RELICS

Hora Prima are a young band from Bari that came to life in 2015, inspired by vintage sounds and artists such as Genesis, PFM, New Trolls, EL&P, Area, Yes, King Crimson or Rush. After a long, hard work, in 2020 they digitally self-released an excellent debut album entitled L’uomo delle genti (The man of people) with a line up featuring Francesco Bux (drums, vocals), Domenico De Zio (guitar), Roberto Gomes (keyboards, vocals), Gianluca De Bene (guitar) and Valeria Tritto (bass). During the recording sessions they were helped by the guests Rossella Bifulco (flute, backing vocals) and Gabriella Altomare (violin) while Giovanni Boccuzzi, historic member of bands such as Festa Mobile and Baricentro, contributed to the lyrics for this conceptual work inspired by the life and deeds of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Bari. In 2021 the CD edition was released on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a colourful booklet including the illustrations by Francesco Bux...

 

The short instrumental opener “1087” sets the atmosphere with its solemn and dramatic pace taking you back in time. In 1087 Italian sailors stole the remains of Saint Nicholas from Myra, a city fallen into the hands of the Saracens, and took them to Bari... The following “Il folle miraggio” (The crazy mirage) begins by the sound of the waves and a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio... The music and words conjure up the image of a ship sailing across the Mediterranean sea, in the middle of the night, and evokes the prayers of the sailors, their hopes and the vibrant notes of their songs. Eventually the sun rises... The description of the rest of the story is up to the music and to your imagination! Anyway, the bold expedition was successful and increased the saint’s popularity...

Nicholas was known for his generosity and kindness. He was reputed to have given marriage dowries to three girls whom poverty would otherwise have forced them to become prostitutes... “Le mie figlie” (My daughters) depicts this good deed of the saint through the eyes of the girls’ father. The piece starts softly, with a melancholic mood. We can hear the father complaining about his sad fate and about the dreams of his little daughters that are going to turn into a life shame and pain because of poverty, then the rhythm rises and the middle section conjure up the image of Saint Nicholas coming out of the blue, riding his horse in a night of prayer under the moonlight. The saint gives to the unfortunate father three bags of gold and then melts back into the darkness... On the last part the rhythm calms down but the atmosphere is more relaxed. The dreams of the little girls and the hopes of their father can bloom again... 

Hora Prima 2020

“La locanda nella notte” (The inn in the night) tells about another miracle of Saint Nicholas. The saint is reputed to have brought back to life three children who had been chopped up by an evil innkeeper who wanted to serve them as hot food for his customers... The piece starts by a dark, almost Gothic atmosphere as the music and lyrics conjure up the image of a gloomy inn in a rainy night. The saint enters and sees the vicious smile of the innkeeper, then theatrical vocals describe the attitude of the evil man. A woman enters carrying a plate and in the room a vivid feeling of horror falls down. When the saint makes the sign of the cross in a vortex of new sap three hearts begin to beat again. The three unfortunate children come back to life with the purest smile on their faces...
 

“La nostra festa” (Our celebration) starts by a lively pace and a cheerful atmosphere, then the rhythm slackens as the music and words describe the spirit of a heartfelt celebration with its rites and miracles. In fact, a great religious folk festival is held every year in Bari to commemorate the arrival of Saint Nicholas’ relics on May 9, 1087. Many thousands of people from all over the world come every year for the festivities which begin on the morning of May 7th. There’s a procession on the sea and a parade in 11th century costume... Nowadays as in the past faithful tears fall on the flowers of may when the statue of the saint passes by carried on the shoulders of the faithfuls. The last track, “U Sand nèste” (Our Saint), is sung in the dialect of Bari and takes over the festive atmosphere of the previous piece. It’s a kind of hymn dedicated to the saint and closes the album with a touch of colour and a strong Mediterranean flavour.

