine, and the “Agnus Dei”, a setting of the Lamb of God litany that here takes almost a bluesy pace before turning into a more solemn form.

The heartfelt “Padre (Il nocciolo della questione)” (Father - The heart of the matter) is the only track sung in Italian and tries to convey what’s the most important part of Braam Van Der Stock’s message with a personal interpretation of the prayer Pater Noster, an important part of the Catholic liturgy. In fact, according to the band, the heart of the matter, quoted in the album, is the proposal to look at our expectations toward our god, the claims we have and how we demand that he should accomplish them. From here the twisting of the message in the song Father; no longer Our Father who implicitly suggests the existence of a You or a Them left without a father. In this song the list of requests becomes a list of findings, a fact; a thank for what we have and therefore a spur for us to put effort in our lives… We are the ones who move the pawns.

The short “Ite Missa Est” ends the mass and an interesting album where you can find not only Latin prayers and theological themes but also a good interaction between organ and electric guitar backed by a pulsing rhythm section...

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://braam-van-der-stock.webnode.it/

PARALLEL SOUNDS

Universi Paralleli is the last, long awaited, studio album by Arti e Mestieri, a band from Turin that have been active, one way or another, for more than forty years. It was released in 2015 on the Cramps - Sony label with a renewed line up featuring, along with founder members Gigi Venegoni (acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards) and Furio Chirico (drums, percussion), also Iano Nicolò (vocals), Piero Mortara (accordion, piano, keyboards), Lautaro Acosta (violin, electric violin), Roberto Puggioni (bass, fretless bass) and Marco Roagna (acoustic and electric guitars) plus some prestigious guests such as Arturo Vitale (sax), Mel Collins (sax, flute) and Lino Vairetti (vocals). The creative vein of the band has not run out along the years and the songwriting is still brilliant, blending jazz rock, melody and Mediterranean colours with excellent results. On the album cover there's the picture of a sculpture by Lugi Farina that in some way recalls their debut album Tilt - Immagini per un orecchio, but with a touch of modernity that could give you an idea of the musical content. According to the liner notes, the music and lyrics of this work deal with the subject of parallel universes, emotional contrasts that are mirrored, for instance, in double lives or double personalities...

The opener "Alter Ego" is a great instrumental track where acoustic and electric instruments draw new images for you ears with soaring melodic lines defying the gravity force flying high over jazzy patterns... I think that it's a very introduction for a wonderful album!

"Dune" is a beautiful instrumental with Oriental flavours that leads to "Pacha Mama" where we can hear for the first time on this work Iano Nicolò's vocals. The lyrics deal with environmental issues. In fact, the title refers to the goddess of fertility revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Mother Earth here is depicted as a dying entity, poisoned by the greediness of humankind. Men driven by gold are sucking the divine maternal sap like vampires while deserts of sand are rapidly replacing lakes and rivers...

Arti e Mestieri 2015

A strong, melancholic wind of nostalgia blows through the notes of the following "L’ultimo imperatore" (The last emperor). The title seems to refer to the film of the same name directed in 1987 by Bernardo Bertolucci about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. The lyrics do not try to tell a story but draw evocative images about parallel universes and fading memories where distorted and manipulated revolutions are celebrated by godless priests in doomy cathedrals that can't hide the pervasive sense of loss and emptiness of a faithless ritual performed by rote...

"Finisterre" and "Johann" are two charming instrumental pieces drenched in a kind of dreamy romanticism that lead to the heartfelt "Restare immobile" (Remaining motionless) where the music and lyrics depict the eternal contrast between reality and dreams. You can pin down a fragment of reality on a blank page and anaesthetize your memories. Poetry and dreams can set you free and when your mind begins to fly you're able to take off on a journey across far, extraordinary worlds, even without moving your body!

The melancholic instrumental "Borea" (Boreas) is full of delicate autumnal colours and soaring folksy melodies with accordion and violin in the forefront. The music draws evocative northern landscapes while the title refers to the god of the north wind, one of the four seasonal Anemoi in ancient Greek mythology... It leads to the joyful "Pandora" where the music and lyrics conjure up strange images and cheerful dances. Here the wind takes you onwards and you set off on a magical journey to discover new moons and better days...

