Hailing from Milan, Cinema Styge took recently form on the initiative of Gianluca Bonelli (vocals, guitar) and Stefano Sabbatino (bass) later joined by Luca Montone (drums, percussion) and Andrea Gobbo (piano, organ, synthesizers). All the members of the band share the same passion for the prog scene of the seventies, passion that is reflected in the original material they compose and perform. In 2023 the band self-released an interesting debut album, entitled Tra di noi (Among us), where they mix vintage sounds and the freshness of their own musical ideas. In my opinion, to appreciate this work you have to step into the art cover like Alice going through the looking-glass and plunge into the dark landscapes of an unsettling dream where nothing stays steady...
The complex, excellent opener “Si sa mai che” (You never know what) takes you on the banks of an infernal river for a surreal quest to the tree of evil, a monstrous, threatening weeping willow. Once found the tree, the protagonists will have to struggle to cut it down and let it sink into the waters of the Styx...
On the following “Rivelazione” (Revelation) we can hear the voice of the immortal tree that’s desperately shaking its thousand branches and fronds and looks for a way out from the damnation of the eternal flames of hell. Then the music and lyrics evoke the images of souls lost in the waters of a raging river of pain and a desperate desire to escape from a dream that’s turning into a nightmare...
“Come allora” (Like then) starts softly as the music and lyrics bring us unpleasant reminders of a grim memory. The borders between life and death seam to get blurred while love burns and wears your body out, your pride bends reaching the breaking point and the need to hang on reality fades out leading to the short instrumental “Esme”...
Another short instrumental, “Cosmofobia, Part I”, introduces the acoustic, melancholic “Spettro del profeta” (Prophet’s spectre) where the music and lyrics conjure up images of melting glaciers and raging waves on the sea while flames of madness lighten the darkness to give voice to an infernal cosmic silence... The rhythm rises with the following “Cosmofobia, Part II”, a piece evoking new horizons and the charm of unknown territories to explore in a new dream...
“Bus Carillon” ends the album taking you on a kind of dark, psychedelic trip across an ocean of stars in a magic bus where freedom dances at the rhythm of a strange carillon. Eventually shadows melt and you get lost in the sky, far away from planet earth and reality...
On the whole, a very good work that deserves a try.
La Cruna del Lago took form in
2021 in Barberino Val d'Elsa, near Florence, Tuscany, on
the initiative of four experienced musicians previously involved in
other projects: Andrea Bruni (drums, backing vocals), Matteo Tuci
(bass), Pino Polistina (guitars, vocals) and Carmelo Junior Arena
(lead vocals, keyboards). In particular, Andrea Bruni, Pino Polistina
and Carmelo Junior Arena were part of Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s
line up that in 2018 recorded the live album Contaminazione 2.0,
so it’s no wonder that the sound of this new project mainly draws
on seventies influences although with a modern touch. The band soon
started composing original pieces and in 2022 they self-released a
very interesting debut album entitled Schiere di sudditi
(Hosts of subjects) showcasing great musicianship and good
songwriting skills. According to the band, it’s a committed concept
album dealing with the consequences of a declining society where
there are still people who refuse the conformism and keep on fighting
for their freedom. The art work by Carmelo Junior Arena and Piera
Arena tries to give an idea of the musical and lyrical content...
The
excellent opener “Giostra” (Carousel) evokes an irrepressible
desire of freedom. The music and words conjure up the image of an
inner carousel that spins inside the mind of the protagonist pushing
him to take the long path of the time to come. The wind is blowing
through steps and dust and he tries to see beyond the limit, between
continents of fear and madness, where dark shadows hide hosts of
subjects chained to a new reality...
“La
mantide agnostica” (The agnostic mantis) depicts in music and words
the desire of jumping boldly up like a green mantis to fly over a
world that’s going wrong, suffocated by falsity and oblivion, where
dignity gives way to madness. From the sky, the protagonist now can
see a strange panorama below him. Freedom is in ashes, tyranny and
hypocrisy rule, people blindly follow old formulas and there’s no
room for poetry but the protagonist can still sing and look for
happiness and feels that the hope of a new humanity is going to
rise...
The
melancholic “Illogica distanza” (Illogical distance) is an
acoustic, reflective piece that depicts the crepuscular atmosphere of
a cold, silent winter night where the protagonist is filled with a
strong sense of nostalgia while thinking of his distant sweetheart.
The gloomy present seems crucifying his desires as the wind makes the
fallen leaves merrily dance, then his dreams take off and get lost in
the clouds over the roofs...
The
calm “Interludio” (Interlude) is a delicate instrumental track
that leads to “ElettroDrama”, a piece tinged of electronic sounds
that evokes gloomy visions from a future without freedom. Signals
from the heart, spectral waves and cerebral blackouts are breaking
the thoughts as men are falling into pain, faithless...
La Cruna del Lago 2022
The
aggressive, almost threatening “Stato” (State) features lyrics
revolving about the many meanings of the word state while the
following “Acqua da Marte” (Water from Mars) depicts in music and
words an eternal battle for freedom against a resilient enemy. Under
a pouring rain you the protagonist wonders if the raindrops are just
tears from the sky or water from Mars that can give hope...
A
radio edit version of “Stato” ends this interesting work that is
really worth listening to.