Alienatura
is the second album by Il Tempio delle Clessidre and was released in
2013 on the independent label Black Widow Records with a renewed line
up featuring Elisa Montaldo (keyboards, vocals), Fabio Gremo (bass,
classical guitar, backing vocals), Giulio Canepa (electric and
acustic guitar, backing vocals), Paolo Tixi (dums, backing vocals)
and Francesco Ciapica (vocals). After the excellent eponymous debut
album, the old vocalist Lupo Galifi left the band to join the
reformed Museo Rosenbach and Francesco Ciapica stepped in proving
that in Italy there's no shortage of excellent singers. All the good
qualities of the band's previous album are confirmed here, the
overall sound is a wonderful mix of vintage sounds and new ideas and
all the compositions are convincing and well performed. Somehow
the beautiful art cover by Alessandro Sala depicts in a very
effective way the content of the music and lyrics inviting you to
wander under the moon, looking for the right balance between your
every day life and an alien nature that the contemporary society
can't understand.
 |
| Alienatura - art cover |
The
beautiful opener "Kaze" sets the atmosphere. It's an
instrumental track with a touch of exotic mysticism where you can
hear lost, distant sounds and voices still blowing in the wind. In
fact, kaze is a Japanese word that means wind and the music
flows away with many changes, carrying you from east to west, from
Oriental waves to echoes of native American rites... By the way, on
this track you can hear for a moment the voice of Yoshiko Kase, a
Japanese friend of the band and a passionate prog fan.
Next
comes "Senza colori" (Colourless) that depicts in music and
words a man on the edge of a deep personal crises who reflects about
his past errors. Slowly part of him gets lost in the spiral of time,
his memories get blurred and his hopes melt, suffocated by an
oppressive reality. The mood is dark, but never say never! Even when
his world seems crumbling down his inner will is still pulsing and
pushes him to find a balance to repair what's wrong and to look for
that kind of madness that's called Truth...
 |
| Il Tempio delle Clessidre 2013 |
"Il
passo" (The step) is another great track that describes a man
who's falling down, betrayed by his self confidence and his desire of
adventures. He was walking in the mountains, now he can remember
nothing but the sound of his steps in the void and the wind blowing
around him. He's scared and the night is coming down. Nobody will
find him, lost in a solitary ravine, injured, surrounded by the
desperate roots of the trees and naked rocks. His rage burns inside
his chest as he shouts for the last time... Oh, what a lucky man he
was!
"Fino
alla vetta" (Up to the mountain top) is about hiking in the Alps
and tells in music and words about the spiritual experience of a day
spent in touch with beautiful, breathtaking panoramas, far from the
daily grind. At dawn you can walk to the top breathing fresh air and
listening to the melodic sound of soft rain drops falling on the
trees until you get lost under a spell, led by the moon, free from
the chains of civilization, in harmony with Mother Nature...
On
the dark, nightmarish "Onirica possessione" (Oneiric
possession) the music and lyrics describe in a theatrical way a very
troubled night. As the veil of darkness comes down you fall asleep in
a vortex of obscure thoughts, then your mind begins to fly across
scary, bleak landscapes. You're filled with a strong sense of fear
and risk to get lost, eternal prisoner of your madness and of your
ill dreams. Then you see a creek in a wood and clear water flowing.
Maybe there's another reality, you try to go forward to touch the
illusion of a life after death while your thoughts fall down like autumn
leaves... But soon you realize that your feet are sinking in the
quicksand, the burden of your pain makes you heavy, the curtain opens
and a crazy, dramatic play begins... In the last section you can hear
the suggestive call of a demon and his false promises interpreted by
Elisa Montaldo.
"Notturna"
(Nocturnal) is a short, dreamy piece where you can fully appreciate
Elisa Montaldo lead vocals. Here the music and lyrics depict arcane
rites of cosmic harmony under the moon and a myriad of dancing stars,
an ethereal celebration in honour of a pagan goddess who speaks of
mountains, trees, rocks and of a world where your soul is free to fly
high...
 |
| Elisa Montaldo 2013 |
The
magnificent epic "Il cacciatore" (The Hunter) concludes
this excellent work in a perfect way. It's divided into five parts
and tells the story of a hunter who gets lost in the forest following
the tracks of his pray. He's tired, stranded, injured. Who is the
pray now? When he meets a wolf he's almost helpless, ha can't use his
bow and arrow anymore. But the wolf is merciful and protects him. At
last he repents, he understand that shooting down an innocent life is pointless and cruel. So, he becomes a new man who's finally
aware of the importance of living in a perfect balance with Mother
Nature... Well, a nice fable and another great track!
On
the whole, this is really a wonderful album, full of passionate
melodies, mellow symphonic passages and a pinch of melodramma.
I think that this is a real must for every prog lover! Anyway, judge
by yourselves: you can listen to the complete album HERE
Il
Tempio delle Clessidre: Alienatura (2013). Other opinions:
Paul
Fowler: The sound is rich, warm and full with some incredibly
powerful moments alongside the more reflective elements. After a few
plays the sometimes subtle and complex melodies really grab you. It's
not always immediate but persevere and you'll be rewarded with a
fantastic body of work... (read the complete review HERE)
More
info:
No comments:
Post a Comment