Spectrvm come from Cantù, a town in the province of Como, and their roots date back to 1974 when they took form under the name of Stratus. The first incarnation of the band was active until 1982 but never had the chance to release an album. In 2020, after a long period of hibernation, they came back to life with a new name and a renewed line up featuring Frank Lazzari (vocals, organ, keyboards), Jordan Bozzolan (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Daniele Bozzolan (bass, piano, backing vocals) and Marco Brega (guitars, backing vocals) plus the guest Renato Olivo (vocals, guitar). After a meticulous work in the recording studio, in 2023 they finally released their debut album, entitled Teschio del mondo, on the Terzo Millennio Records label. It’s an interesting work with a strong emphasis on melody that sometimes could recall bands such as Latte e Miele, La Corte dei Miracoli or La Bottega dell’Arte...
The opener “Anima” (Soul), alternates frenetic sections and reflective passages with beautiful melodic lines and harmony vocals that could recall New Trolls or Pooh. According to the liner notes, it tells in music and words of an inner journey into the depth of human nature with its fragilities and fears. The lyrics evoke sounds of silence carried by the wind and the image of a man who takes his soul in his hands. It’s a silver soul, a globe of light. At the end a friendly hand appears that helps him overcome his personal crisis...
“Bestia” (Beast) starts by an evocative organ solo and alternates melodic vocals to more aggressive passages (the short instrumental middle section, in fact, could recall Deep Purple). The lyrics describe a strange dream in which an ominous beast weaves a net and waits at the end of the road for his prey. The beast is a metaphor that symbolizes problems like drug addiction, mental illness, a nervous breakdown or a sudden lack of money...
“Nessuno piange, nessuno canta” (No one cries, no one sings) is a long, complex piece that tells the story of a pet dog that during a windy night escapes from the garden of a sad house in the suburbs. But life in a big city is very hard. The puppy is lonely and scared as he wonders through spectral streets, drunk on sounds, whipped by threatening lights, spied on by hostile eyes. He keeps on running, hunted down by kicks and noises, he’s exhausted, but when his heart is about to break a door opens. The ending of the story is up to you...
The funny “Sogni di pietra” (Dreams of stone) is a nice piece that describes the dreams of a stone longing for a more interesting life. It’s a metaphorical way to depict the feelings of someone who can’t change the rhythm of his life and whose days are all the same, all life long. Same horizon, same sun and moon, same view, same routine. For eternity...
The title track, Teschio del mondo (Skull of the world) is a short, visionary song that evokes dark thoughts and new expectations. The title refers to the image of the moon reflecting light in a dark, cloudless sky. The night comes wearing its black cloak and the moon looks like a skull. It’s the time when the spiders feed on their preys and the protagonist look at the sky in a hallucinatory way. In the dark someone steals, some other kills, others cry for help. The sun will come like a burning blade to bring back warmth and hope...
“Crisalide” (Chrysalis) is an excellent piece that tells in music and words of a metamorphosis. The dream of a new day and of a body that is going to change, the chrysalis slowly turns into a colourful butterfly, ready to take off with into sky. The chrysalis is still dreaming of its new life, a rebirth and a leap into the unknown, full of dangers like cobwebs or man and his madness. A lightning bolt or a flame could burn the butterfly that now dives into eternity...
“Prigione” (Prison) is a piece that expresses amazement and bewilderment. According to the liner notes, it is a tribute to the Seventies and to the psychiatric reform wanted by Franco Basaglia. This piece tells about the exit of a mentally ill person from his room and the eve of his return to the real world after years of isolation. Words and music try to express the feelings of the protagonist...
The last piece, “Templum” (Temple) is sung in Latin and wants to convey an atmosphere of mystic mystery. In fact, the short lyrics are the motto of the Knights Templar, a French military order of the Catholic faith that was founded 1118 to defend pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages. Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da Gloriam can be translated as Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory...
On the whole, a very good work that deserves a try.
You can listen to the complete album HERE
More info:
https://www.spectrumprog.it/