On the whole, an excellent debut work in the best tradition of Italian progressive rock.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/horaprimaband/ 

THE SOUL GATE

 Alice’s Mirror were formed in 2016 in Ruvo di Puglia, a town in the province of Bari, with the aim of playing a personal kind of progressive rock merging influences from the past and modern sounds. After some time spent in composing original pieces and refining them playing gigs on the local scene, in 2018 the band released an interesting debut album entitled Through The Mirror on the independent label Hydra Music with a line up featuring Fulvio Bucci (vocals, bass), Eduardo Bucci (organ, piano, keyboards), Walter Antonio Lanotte (guitars, bouzouki, lap steel) and Michele Di Modugno (drums, pad). The album artwork by Francesco Pio Marcone reflects the musical content and in the pics you can find in the booklet you can also appreciate all the attention that the musicians pay to the visual aspect of their music, influenced by the novel of Lewis Carroll and the colourful, animated film by Walt Disney. According to the band, the mirror reflects what we are and it could be seen as a gate to enter the soul of a musician while Alice – the protagonist of a journey through a surreal, crazy world – represents a metaphor of the musical research of the band... 

 

 

The dreamy instrumental opener “Fake communication #1” starts softly by a spacey atmosphere and ends with an excerpt from the 1981 Italian comedy-drama film Sweet Dreams directed by Nanni Moretti where you can hear Nanni Moretti’s enraged voice repeat “I do not speak about things I don’t know!”. It’s the introduction to “Fake Communication” a committed, heartfelt reflection about the negative effects of social media on our way to communicate where words become just noise and too many people seem to speak up without anything to say, prisoners of the likes on their chats... 

 

 

An excerpt from the Italian version of Alice In Wonderland, the 1951 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions introduces the excellent instrumental piece “Alice's Dance” that blends echoes from the seventies and nervous heavy passages with electric guitar and organ in the forefront. It leads to “Ronin”, a kind of elegy for a lost friend that begins by a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio and a dreamy piano pattern. The mood is melancholic as the music and words depict pale clouds in a still sky and blossoming flowers in the fields... The springtime landscape is the sad set for the last goodbye to a wandering warrior, a samurai without lord nor land... This track features the backing vocals of the Corale Polifonica “Rubis Canto” directed by Maestro Nicola Bucci.
 

A short excerpt from a documentary about Johann Sebastian Bach that stigmatizes the bad temper of the famous composer introduces “Bachtown”, a sparkling exercise of style where the musicians showcase their talent and great musicianship blending rock and classical music, from Bach to Mozart and his Turkish March from the Piano Sonata in A Major n. 11...

 

 

“Merigold” is a nice folksy piece that deals with the issue of emigration. You have to face a problematic choice, are you really sure you’ll be happier if you leave behind and forget your homeland and roots to search for a better place where to live and make money? Is this the life you really want? All that glitters is not always gold... 

 

 

Two instrumental tracks close the album, the nervous “Jump The Step” and the long, dreamy “Arabian Carpet”, sprinkled with Oriental flavours and touches of psychedelia to conjure up a strong sense of mystery and where aggressive electric guitar riffs alternate with softer, acoustic passages. 

 

On the whole, a very good album although I think that it’s a pity that the band did not exploit more their mother language for lyrics and vocals. 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/alicesmirrorband/ 

DROPS OF ABSINTHE

Think Tank were formed in Bari in 2015 by Lino Paglionico (vocals), Fabio Prota (keyboards), Gennaro Piepoli (guitar, vocals), Davide Vacca (bass) and Gese Marsico (drums). According to the band, their influences range from seventies progressive rock to the more modern sound of artists such as Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree. In 2017 they self-released an interesting eponymous EP featuring a nice art work by Arianna Operamolla and five original pieces sung in English with a strong leaning  towards AOR. 

The opener “Joe The Joiner” is a lively, sarcastic piece about a bigot man and his unfaithful wife, Mary. The theatrical vocals feature the collaboration of the guest female singer Rossella Antonacci who plays the role of the cheating woman. Then comes the funky “Dreary Anxious”, a track that tries to open a window of hope in an idle present made of pills and needles. It shows that the best antidote against depression is love...

Next comes the reflective, melodic “Serendipity”, a calm, dreamy piece that draws a line between past and future and tries to drive you through a world where all the dreams are made of sand and stones… The light, short “Fool You Are” and the dark, ironic “The Dark Inside The Fool” close the album with some good shots of tonic energy.

