PURE GENESIS STYLE

Hailing from Milan, The Watch came to life in 2000 from the ashes of another band called The Night Watch. In fact, when the members of The Night Watch parted ways vocalist Simone Rossetti did not give up and gathered around him a brand new group of musicians to play Genesis covers and some original tracks in the same style. In 2001 the new band released an interesting debut album on the independent Lizard Records label with a line up featuring Simone Rossetti (vocals, flute, tambou), Simone Stucchi (programming), Roberto Leoni (drums, percussion), Gabriele Manzini (keyboards), Valerio Vado (electric and acoustic guitar) and Marco Schembri (bass, acoustic guitar) plus Sergio Taglioni (piano, organ, Moog, synthesizers) and Gino Menichini (additional keyboards). The music is in pure Genesis style, yet not without a personal touch. The artwork is taken from an old architecture printing, Prospettiva of Vignola, 1642...

The opener “DNAlien” is a piece about the risks of technology and the consequences that can befall humanity if people choose the most convenient, seemingly safe, path to fulfil their desires. The prevalence of aesthetics over the substance of things and feelings can lead to alienation, just as the prevalence of silence over words...

“The Ghost And The Teenager” is not a Gothic tale but a piece dealing with the unstoppable tendency of teenagers to get into trouble by following bad advice, such as drunk driving. In this case, the ghost is the bad advisor lurking in the depths of the mind of a teenager seeking reckless thrills, with all the dangers that come with them...

“Heroes” is the caustic portrait of a cynical, vain rock star who acts like an Olympian deity on stage, smiling at journalists and audiences, convinced he was chosen by God among all men to play his role... The next track, “Moving Red”, is a surreal description of a frenetic bus ride with a nightmarish atmosphere. Eventually the protagonist arrives in a town. Now he's under the spotlights to put on a show that captivates the audience. But if harmony and balance aren't strong enough the result could be a mess...

The short and melancholic “Riding The Elephant” contains a pinch of electronics and paints, albeit with somewhat hermetic tones, the figure of a young woman who manages to hide her wounds from the eyes of the people and to overcome a traumatic and difficult family situation by hiding her shyness with bold looks...

The final track, “...And The Winner Is...”, is a long piece in pastel shades where old, dusty, cobweb-filled canvases describe the passage of time and the complexity of human actions, which accumulate to form a surreal and enchanted landscape. The waves of time, with years and years of accumulated life and experiences, sculpt forms and feelings, years and years serving to shape the secret of human nature. The charm of a mysterious woman or that of a city derives from the intensity of overlapping and intersecting experiences. In the background, the city of Venice is dying, swallowed up by canals of wine and slowly succumbing to the unstoppable wear and tear of its houses built on poisonous pylons, following the rhythm of the tides...

On the whole, a perfect exercise of style that deserves its place in a prog collection.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.thewatchmusic.net/

https://www.facebook.com/thewatchprogband

THROUGH THE FIRE

Petali di fuoco is La Maschera di Cera’s fourth studio album and was released in 2009 on the independent Immaginifica label, produced by Franz Di Cioccio. It features a renewed line up featuring Alessandro Corvaglia (vocals), Maurizio Di Tollo (drums, percussion, guitar), Agostino Macor (keyboards), Andrea Monetti (flute), Matteo Nahum (guitars) and Fabio Zuffanti (bass, bass pedals). It is a remarkable work in which compositional skill and visionary poetry give life to musical structures and melodic lines of absolute beauty, using vintage sounds and atmospheres to evoke timeless themes and emotions...

The beautiful and heartfelt opening track, "Fino all'aurora" (Until Dawn), is a song of hope and rebirth dedicated to all those who find the strength to live by resisting life's tragedies. The music and lyrics describe the furious force of the sea battering a coastal town, causing death and devastation. At dawn, the protagonist's world no longer exists, swept away along with the faces and smiles of loved ones swallowed up by the night. Past and future of the protagonist vanished in an instant. But now it's time to rebuild on the rubble and blood to continue living...

“D-Sigma” is the snapshot of an emotional short circuit where the delirious protagonist feels lost in the crowd. His heart is pounding while his world is falling apart. He experiences a timeless nostalgia while visions of burning cathedrals rising into the sky and trains departing for the cosmos appear in his mind...

The calm and dreamy “4.18” is a short instrumental piece for solo acoustic guitar, written and performed by drummer Maurizio Di Tollo. It's a pleasant interlude that precedes the emotional storm of the next track, “Discesa” (Descent), an intense and rhythmically complex piece that describes a transcendental experience. The protagonist approaches the centre of a room and a trapdoor opens before him. He looks into the void where he sees a white vortex and at the bottom of the spiral a forest of arms reaching out to grab him. The protagonist loses his balance and falls down. In the abyss, the protagonist frees himself from his social conditioning and completely loses all sense of time and space. The arms of Time cradle him and free him from fear and pain, giving him an infinite sense of freedom and peace. But suddenly the white light disappears and the protagonist finds himself in the dark, surrounded by mirrors, with a strong sense of anguish growing within him...

