THE MINSTREL AND THE GHOST

Castrum Zumellarum is Favravola’s second studio album and was released in 2024 on the independent Lizard Records label with a renewed line up featuring Giancarlo Nicorelli (keyboards, piano, narrative vocals), Adriano Durighetto (bass), Paolo Coltro (drums), Alessandro Secchi (vocals), Consuelo Marcon (violin), Gianluca Tassi (electric guitar), Renato Bettello (flute, sax) and Flavio Miotto (acoustic guitar) plus the guests Bianca Luna (vocals) and Sant’Anselmo Choir. This is a pleasant and interesting prog opera with strong melodic shades and symphonic passages with the organ and piano in the foreground, a concept album that tells through music and words a legend linked to the castle of Zumelle, located in the province of Belluno. The art cover by Marta De Martin and the picture in the booklet try to give a visual form to the musical content...

“Anno Domini DXXXV”, the short opening piece, features the sound of a church organ and a choir. A narrator, the voice of a ghost appearing on the castle walls, introduces the story. The choir sings Latin verses that recall the castle's construction. The following piece, “Anno del Signore 2024”, brings us back to the present with Italian lyrics and a ballad that also recalls the legend of the castle's construction... The Castle of Zumelle rises up on the top of a hill with a sheer drop down to the river Terche.... A combination of history and legend recounts that the main centre was rebuilt and enlarged by the Goths (the work of Genseric) around 540 AD... Genseric was a mysterious character and the right-hand man to Amalasuntha, queen of the Ostrogoths. After the tragic death of the sovereign, killed on an island on Lake Bolsena by assassins sent by her husband Theodahad, Genseric fled to the north with Eudosia, a lady-in-waiting, whom he married and with whom he settled down in the district of Mel... Legend goes on to tell of two twins, from which the place name Zumelle is derived, who were born from Genseric and Eudosia (from the official website of the Castle - link).

Zumelle Castle

In any case, as the narrator points out, the story told here is not about the love between Genseric and Eudosia. In fact, the castle is linked to another legend and is said to have been haunted by a ghost for centuries. This is said to be the spirit of Count Murcimiro, in love with the beautiful Atleta, daughter of Tucherio. Legend has it that, during the Longobard reign of Liutprand in the VIIIth century, Murcimiro, madly in love with Atleta, who was destined by her father for another man, decided to kidnap her and take her to the castle of Zumelle. His father-in-law never accepted his daughter's relationship with the count and, at the right moment, took revenge for the outrage by killing Murcimiro. The next piece, “Murcimiro”, introduces the character of Count Murcimiro, giving him voice. The piece begins with just piano and violin, a slow pace and a melancholic, dreamy atmosphere. Murcimiro gazes out over the landscape from the top of his castle tower. Then the rhythm picks up and Murcimiro recalls being a young knight of twenty and how people admired him for his successes in jousting tournaments. His lance always at rest, his heart unshaken, his heart unshaken. He also won at Castel d'Ardo when he saw Tucherio's daughter for the first time. Then the rhythm slackens and the atmosphere becomes bittersweet as Murcimiro recalls his flame's smile, how he fell madly in love with her and how he damned himself for love...

The next track, “Atleta”, gives voice to the female protagonist of the legend, masterfully performed by Bianca Luna. The rhythm is calm and dreamy, Atleta walks in silence breathing in memories that fill her mind with sweet thoughts. She recalls the moment she saw Murcimiro on his steed, smiling at her, opening her heart and transforming her soul into a song of love. Then comes a vocal duet, melodic and romantic, in which Atleta's memories intertwine with Murcimiro's, evoking the dream of a love that reality seemed destined to smother. The piece ends with the two lovers' resolution to do anything to make their dream of love come true, even if it means going through hell...

“L’attesa” (The waiting), with its nervous rhythm, portrays in music and words Murcimiro in his castle, scanning the horizon in the throes of his passion as the days pass by empty. Even the wind that ruffles his hair seems to speak to him of that seemingly impossible love that is becoming a nightmare for him. Perhaps it isn't right, but now the decision to take Atleta by force, to free her from the fate of an unwanted marriage and make her his, grows stronger and stronger...

“Il rapimento” (The kidnapping) is a long, complex piece describing Murcimiro's feelings and reflections before his beloved's kidnapping. The vocals attempt to express his anger, his love, and his ever-growing determination. Murcimiro rebels against Atleta's father's decision to marry her off to an old man. He is determined to fight fate to have his beloved with him and he refuses to give up until he sees her smile shine again. The decision is made. By the time Tucherio discovers what has happened, it is too late. The lyrics do not describe the action or the bloody battle which is left to the listener's imagination (legend tells that Atleta's brother, Orleo, was killed during the kidnapping)...