Think Tank on stage

Well, Lino Paglionico and Fabio Prota were both members of another band called Assenzio that in 2005 released an excellent album entitled ‘Avon. For this new project they chose to sing in English but in my opinion it’s a pity that they didn’t exploit more their mother language… Maybe next time!

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/thinktankmusiconline

RED AND YELLOW

Giallo! - One Suite For The Murderer is a compilation of pieces inspired by Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), a seminal thriller directed in 1975 by Dario Argento featuring a famous soundtrack by Goblin. It was released in 2008 on the independent French label Musea Records in collaboration with the Finnish Colossus. Some talented Italian artists were recruited to interpret with their own music and lyrics the scenes and the characters of the film, creating something new while paying in the same time a due tribute to Dario Argento's work, one of the best known Italian Gialli. In fact, "giallo" is an Italian word that means "yellow" but that also defines a genre of literature and film named after the colour of the cover background of a series of cheap paperback mystery novels... All the artists involved in this project showed a great respect for the film that inspired it and for its mood. Anyway, if you are not familiar with it, do not worry: the rich booklet with its nice artwork and the extended liner notes will make you understand what the music is about.

The opener is a short instrumental track, "Frammento Rosso / Intro", that sets the atmosphere. Composer and keyboardist Alfio Costa (from Prowlers, Tilion, Daal) here plays Grand piano and Minimoog with great effectiveness conveying a strong sense of mystery and tension...

Then comes the first suite, "Visions of Helga" by Dark Session. Dark Session is mainly the brainchild of composer and multi-instrumentalist Flavio Costa (from Tilion) who, with the help of his brother Alfio (keyboards) and Hamadi Trabelsi (vocals), here paints in black feelings and notes trying to explore what's behind the mind of the murderer. This piece describes the part of the film where a famous psychic, Helga Ulmann, perceives the evil presence of a serial killer during a public meeting... Through his eyes and his hands she looses her soul and her life! It's a prevalently instrumental track that, in my opinion, perfectly fits the subject matter mirroring in some way the images of the film with sounds and words.

The second suite, "Vecchi giochi" (Old Games), was provided by Leviathan, a Roman band whose roots date back to 1985. Here the line up features Fabio Amici (keyboards, Hammond), Fabio Donna (bass), Andrea Moneta (drums, electric guitar) plus the guests vocalists Pierfrancesco Drago (from Revelation and Arcadelt) and Rossella Salvucci. This piece is divided into four parts and it was inspired by the private investigations of the main character of the film, Marcus Daly. The music and the intriguing lyrics by Beatrice Pietrangeli describe this particular hunting game from the point of view of the lurking murderer rather than that of the improvised detective. So, Marcus Daly here becomes the pray. The first part, "L'avvertimento" (The warning) begins softly with organ and piano in the forefront and theatrical male vocals... The killer's house is like a piano where he composes his troubled existence, every fear is like a black and white sequence, a music from the heart that is driving him insane, he's ready to strike and he's biding his time in the dark... Thin deadly melodies soar on the second part, "L'indagine" (The investigation), delivered by the wonderful voice of Rossella Salvucci. The third part, "L'assassinio" (The murder) features a long instrumental section and the rhythm rises... Run away if you can, but beware! The killer knows where and when he can get you... The final part, "La villa" (The manor), is disquieting and darker than ever, there are some narrative vocals and a church-like choir in the background, then the music and lyrics lead you to the closed gates of mysterious, abandoned villa... A great track!

Floating State

The third suite, "Suite dall'inconscio dell'assassino" (Suite from the subconscious of the murderer), is the contribute by Floating State, an experienced band from Bari featuring Marco Esposito (vocals, classical guitar, flute), Grazia Stella (sax), Mimmo Ferri (Theremin, electric piano, organ, synthesizers), Gigi Ferri (electric guitars), Francesco Antonino (electric bass) and Beatrice Birardi (drums, percussion, vibraphone). This piece is divided into ten sections and begins where the previous track left you: in front of the gate of the mysterious manor. You can hear the gate creaking on its hinges, then the music and lyrics take you in and welcome you to a nightmare where the insane instincts of the murderer, his feelings and sensations unfurl as if they were on trial in a hazy court of justice, accused by his subconscious. There's delirium and madness, evil and mercy in this outstanding track that features also some short excerpts from "School at Night (Lullaby)", from the original soundtrack of the film.