Arti e Mestieri on stage

The following "Linea d’ombra" (Shadow line) is darker and tense. It's another beautiful instrumental that leads to the pyrotechnic drum solo "Comunicazione primordiale" (Primordial communication), full of savage energy and exotic flavours. Next comes the instrumental "La luce in fondo al tunnel" (The light at the end of the tunnel) that is more relaxed and shines for his perfect mix of jazz and classical influences.

The last track "Nato" (Born) is credited as a "bonus track" and features the special guest Lino Vairetti from Osanna on vocals. It's a wonderful piece that deals with a strong sense of nostalgia for a lost emotion that was born from a thought or maybe from a kiss, or a lie, a tune, a sound, a poem, a sin, a shout or just from a moment of madness that now your are trying to find again between a smile and a tear, between the clouds and the stars, in an image or in a deep, cold abyss inside you soul or... wherever you want! It's just a magic moment that fled away and you're still desperately running after it...

On the whole, I think that this is wonderful album and a real must for every Italianprog lover!

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/ArtiMestieri-official-350403901800455/ 

SOUNDS AND IMAGES

Arti e Mestieri are one of the best known Italian prog bands and have been active since 1973. They come from Turin and were formed on the initiative of Furio Chirico (former drummer of The Trip) who met with keyboardist Beppe Crovella (former member of a band called The Mystics) and four musicians from a jazz rock band called Il Sogno di Archimede, Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Giovanni Vigliar (violin, vocals), Marco Gallesi (bass) and Arturo Vitale (sax, vibraphone). In 1974 they released their debut album for the independent label Cramps, “Tilt – Immagini per un orecchio” (Tilt – Images for an ear), a brilliant mix of rock, jazz, classical, Mediterranean influences and melodic passages. The art cover by Gianni Sassi, featuring a flying funnel in a blue sky among white clouds, in some way describes the overall sound of this work where many influences floating in the air are caught and channelled through this conical utensil with a narrow tube at its apex to be blended and conveyed on the tracks of the album.

The title of the instrumental opener “Gravità 9,81” (Gravity 9.81) is inspired by the formula of the law of gravity. Ignoring air resistance, an object falling freely near the Earth’s surface increases its velocity at 9.81 m/s (32.2 ft/s or 22 mph) for each second of its descent. As gravitation causes dispersed matter to coalesce, on this track the creativity of the band perfectly blends the Mediterranean touches of colour evoked by the violin with a pulsing rhythm section and a jazzy sax solo. This piece is now an authentic trademark of the band.

Next comes “Strips”, where the dreamy, romantic mood of the music contrasts with the bitter disenchantment of the lyrics condemning a reality of empty conventions, of absurdities filling your head, of languid songs and artists whispering useless words, of faded stories about planets, wizards and gods... 

 

“Corrosione” (Corrosion) is a kind of short bridge leading to the beautiful instrumental “Positivo/Negativo” (Positive/Negative) where an initial solar, dreamy part, featuring acoustic guitar and violin, gives way to a second part full of energy, featuring a great rhythm section and good electric guitar work.

“In cammino” (Walking) is another excellent instrumental that opens with a melancholic sax introduction, then the rhythm takes off and the melancholy melts into joyful passages where the members of the band showcase their musicianship. On the original LP it was the last track of side A.

Arti e Mestieri 1974

Next comes the short instrumental “Farenheit”, where the rhythm goes slowly up as the temperature of a thermometer introducing “le plat de resistance” of the album, the long, complex suite “Articolazione” (Articulation), a piece about the need to live the present facing reality. There’s no time you can waste waiting dreaming for better days while Death is leading to the grave all her dear lovers... “It’s not because you think you have understood / That your future is going to change / In the mirror you must see / What is harder to see...”.

The experimental “Tilt”, almost an example of “musique concrète”, concludes an excellent album where the music flows away without weak moments.