“L’amore conquistato con la spada” (Love won by the sword) is a calm, dreamy ballad that opens with a delicate piano part reminiscent of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. The song expresses all the sweetness of Murcimiro, who, having obtained what he so desired, leaves behind his anger and seems reborn like the sun after the night. The poignant interpretation and melodic lines clash with the turmoil of emotions that brought the two lovers together after the act of force. We hear the regret for the violence that was necessary and the hope for a love that will soon bear the fruit of a new life...

According to the legend, Tucherio, blinded by grief and desire for revenge, repeatedly armed an army and laid siege to the castle of Zumelle, but never managed to conquer it. Not even the marriage between Murcimiro and Atleta and the birth of their son Adelardo could bring him peace. However, one night, taking advantage of a betrayal, he managed to enter the castle. Silent as shadows, his soldiers killed the sentries and anyone else they encountered. Murcimiro died fighting to defend everything that mattered to him. Tucherio, having recovered his daughter and grandson, set fire to the castle and watched it burn. “L’assedio (L’amore ucciso dall’odio)” (The siege - Love killed by hate) gives Murcimiro voice once again and allows us to experience the final moments of his life. The song opens with the image of a crow circling over the castle, a harbinger of doom. Betrayal lurks in the folds of the night's cloak. There are shouts and agitated voices, the battle rages and Murcimiro fights to the bitter end. The enemies are too many and they ultimately prevail. Before dying, Murcimiro asks the court minstrel to sing of his love for Atleta...

The final track, “Canto d’amore di un menestrello” (A minstrel's love song), closes the circle, bringing us back to the beginning of the story. The minstrel, enchanted by Murcimiro's courage and love, composes the notes and verses that recall the figure of the unfortunate lord of Zumelle. Words and notes carved into his heart by love itself and still remembered today. Bianca Luna's voice, this time used just as an instrument, gives the song an ethereal, almost otherworldly atmosphere... The castle of Zumelle was later rebuilt by Tucherio to place Adelardo in charge and the latter, incited by a paternal uncle, killed his grandfather avenging his father's death. However, it is said that the ghost of Murcimiro still wanders the halls of Zumelle, unable to find peace because that mad passion that made him lose everything still burns within him...

On the whole, an excellent work that deserves its place in an Italianprog collection.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Faveravola: Castrum Zumellarum (2024). Other opinions:

Ken Levine: While fans of the grittier less melodic prog forms might balk, if you love the Hammond and its place in the glorious history of rock and prog rock, I'd say it's worth crossing the moat, where the folk and RPI audience will already be waiting for you within... (Read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068431625727#

IN A STRANGE KINGDOM

Le Porte Non Aperte took form in Florence in 2010 thanks to the initiative of Daniele Cancellara and Jacopo Fallai and their passion for the Italian Progressive Rock of the seventies. After a period dedicated to composition, rehearsals and some concerts on the local scene, in 2013 they released their debut album, entitled Golem, on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records, with a line-up including Sandro Parrinello (vocals, piano, acoustic guitar), Marco Brenzini (flute), Jacopo Fallai (electric guitar), Filippo Mattioli (organ, synth, backing vocals) and Giulio Capitano Sieni (drums, percussion) plus the guests Daniele Cancellara (bass), Maria Paula Calderon (vocals), Saeed Aman (vocals) and Sanaz Partow (vocals). According to the liner notes, it is a conceptual work inspired by the "Imprevedibili" movement, a group of anarchist intellectuals rooted in Tuscany in the 60s and 70s and tells the story of a man who, through an introspective journey, tries to free himself from his own conditioning. The colourful art work by Silvia Brullato try to give a visual form to the musical and lyrical content...

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The album begins with a beautiful solo piano passage and background voices. “Preludio al sogno” (Prelude to the dream) is a just a short instrumental introduction that, according to the liner notes in the booklet, codifies the passage into the dream world of the subconscious and serves as an impromptu prelude to the story. The joyful yet decadent atmosphere depicts a fractured human condition within which the story of the Golem is set...

“Il re del niente” (The king of nothing) introduces us to the story's protagonist, played with remarkable energy and strong theatricality. He is a man who feels like a king, but whose kingdom exists only in his mind. His imposing castle has walls made of wind, his loyal subjects are figments of his imagination, but he still feels like a king, albeit a king of nothing. A king who wanders alone in his gardens, a prisoner of his madness...