A short, evocative instrumental track by Alfio Costa, "Mirrors / Outro", ends this excellent album where the music flows away in perfect coherence without weak moments.

Various Artists: Giallo! - One Suite For The Murderer (2008). Other opinions:

Olav Martin Bjørnsen: As with all releases in what is often referred to as The Colossus Projects, this one is also an outing that should appeal most to fans of ‘70's symphonic rock, in particular those who enjoy long and elaborate epic compositions... If you enjoy intense moods and atmospheres, and find dark emotions fascinating, this is a release that should have a good chance of providing many hours of joy... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

Alfio and Flavio Costa:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/TILION/41111514951 

https://www.facebook.com/PROWLERSPROG 

Leviathan:

https://www.facebook.com/leviathanprog 

http://leviathanprog.altervista.org/ 

Floating State:

https://www.facebook.com/floatingstate 

A DISQUIETING TRAVELOGUE

Festa Mobile were one of the many Italian prog bands of the early seventies who disbanded soon after the release of an excellent debut album in 1973. The line-up featured Renato Baldassarri (vocals), Francesco Boccuzzi (bass, keyboards), Giovanni Boccuzzi (keyboards), Alessio Alba (guitar) and Maurizio Cobianchi (drums). The Boccuzzi brothers later formed another band called Il Baricentro, more “jazz-rock oriented”. On “Diario di viaggio della Festa Mobile” the band showcase a great musicianship although the sound quality from the recording sessions is not flawless. Festa Mobile are often compared with BMS, PFM, Le Orme and other “classic” Italian prog bands: you can find here many influences ranging from classical music to jazz, from British prog rock to Italian folklore, but the final result is original enough and it’s definitely worth listening to.

“Diario di viaggio della Festa Mobile” is a concept album where the band describes in music and words the experience of a company of comedians returning home after the celebrations in honour of the new king of a far (imaginary) country, Hon. The opener “La corte di Hon” (Hon’s court) is introduced by a dizzy piano pattern, then a frenzied rhythm section and vocals come in... The lyrics depict the atmosphere of false joy put up by the oppressive power of the new king... “Hon’s celebration lasts hundred days / For a hundred days the sun won’t set / Hon sits on his throne / The moving feast lives on / It seems a celebration of love / But it’s just a false mask... Peace seems to rule / But it’s war that rules... It seemed a celebration of love / But it was a celebration of death...”.

On the second track “Canto” (Song), the comedians end their performance in honour of Hon singing a song inspired by their extraordinary travelling experience and by the contrast between an ideal world full of love and peace and the cruel reality... “I sing the colours of time and the rhythm of the wind / That are living in me... I sing the story of happy people living in ingenuity... I sing the future I dream / A new day that’s lost and will never come...”. The rhythm is complex and fiery while the vocals depict a dream that turns into a nightmare...

On the third track “Aristea” the mood is more relaxed, almost mystic. After the celebration, our “heros” are on the way home. They stop to rest in a mysterious abbey where the great priestess Aristea silently looks at their hands and reveals them a prophecy... “You will go there / Where the sun doesn’t shine / Where men do not know happiness...”. So they become aware that freedom is in danger even in their homeland. Well, you can feel almost a sense of impending doom at the end of the track when a “nervous” rhythm section comes in...

The fourth track is about despair and mercy. “Ljalja” tells about the meeting with a young girl crying in a country ravaged by war. She was still clasping her dead son in her hands, she was still a child but without a future... “Then slowly she smiled / She couldn’t speak anymore...”.

Festa Mobile

The long, complex last track “Ritorno” (Return) tells of the return and of the fear that the protagonists feel since they are aware that what they have seen during their journey could happen in their homeland too... It’s like waking up with a nightmare still hanging on: “We were travelling back to home / And the souvenirs in our minds seemed made of stone / Red stone from the innocent’s blood / People who died in the name of their truth / Martyrs of Hon and of the dream of a new reality / Under a different sky we’re looking at home again... Where sooner or later Hon will come / With the rules of the strongest...”. 