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

 

ON THE BORDER

Procession are an Italian prog band from Turin that was formed in 1972. In their debut album, “Frontiera” the line-up featured Gianfranco Gaza (vocals, harmonica), Angelo Girardi (bass, electric mandolin), Marcello Capra (electric and acoustic guitar), Giancarlo Capello (drums, percussion) and Roby Munciguerra (electric and acoustic guitar). The album was recorded in just a week in Rome and was released on the Help label. The music alternates hard, raw passages with electric guitars in the forefront to delicate, reflective atmospheres where acoustic passages prevail. It’s a concept album that deals with the problem of immigration from Southern Italy to the North and its industrialized cities like Turin or Milan. The lyrics were written by Marina Comin, the same lyricist as Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno’s “Per... un mondo di cristallo”.

Procession 1972

The opener “Ancora una notte” (One more night) starts with an acoustic guitar arpeggio, then the electric guitar and the rhythm section bring in a dark sense of impending change. The lyrics describe the last night of an emigrant before leaving his native village for the big city and an uncertain destiny... “One more night and the train will set off / But in this last night I can’t sleep / I’ve waited too long for this day / Now I’m scared / I fear that my life could end there...”. The body is going to leave but the roots are not yet broken and this contrast is underlined by the music.

“Uomini e illusioni” (Men and illusions) starts with a fiery electric tarantella (that could recall PFM’s “E’ festa”). The lyrics describe the train carrying its burden of men and illusions while running through Italy, from South to North, men who feel strangers in their own Homeland... “I will have to live my life / Like a clown compelled to smile / Even when his son is dying / I can’t show any pain...”.

“Città grande” (Big city) opens with a delicate acoustic arpeggio, the music and lyrics describe the arrival in the big city and the feeling of pain for family and home left behind, the struggle for a job, then the feeling of hope for a better world and society where people can survive without leaving home... “Big city I’m here... I left my mother, my girlfriend and perhaps my joy to live / But hope makes me go on / And I will live of hope...”.

“Incontro” (Meeting) is a joyful ballad featuring strummed acoustic guitar and flute. The music and lyrics describe the meeting between the protagonist and a boy about twenty years old. The boy talks about friendship, love, freedom and equality... “We’re all alike / You can find a thousand friends / If you look for them with your heart / There are no limits / If you live in love...”.

“Anche io sono un uomo” (I’m a man as well) is a delicate, melancholic track about equality and awareness. The protagonist thanks the boy for the new hope but then there arises an awareness that not everyone thinks in the same way... “How many people treat me like a man and don’t judge me? / How many people understand that I’m a man like you?”.

The long, complex “Un mondo di libertà” (A world of freedom) is more aggressive. It starts softly but then fiery electric guitars start storming enraged notes. Then the vocals come in while the tension slackens... “You have lost your freedom / But I’m not speaking with you just out of pity / There’s a whole world around you that loves you like me / It’s true that everyone here minds just his own business / But you are a man and you’ll find your way...”. The lyrics are a kind of sermon against resignation, all in all every place is the same and life is not so bad...

“Solo 1” (Alone) begins as an electric rock and roll... “Alone again, alone again in the big city / You look around you / Trying to understand where to go...”. Then rock and roll melts into something very different and moody...

“Un ombra che vaga” (A wandering shadow) begins with hard guitar riffs shaping a troubled, desperate mood... Then comes a sudden change of atmosphere and acoustic guitar and vocals describe what seems to be just a wandering shadow, a living ghost... “Your future life is like a dark shadow / You see your hopes in the eyes of the night / Houses seem big but they are colourless / You would like to be at home / But you can’t come back....”. Then, on “Solo 2” rock and roll and loneliness are back for another desperate ride in the big city... “Alone again, alone again in the big city / You look around you / Trying to understand where to go...”.

Hopes and disappointments, rage and love, friendship and loneliness, hard rock and acoustic passages... On the whole a very good album with good ideas and some ingenuity. Well, now the wish to go away from the hectic city life rises... “Away from here, away from here!”.

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