“La città delle terrazze” (The city of terraces) describes the surreal landscape of the city where the king of nothing rules. Monuments, shopping malls, a breathtaking view that can be enjoyed from the terraces of the houses. However, the inhabitants have lost their joy in life, suffocated by the cumbersome presence of their lord. There are no riots, but the colours fade, the inhabitants have lost their memory and the ability to laugh at themselves. The atmosphere created by the music and lyrics here is truly sharp and neurotic...

“Binario 8” (Platform 8) depicts a crowded train station where long lines of people can be seen waiting to depart towards the unknown to forget their future. After some hesitation, the protagonist trades his dream for a ticket and dashes through the crowd to find a seat on the departing train. On endless tracks, he is following a mirage in search of new emotions and his reality...

A brief drum solo takes us into the hypnotic atmosphere of the next track, “Il vicolo dei miracoli” (The alley of miracles), which leads into the dark alleys of the mind. A voice reminds the protagonist that unpredictability is what separates man from beasts and machines, and that unpredictability is the path to freedom from the slavery of those who speculate on mass opinion. If statistics are used to make predictions, unpredictability makes them go haywire...

Harsh electric guitar riffs and flute notes over a frenzied rhythm introduce “Rigattiere dei sogni infranti” (Junk dealer of broken dreams), a description of the delirious and visionary encounter between the protagonist and his alter ego. This new character offers illusions in exchange for dreams and demands fragments of dream matter from the protagonist in exchange for freedom. The result is a clash between memory and the consciousness of the ego, resulting in a punishment for disrupting the order of the universe...

Le Porte Non Aperte, 2013

The disquieting short instrumental piece that follows, “Nemesi” (Nemesis), according to the liner notes, describes precisely this punishment. Here the liner notes also cite the Isaac Asimov's novel Nemesis as a source of inspiration...

In the long, complex “Oceano - Nel canto della sirena” (Ocean - In the singing of the mermaid) the protagonist finds himself on a creaking wooden boat, sailing aimlessly on the ocean of memories, filled with regret and melancholy. Lost and confused, always searching for an impossible dream and haunted by a siren song that torments and intoxicates him, forgetting all logic, the protagonist finally finds the strength to scream for his freedom...

The atmosphere in “Giardini di sabbia” (Gardens of sand) becomes calm and relaxed with just piano and flute to back the vocals. The protagonist finally lands on a distant island where he can rest. There, in the sand gardens, dreams are free but the ego must face the solitude of thought. The protagonist feels traversed by emptiness, unable to grasp his dream. He has finally arrived where wings still beat, but the landscape rapidly changes...

The following track is divided into three parts, “Animale del deserto Part I” (Animal of the desert, part I), “La rivolta della tartaruga Elsie” (The revolt of Elsie the tortoise) and “Animale del deserto Part II” (Animal of the desert, part II). The rhythm is tense and nervous as the protagonist finds himself walking and running on sandy paths. All he can see is himself. Time, behind him is smiling. It's a place that, according to the liner notes, is in the meantime ever-changing and contradictory, with a technology that, dominated by man, escapes beyond the limits of emotion. There's room for an encounter with Elsie the turtle, a rarely talkative devourer of light, and amidst contradictions, disjointed conversations, and sudden emergences of the subconscious, the protagonist finally seems to reach the point where he can take off...

Then, the last track, the instrumental “Imprevedibilità” (Unpredictability) describes the protagonist at dawn. He wakes up tiredly and soon discovers that only unpredictability exists...

On the whole, an excellent album, even if the concept might seem a bit convoluted. Anyway, that's exactly what dreams are...

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066665148487#

FROM THE SEVENTIES

Live, as you can guess, is a live album by Genfuoco, a Siena-based group linked to the Gen movement, that was self-produced and released by the band in 2001, over twenty years after the release of their only official studio LP, Dentro l'infinito (1979). It collects some live recordings made between 1976 and 1978 by the line-up comprising Tarcisio Bratto (vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, flute), Franco Cecchi (keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals), Paolo De Luca (electric guitar, harmonica, vocals), Marco Naldini (drums), Marco Scala (percussion), Marco Borgogni (vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Marco Masotti (drums) and Giovanni De Luca (bass). None of the songs presented were included on the 1979 studio work and here you can listen to them for the first time. The quality of the recordings is far from perfect, but it is nevertheless a good document of the band's experience that will be of interest to fans of Italian prog...

The opener “Solo per poco” (Just for a while) is a simple ballad with vaguely Latin flavours that describes a young man feeling sad and lost after a party, but only briefly. Indeed, the young man soon returns to dance on a green meadow for an adventure in the sun: that's where the real party is, a celebration of the communal ideals of peace and freedom...