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

 

DEADLY SINS

ASSENZIO is prog band from Bari that began life in 2004. The line up features Gigi Lorusso (guitar), Emanuele Manzo (bass), Lino Paglionico (vocals and flute), Fabio Prota (keyboards) and Cristiano Valente (drums). Their influences range from classic Italian progressive rock bands such as PFM, BMS and Area to newer and heavier acts. Assenzio’s debut album, the self-produced “’Avon”, was released in 2005 and is an interesting conceptual work inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins. Although it was completely recorded and mixed in the band’s home studio, the sound quality is very good and it’s really worth listening to...

Assenzio



The opener “Antitesi” (Antithesis) begins softly and introduces the “concept”. Acoustic guitar and flute set a dreamy atmosphere where in a distorted reality vices and virtues are fighting against each other... “I dare fancying inside of me a world full of innocent perversities / I build with my mind an ageless place... An unfair and charming antithesis of opposite egos is attracting me...”. You can listen to this track and legally download it for free, just click HERE. 

“Primo cherubino” (First Cherub), deals with Pride. It starts with a percussive and dark beating, then the electric guitar starts pulsing too... The music flows with many changes in rhythm while the voice of the singer draws the image of a vain king, a king of the night who comes to life at dusk like a vampire with the look of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever... “I live only for the night / I die and arise only for those who look no one but me / My light shines high and irradiates my majesty like a lighthouse... You despise my vanity, subdued by your lack of qualities... My hegemony is absolute, it has no limits / I’m your king!”. You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE.

Next comes “Beni Shahih”, a track about Greed. The incipit is powerful and full of energy, then the rhythm begins to swing while the vocals interpret a strange character who cuddles his little shining and clinking creatures... Try to think to Scrooge McDuck swimming across his money or to Gollum madly dancing on the edge of the abyss holding “His Precious” ring... “I want everything for me / I do not have anyone anymore / I hold tight to my chest my treasure / It’s like a soft pillow for me / It’s only mine and I want more...”. The greedy character hates other people, they are like threatening dark enemies who judge his words and his actions, he feels their inquisitive eyes upon him...  “Eyes that look at me / Eyes that stare at me / Eyes that judge me / Eyes that hate me... Leave me alone!”. Well, a great theatrical interpretation! You can listen to this track and legally download it for free. Click HERE.

“Passione e vizio” (Passion and vice) is about Lust. A piano solo sets the atmosphere... Imagine a man lying in an opulent ocean of shining gold, surrounded by wonderful women, indifferent to what happens outside his “shell”... “Passion and vice rule with overwhelming force the senses never saturated with lust / You are surrounded by the most charming creatures on Earth who delight your senses / You have fun without worrying about the storm...”. The music is complex and features every now and again spicy Oriental atmospheres and a peculiar guitar Latin sound à la Santana... You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE.

“Tempesta” (Storm) is about Wrath. It starts with some aggressive electric guitar riffs and pulsing bass lines... “A red sky is burning tormented by rage / The threatening wind of resentment blows / The clouds on the horizon relish the duel... The roar of the storm spreads / The thunder and lightning break out from the sky... And anger can rule without mercy...”. The music and words depict wrath in a very colourful and effective way... “My eyes reflect the clouds / They are red like the sky that shouts blood... My scream explodes, it needs to resound... I seek relief in broken glasses...”. Well, an epic rage for an ordinary story of hooliganism! You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE.

“Avida anima” (Greedy soul) is about Gluttony. Here the over-indulgence and over consumption of food, drink and other intoxicants is a way to fill the infinite emptiness of a weak soul, a way to compensate the lack of values that could make a man fragile and mean. On a funky rhythm the vocals interpret the languid madness of a man who changes his dreams into desires and the desires into greediness... “In every whim there’s happiness... My corrupted belly created my world... I cured the melancholy with the pleasure of the palate / And face to face with the mirror of my identity / I fill the void of my greedy soul with the frenzy of possession, with gluttony...”. You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE.

