Hailing
from the province of Venice, Sezione Frenante began life in the early
seventies under the name Le Nuove Dimensioni, later changed into the
current name. During the seventies they hadn't the chance to record
an album and split up in 1978, when the interest for progressive rock
was fading. In 2006 the band reformed on the initiative of three
founder members and in 2014 Sezione Frenante finally released a debut
album on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a line up
featuring Alessandro Casagrande (drums, percussion), Sandro Bellemo
(bass), Doriano Mestriner (gutars, vocals), Mirco De Marchi
(keyboards, vocals) and Francesco Nardo (lead vocals) plus the guest
Antonio Zullo (acoustic guitar). This long awaited album is entitled
Metafora di un viaggio - Arditi voli di cervelli attenti and
is a conceptual work, vaguely inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, that describes in music and words a cathartic
journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope... The overall
sound draws on vintage atmospheres and could recall bands such as Le
Orme, Metamorfosi, Procession or Alphataurus but the musicians
managed to put into the mix all their passion, their experience and
their personality with excellent results and the album is really
worth listening to.
The
opener "La quiete in un attimo" (Peace in a while) starts
by pulsing bass lines and dreamy passages that seem to mark the
transition into an hypnotic state of unconsciousness. The music and
lyrics evoke a moment of quiet where you can think and get lost into
your dreams. Now you're almost floating on the current of your
thoughts, between life and death... The dark organ surge of the
following "La meta non trovata" (The unfounded destination)
announces a dangerous journey through a realm of shadows where you're
surrounded by shapeless things and faded visions. Eventually, your
aimless wandering takes you in front of a high white door that blocks
your way... Then a surreal calm comes down and "La meta non
trovata (curiosità di essere)" (The unfounded destination -
Curiosity of being) describes curiosity and fear seizing your throat.
Your brain doesn't work, you can't think anymore...
Next
comes "Attesa" (Waiting), a short instrumental that
describes the time you pass in doubt, waiting in front of the white
door while the following "Passaggio" (Passage) is another
short instrumental describing the moment of the crossing of that
strange threshold. It leads to "Viscido ambiente" (Slimy
place) that describes a gloomy world inhabited by icy shadows without
brain, a world where there's no peace. You can feel a sense of void
spreading all around you and even inside your heart, there's nothing
but hate here, you have to feed on it... The following "Pace
immaginata" (Fancied peace) describes the crossing of this bleak
world with its threatening panoramas. Every now and again some flames
break through the darkness and shapeless beings disappear into the
void, swallowed by black waves. You can perceive unknown shadows
sucking your blood like parasites, driving you insane... At last you
see a corridor and something pushes you in the right direction,
towards the light at the end of the tunnel, towards a shelter...
At
the sound of a bell, "Quattro stelle" (Four stars) welcomes
you to a very different world of ethereal lights and sapphire skies.
The four stars of the title refer to the four cardinal virtues that
now show your way: prudence, justice, temperance and courage. Then a
church-like organ passage drives you on the footsteps of a Love song
while delicate melodies blow away the shadows of hell and their
gloomy omens. A new hope is beating in your chest, you can see around
you sinners who repent and start climbing a steep hill leading to a
better dream...
Next
comes "Nota stonata" (Discordant note) that describes in
music and words a kind of Garden of Eden where you can find a perfect
harmony. But someone is singing out of tune in the angelic choir,
there's a soul down below that, pushed by human virtue, seeks for
something that is not perfect at all. This soul is looking for the
unknown, for great passions inspired by pagan muses, for never ending
adventures and strong emotions...
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| Sezione Frenante 2014 |
The
long, complex closer "Svegiati luce" (Wake up light)
conjures up apocalyptic visions of exiled souls that have been
waiting for a thousand years on the banks of the river Lethe. They're
still waiting for boarding on the divine wooden ship that would take
them across the river. It's a long, silent queue of uncertain spirits
looking for a guide to lead them to a place where peace rules, a
kingdom of light that will melt the shadows and dry the tears, where
the sun rises like a blade of fire spreading its thaumaturgical
strength all over creation...
On
the whole, this is a very interesting album. Of course, seventies
influences loom large over this work and it might not shine for
originality but its mystical lyricism and its powerful and engaging
musical colours make of it a real treat for Italianprog lovers. So,
if you like modern progressive rock that’s based on classic Italian
prog, you really have to check this band out.
Sezione
Frenante: Metafora di un viaggio (2014). Other opinions:
Michael
"Aussie-Byrd-Brother": "Metafora di un Viaggio"
gets Sezione Frenante's belated studio recording career off to a
great start, and the results have been more than worth the wait. A
mix of pleasing melodic tunes and subtle, restrained but quietly
thrilling instrumental moments, with a very joyful quality constantly
present really makes this album shine brightly. Hopefully we see the
band build on their efforts here with more recordings in the near
future! (read the complete review HERE)
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