“Canzone da leggere” (Song to read) is a longer piece, with a more complex rhythm and an interesting interweaving of electric guitar and flute. The atmosphere is dreamy while the hermetic lyrics invite you to follow the path that leads beyond your dream and your walls to seek for stones sculpted by time. You follow it, continuing to retrace your steps on the fallen leaves in a dance of a thousand sounds. Without words or shouts, you untie the ropes that bind your wrists and wash away the dust that dulls your face...

“Dolce momento” (Sweet moment) is a soft ballad led by guitars and vocals that tries to evoke a moment of peace and love lost in memory while the following “Favola vera” (True fairy-tale) is a piece with vague Renaissance references that portrays an old man who told stories and children who listened to those stories to make them the game of life. It reminds me slightly of the Italian singer-songwriter Giorgio Laneve...

Genfuoco in the seventies

“Piccolo sole” (Little sun) is a dreamy, melodic piece that depicts the image of a small flower in the middle of a meadow. The flower, bathed in dew, almost seems to be crying, but once its smile is set free it shines like a little sun...

“Dentro” (Inside) is another slow and dreamy song full of nostalgia where hermetic lyrics juggle between regrets and memories to find people and sensations lost in a day out of time and space...

The album closes with two long instrumental pieces. The first, “Jam Session”, lasts nearly twenty minutes and features influences from ethnic and folk music, tinged with psychedelia and blues. Soft, relaxed atmospheres alternate with more rhythmic, edgy passages... The second, “La suite del vento” (The suite of the wind), features an ethereal atmosphere and some good flute parts. At times, it reminds me of Delirium's first album, Dolce Acqua...

On the whole, a still immature work, but not lacking in interesting ideas.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Genfuoco/

INVISIBLE FIRE

Genfuoco are an Italian prog band that was formed in Tuscany in the early seventies. The members of the band were linked to the Gen Movement, a Christian movement founded in 1967 by Chiara Lubich to promote among young people from all over the world a peaceful revolution able to change hearts first and then to change society bringing everywhere the spirit of the gospels. Genfuoco started playing covers of other bands linked to the Gen Movement as Gen Rosso but later they managed to shape their own sound writing original songs in a progressive rock style that could recall bands as PFM, BMS or Le Orme, with a good use of flute and sax. The line-up featured Marco Borgogni (vocals, flute, guitar), Tarcisio Bratto (sax, guitar), Franco Cecchi (keyboards), Paolo De Luca (guitar), Giovanni De Luca (bass) and Marco Naldini (drums). They had a good live activity all over Europe in the “Genfest circuit” and, after a self-produced demo-tape called “Antichi confini”, in 1979 they released an interesting album for the Catholic label Città Nuova, “Dentro l’invisibile” (Inside the invisible). The album was mainly distributed through Catholic bookshops and almost completely “out of the market”. Luckily the independent record label Mellow Records re-released the album on CD in 1992. The sound quality is not perfect, nonetheless the music is really worth listening to...

The calm, dreamy instrumental opener “Ouverture” sets the atmosphere. It begins with a solemn marching beat, then pastoral acoustic passages and delicate melodies played by keyboards, electric guitar, sax and flute follow in a perfectly balanced way...

“Dalla tana” (From the burrow) is darker and disquieting. It describes a strange dream, a stroll through a blurred past where ancient scimitars on the stones of a temple reflect the light and mummies lurk in the shade. “I painted with my thoughts / What the dark lacks...”.

The reflective “Traspare” (It shines through) is about the ephemeral values of everyday life and the need to look for a more spiritual way of life... “Who are you? / Things turn around you... It shines through / Night and day / You leave your footprints on the sand / Well, they are already vanishing into eternity / Forever...”.

“Terra promessa” (Promised Land) is a complex track in two parts, inspired by the Holy Bible... “On the sand / In the silence / The infinity is a breath that goes / A few men are staring / They are walking on their footprints / The night is falling / Slow steps, hopes and distress / Tears in the void / Many years have passed by / And sweat dug the faces / But they keep on walking...”. Never give up! Beyond the hills a virgin land and a new story is waiting... A percussion passage with a Latin flavour seems to set a happy end for people who don’t lose hope...

Next comes the meditative “Galassie” (Galaxies). The music starts softly, featuring acoustic guitar and a soaring sax solo, then the rhythm takes off. The lyrics invite you to the contemplation of the stars and constellations under a sky of glass. Just try to think about the mysteries of the cosmos... “Lost in paradise / Hanging in space / We’re walking in a fabulous reality... Now we’re gliding below / We fall into a vortex / We’re getting lost in the dark / The dream is coming to an end... Let’s take back our time!”.