“Parassita” (Parasite) is about Envy. The music goes through many changes in mood and rhythm while the lyrics compare envy to a parasite that can hide itself under your skin and can conceal its looks behind a black veil... “The hypocritical parasite smiles / Meanwhile it injects its poison / It grows slowly, hidden...”. You can’t see it, you can’t see the pain of the envious people in the background who would like take your place in limelight... “How can’t you see my pain? / Maybe am I invisible to your eyes? / You’re always there in the front, unattainable / I want to be you!”. You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE

The last track “L’oppio degli ignavi” (The opium of the sloth) is about Sloth. It begins softly, after a piano introduction the vocals soar slowly... “Leaden desert, wrap me in an embrace of dynamic inertia / The nothingness is my friend, I let my life pass by...”. The music flows like the current of a raging river and leads you toward a fall. Poverty and want are lurking in the mud like a robber or an armed man while drugs addiction and escape from responsibilities drive you in the eddies of the Styx. Eventually you find yourself prisoner of your restless ego, floating aimlessly toward the vortex of oblivion... A great track and a perfect conclusion for a very good album! You can listen to this track and legally download it for free from HERE

At the moment the activity of the band is suspended and Assenzio’s members are involved in some side projects such as La Variante Chevac (Paglionico), U’Papun (Lorusso and Valente), Suoni Mudù (Lorusso and Manzo) and Mister Wilson (Prota). Gigi Lorusso is a teacher of sound recording techniques as well...

Assenzio: 'Avon (2005). Other opinions

Jim Russell: These guys rock hard although they never go into prog-metal. Hard rock, some crossover, occasional fusion, there is something for everyone... An absolute treat this work is. The downside of the self-produced work are the occasional production issues, but for the most part the sound is of a high quality... (read the complete review HERE).

Torodd Fuglesteg: The melodies are all great. My only gripe is the lack of a truly great song here which would set this album apart from the rest of the Rock Progressivo Italiano albums... (read the complete review HERE).

More info:

Assenzio:

http://www.myspace.com/assenzioprog

La Variante Chevac:

http://www.myspace.com/lavariantechevac

U’Papun:

http://www.myspace.com/upapun

Suoni Mudù:

http://www.myspace.com/suonimudu

Mister Wilson:

http://www.myspace.com/misterwilsonquartet

LIVING IN THE PAST?

ARCHITRAVE INDIPENDENTE is an Italian prog band from Rutigliano, a town in the province of Bari also known as “la città dell’uva” (the city of the grape) because of the widespread vineyards that you can find in the sourroundings. The band was formed in 2005 by five young, skilled musicians in love with vintage sounds and analog recording techniques.

Architrave Indipendente

The line up features Oscar Larizza (electric bass, lute, classical and acoustic guitars, flute, synthesizers, organ, glockenspiel), Alessandro Mezzacane (violoncello), Emanuele Palumbo (piano, flute, organ, synthesizer, harmonium), Piero Palumbo (drums, percussion, xilomarimba) and Stefano Renna (acoustic and electric guitars).

 In 2009 they released an excellent debut album, “Azetium a 8 piste”, self produced, distributed and published only on vinyl (but if you have not a turntable don’t worry, you can ask them a digital copy on CD-R or download it with their permission). The album was proudly recorded using only analog techniques but despite the vintage sounds it is by no means a nostalgic operation or a “regressive work”. These musicians are not living in the past, on the contrary, their overall sound is fresh and their music and lyrics rich in ideas. The result of their recording sessions is an interesting concept album dealing with ecological issues. The art cover, the extended liner notes and the pictures in the inner fold contribute to explain the subject matter...

The opener “La spinta” (The thrust) starts softly, you can hear in the background the wind blowing and singing birds. Then the rhythm rises and from a strummed guitar pattern the notes of a violin soar embroidering evocative melodies. This piece is about the need to go back to your roots to find your own identity because the people who don’t know what happened in the past can’t grow up. The lyrics and music depict a small town where people don’t care about anything but money... Anyway there’s also a man strolling around who does not conform, who has travelled abroad and raises doubts suggesting that changing is possible. These doubts push you to dig in the history of the town... “There are some who believe and others who don’t...”.