“Between Two Petals of Fire” is a beautiful, slow piece, rich in nuances, that opens with the sound of an acoustic guitar arpeggio. The atmosphere is dreamy and tinged with melancholy. The music and lyrics describe the protagonist, a man lost in the fog, tired and blank-eyed, feeling as if time has stopped around him. Suddenly, a still white light appears before him. Confused, the protagonist tries to touch the light, but it eludes him. He chases after it and feels alive again. Seeing itself being chased, the light stops, and in the darkness something comes to life. A dance between two petals of fire. The protagonist follows the light through the flames in an endless embrace. Finally, the light soars toward the sky and vanishes...

“L’inganno” (The deception) opens with a dark bass line. It's a beautiful song where music and lyrics describe the tormented awakening of the protagonist, a man dissatisfied with his reality who seeks refuge in dreams. After a night spent chasing his dreams, his dark room appears to him like an illusion the next morning and he doesn't recognise his own face in the mirror: in the dream, he was a different man. Now his hands move in the void, digging in the mud in search of someone and something that isn't there. Eventually, reality and the present of his imploding world can no longer restrain him as he flies back toward the dream...

“Agli uomini che sanno già volare” (To the men who already know how to fly) is a delicate ballad drenched in melancholic sweetness. Here, the music and lyrics evoke a dying father's final message to his son. Now his place is among the stars, invisible but finally free and without regrets. His is a farewell that isn't eternal and at the same time a warning to his son not to give up in the face of life's difficulties...

“Il declino” (The decline) is a visionary and cryptic piece that describes the passage of time and the slow decline of a once-powerful man, now withered and mad, for whom the end of his earthly journey seems almost a liberation. The music, especially the piano parts, can at times recall Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, but the compositional skills are remarkable and never fall into overly predictable stylistic devices. This piece is seamlessly linked to the following track, “Phoenix”, where the music seems to convey a breath of optimism and a hope of rebirth...

The final track, “La notte trasparente” (The Transparent Night), is another excellent piece describing a man trapped between the mirrors of his room, waiting for someone or something that can give him back the world that was his and helping him emerge from a deep personal crisis. The music and lyrics intertwine to embroider the emotions of a real dream that can set the protagonist free...

On the whole, a great album and a must-have for every Italianprog lover!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

La Maschera di Cera: Petali di fuoco (2009). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: Flawless playing and superb production, but ultimately an album experience that fails to truly excite me. Despite the positive attributes this album is beautiful and safe at the expense of the gritty and unpredictable elements that make Italian prog rock so fantastic. This is a good album in so many ways and most people are going to wonder how I can criticize it. I really can't other than to call it a taste issue. RPI fans should check this out and many should be pleasantly surprised, but this listener finds the experience a bit middle of the road... (Read the complete review HERE)

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PROUDLY DERIVATIVE

 Acqua Fragile took form in Parma in 1971 under the name Gli Immortali. After some personnel changes and a good live activity, in 1973 the band released their eponymous debut album on the Numero Uno label, produced by PFM and Claudio Fabi with a line up featuring Bernardo Lanzetti (vocals, guitar), Gino Campanini (electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Maurizio Mori (keyboards, vocals), Franz Dondi (bass) and Pier Emilio Canavera (drums, acoustic guitar, vocals). The overall sound of this work is proudly derivative, based on excellent vocal harmonies and obvious musical influences from bands like Genesis and Gentle Giant. Unlike most Italian bands of the early 1970s, Acqua Fragile chose to sing in English rather than in their native language and oddly enough, the original album inner sleeve doesn't feature the English lyrics but only their Italian translation...

The opening track, "Morning Comes", is a reflection on time passing by. Each morning the daylight sweeps away all dreams, the light streams in through the window, killing the shadows and freeing up space for the daily grind. The Genesis influence here is more than evident. Then comes "Comic Strips", a nice piece about the potential of comic book art and its ability to stir the imagination. It's another exercise of style, this time drawing inspiration from Gentle Giant. The acoustic, West Coast ballad "Science Fiction Suite" closes the first side of the original LP, taking you on a surreal journey to Mars and beyond. The main sources of inspiration here are the blue eyes of Judy and CS&N...

Side two opens with the dreamy and nostalgic "Song From A Picture", inspired by a photograph and featuring Genesis influences once again. The following track, "Education Story", initially leans more toward Crimson atmospheres before taking a different course. "Going Out" is a short acoustic ballad that invites you to find the right mood to leave home and embark on a journey to Venice, Redwood or any where you like. The last track of the album is the long "Three Hands Man", which describes a dangerous individual disguised as a businessman. It's probably the most accomplished track of the entire batch, albeit with the usual clear reminiscences of Genesis and Gentle Giant...

On the whole, a work that is certainly pleasant but not exactly essential.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Acqua Fragile: Acqua Fragile (1973). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: This album has some nice music and melodies, but please be aware this is not a true RPI album. It is a collection of impostor originals from the English prog scene, sounding ridiculously like period Genesis, Yes, Giant, and Crimson in various places. Vocals are in English and there is not much Italian tradition or even RPI style in the music or performance. If you don't care about that, read on for what they do get right: some nice songs... (read the complete review HERE)

Paul Fowler: A criticism sometimes levelled at the band is their lack of an authentic Italian sound. This is true as their sound has a much more British feel and parallels can be drawn with early Genesis and Gentle Giant in particular. However taken on its own terms, this, their eponymous debut released in 1973 is a very good album and well worth seeking out. They make good use of vocal harmonies bringing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to mind, perfectly illustrated on Science Fiction Suite... (read the complete review HERE)