“La serenata del fiume” (The serenade of the river) is a beautiful acoustic ballad that streams away in a fairy tale atmosphere. Once upon a time the Earth was generous and the water pure... “Like water that flows relaxed on the river / And dance while carried away / He will gather all the flowers for you / The flowers on the bank that have the same colour as the moon...”.

Last comes the title track “Dentro l’invisibile” (Inside the invisible), my favourite piece on this album. It begins with a spacey flavour, as if coming from the dark side of the moon... “Here you are / The King is there / Fragile flower in a muddy desert / In the night, alone, without anything / Hanging in the emptiness of the cosmos... It’s the absurd, the separation, the cry, the scream / Loneliness, moments of death... Who will be able to read in the invisible? / Who will sit on the throne of deliverance? / Who will dig beyond the abyss of the ego / And then will find himself inside us?”. Well, the influence of Pink Floyd here is clear but the band managed to shape an original, intense track full of spirituality.

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

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Genfuoco/

SAD SUN

The Ikan Method is a project based in Alessandria, Piedmont, that came to life in 2019 on the initiative of drummer and composer Luca Grosso (who previously collaborated with Projecto, Narrow Pass, Marcello Chiaraluce, The Rome Pro(g)ject and others). Their debut album, inspired by bands such as Marillion, IQ and early Genesis, is entitled Blue Sun and was released in 2020 on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash Records label with a line up featuring along with Luca Grosso himself (drums, keyboards) also Marcello Chiaraluce (guitar), Davide Garbarino (vocals) and Fabio Zunino (bass) plus the guests Piergiorgio Abba (keyboards) and Giacomo Grosso (flute). According to the official website, the title of the album refers to a concept that encompasses all the alienation and unease of a world that has become enslaved by technology, where the individual is isolated from each other, in a sort of ‘golden cage’ where solitude reigns...

The first track, “The Great Opening”, is a caustic piece that describes in music and words the spectacle of the commodification of one's dreams. It takes us to the inauguration of a new temple of modern society, a huge shopping mall. There one can wander freely among the crowd under the lights, forgetting anger and frustration, and it doesn't matter if it's raining outside! There, it's always spring and everyone can find everything they desire in exchange for their savings. And if their savings aren't enough, they can buy on credit... Welcome to the show!

“The Journey” is a beautiful instrumental piece that alternates dark and alienating atmospheres with bursts of furious energy and electric tension and leads us to following “No More Lies” that portrays a man in front of the television, overwhelmed by images of catastrophes and wars around the world. He wonders what kind of world we will leave to the future generations if we continue to greedily consume all available resources, thinking that we enjoy life without realising that we just bring death. We think we are free, but in reality we're nothing but slaves to a machine that never stops turning. We need the illusion of an enemy to hate and we are no longer able to think. Eventually, the protagonist falls asleep and is overcome by sadness, fed up with weapons, words, tears and lies...

“The Long Way To Madness” is another good instrumental piece, rhythmically intense and in line with what the title suggests. It brings us to “The Storm”, a long and complex piece divided into three parts. The first part is a brief, calm and dreamy instrumental introduction titled "The Grand Illusion Of Life". It is followed by a long central section, titled "The Calm Before The Storm", where the music and lyrics describe an approaching storm, metaphorically referring to life: an unexpected and violent event capable of unsettle the protagonist's life, who must now prove himself strong. The description of this event is left to the instrumental coda, titled "The Storm"...

“Golden Cage” describes the protagonist's reflections on the illusion of freedom when we're constantly busy and immersed in the daily routine of the life we ​​think we've chosen. In truth, it's difficult to escape the control of those in charge, and we end up moving between different scenarios, all within a golden cage to which we don't have the keys and from which we can't escape. Thus, we waste our time waiting for something that will never come and we realise too late that the time to make our dreams come true has already passed... Next comes “Time Lost”, a beautiful instrumental piece drenched in regret and nostalgia with a flamboyant finale that might recall Genesis...

The title track, “Blue Sun”, is an instrumental piece in a melancholic vein that leads to “Changes”. The final piece starts with a delicate piano intro and marks the protagonist's awakening after a restless sleep, pervaded by a sense of loneliness and confusion. Slowly, the images of his nightmares fade, giving way to a sense of confusion. The protagonist feels that something has changed in him and finally finds the strength to move forward, supported by the love of his children...

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

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.theikanmethod.com/