Album cover

The first track leads to “Emplecton”, a long suite in three parts that in some way tries to describe the effects of the lack of a collective identity. The first part, the instrumental “Incipit, regressione e cerimoniale”, features a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio, soothing keyboard waves and colourful flute passages. It sets a dreamy, bucolic atmosphere... On the second part, “Vassallo ignorante”, the dream becomes uneasy, the rhythm rises and you can imagine some ghosts dancing on the notes of a fiery tarantella just before a sudden stop and a nocturnal piano passage... The title of this suite refers to a building technique developed by the ancient Greek architects, who used it to build the walls of their cities. Now of the ancient walls of the town there’s nothing left but some scattered ruins. The vestiges of an old civilization had to give way to new vineyards and intensive crops and there’s no respect for the ancestors and their way of life anymore, threatening clouds of pesticides appear on the horizon and people don’t realize that ambition and greed can kill... “The soil under your feet pleads for mercy / It can’t give you more fruits / Fossilized county, wake up!... In your grapes the environment is drowning and you are still afloat, ignorant vassal!”. The third part of the suite, “Scherzo (di cattivo gusto) e ripresa” is a tasteful, complex instrumental coda, rich in ideas and featuring many changes in mood and atmosphere where the music seems to evoke the clash between the ghosts from the past and the dangers of modern life. It closes the first side of the album and you have to turn your vinyl now...

Side B opens with another complex suite in three parts, the excellent “Azezio”. The title refers to the ancient name of Rutigliano, the hometown of the band. The first part, “Calura d’agosto”, evokes a hot summer day in August and a beautiful bucolic landscape that invites you to dream and to think about the glorious past of this land...

Slowly in your mind the old town with its customs comes to life again in antithesis with the modern hectic reality... “From the countryside I can hear a voice singing / The prosperous red soil tells stories of ancient flourishing civilizations...”. The second part, “Sagra dell’uva”, is just an instrumental acoustic bridge where you can hear the voices of some people arguing in the background while an acoustic guitar carelessly weaves its arpeggios, indifferent to what is going on all around. Then comes the darker third part, “Ossa puto”, where the evocative music invites you to keep on dreaming all day long until the night falls...

Palying on the ancient ruins of Azetium wall

The title of the last track “Gli altarini di San Rocco” (The little altars of Saint Rocco) refers to an old tradition of Rutigliano. On August 16, the inhabitants use to set some little altars in honour to Saint Rocco and the band sarcastically compares the cult of the saint with the reckless exploitation of the soil and with the cult that now some people tribute to their brand-new tractors that they park “even in their living-rooms”. This piece features many changes in rhythm and mood and concludes a very good, committed album full of musical inventions and surprises...

Despite some ingenuities, on the whole I think that this work could be an excellent addition to your prog collection!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Architrave Indipendente: Azetium a 8 piste (2009). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: They have succeeded in the mission of delivering a stellar RPI gem as good as the classics of the 70s. Oscar has been studying the 70s RPI scene since he was 12 years old. His influences include De De Lind, Quella Vecchia Locanda, Paese dei Balocchi, Battiato, Osanna, Cervello, Pholas Dactylus, and many others. He shares my own conclusion that the bands least influenced by the English scene were the most interesting ones. It is a common misconception that the Italian scene was just an imitation of the English scene. While some bands are guilty as charged, the great Italian groups may have loved the English scene but clearly created their own sounds. When I asked Oscar to describe Architrave Indipendente’s sound, rather than trying to worry about genre labels, he just said “genuine” and I can safely say they are on the right track. Architrave Indipendente’s self-released work "Azetium a Otto Piste" is a warm and gentle feast of music that just knocked me out... (read the complete review HERE). 
Linus Wikström: What I like most about the whole package is still none of these parts in isolation; it’s the fact that despite the leaps and bounds between some of the different parts, it works so well together. There’s always a smart, unexpected degradation or twist that manages to segue into what’s to come. Sometimes quirky, but never in a way that distracts from the impressionistic and lush exuberance of the story-telling. As such, it’s both an adventurous and mature effort... (read the complete review HERE). 

Chris "Seventhsojourn":  This is some album to be just one album and it'll take many more listens for me to get my head fully around it. Produced in the old fashioned way, it's an album that endeavours to invoke the ghosts of the seventies RPI greats while scoffing at the more generic examples of the species. It's an important album, with an important message, that shouldn't be hidden away or reserved for only a small handful of listeners... (read the complete review HERE). 
Torodd Fuglesteg: The overall quality is very good throughout. The vocals are great, the band know how to play their instruments and the sound is very good (even on my turntable). There is no killer tracks here though and I get a bit confused about this two faced record with the two different styles. This is a very promising, good album though. It is well worth checking out... (read the complete review HERE)

More info about the band:

http://www.myspace.com/architraveindipendente

PUGLIA

Heading east now, for the next leg we go back to the Adriatic coast, to PUGLIA. We go first to FOGGIA, where we can listen to a young band called Moon Eclipse (MySpace). Then we turn south to BARLETTA, best known for the Disfida di Barletta, a battle between French and Italian Knights that took place on February 13, 1503. It consisted in a mounted tournament and was won by the Italians. Here we can listen to a psychedelic prog band called Orient Express (MySpace) and to the young, interesting Il Canto della Città Ibernata (Facebook) while the near town of San Ferdinando di Puglia is home to Geologica (Facebook).

Then we pass through the town of Bisceglie, birthplace of classical guitar virtuoso and composer Mauro Giuliani. Still heading south along the coast we pass through the town of Monopoli where we can listen to two interesting emerging bands, the post rock Corridoio... Con Figure e Luci (MySpace) and La Biblioteca Deserta (MySpace) that after two demos and much trouble (including the loss of all their instruments that were stolen after a concert near Naples in 2009) have finally released a first full length album on the independent label Faro Records, Travelling Without Gravity, featuring ethereal psychedelic sounds and spacey atmospheres.

Still heading south we arrive in BARI, the capital of this region. The best known artist from Bari is probably Domenico Modugno, but in the seventies Bari also gave us some good prog bands such as Festa Mobile and Il Baricentro. The current prog scene of the city is rich in interesting and very promising bands. One of my favourites is Assenzio (MySpace) that were formed in 2004 by five skilled musicians with the aim of blending influences of classic progressive rock bands such as PFM, BMS and Area with more recent sounds. 2005 marked the release of their excellent self-produced debut album, ’Avon, an interesting concept album about the seven capital sins featuring a very good sound quality although it was completely recorded and mixed in the band’s home studio. Well, Assenzio’s guitarist Gigi Lorusso is a teacher of sound recording techniques as well! By the way, Assenzio’s members are also involved in other projects such as the very interesting La Variante Chevac (MySpace), Think Tank (Facebook) and U’Papun (MySpace).

Other interesting local bands are Floating State (MySpace), Le Marionette Ribelli (MySpace), Iniqua (MySpace), Odi et Amo (MySpace), Prometheo (Facebook) that in 2019 self-released an excellent debut album entitled D'un fuoco rapito, d'un giovane uomo, d'un amore insensato, Hora Prima (Facebook), then Chiquita Noir (MySpace), AcomeandromedA (MySpace), Telenauti (MySpace), Novaetere (Reverbnation), Noise Overtones Therapy (MySpace) and the Mediterranean ethno-pop project Radiodervish (MySpace). Members of Floating State started also a side project called Folletti di Vetro (MySpace) featuring new arrangements of Fabrizio De Andrè’s songs. Before leaving the province of Bari there’s the time to have a quick look at Ruvo di Puglia, home to Alice's Mirror (Facebook) and at Gravina in Puglia, a town west of Bari in an area called Murgia. Here we can listen to some emerging prog bands such as La Quinta Essenza (MySpace) and Divinae Laude (MySpace).  

Leaving Bari, heading south we first pass through the town of Rutigliano, also known as the “città dell’uva” (the city of grapes) because of its renowned vineyards, where another excellent band, Architrave Indipendente (MySpace), come from. The band was formed in 2004 by musicians in love with analogical sounds. Their self-produced debut album, the excellent Azetium a 8 piste, was released in 2009 only on vinyl!

Then we reach Molfetta where we can listen to the psychedelic Obscure Paths (MySpace). Then we pass through the “white town” of Ostuni, where we can listen to Trimaira (MySpace) and to Silent Tears (MySpace). Our next halt is the city of BRINDISI, where we can listen to Aufklarung (MySpace) , Bolero (Facebook) and to the psychedelic Lenula (MySpace).

Then, finally, we arrive in LECCE, the main city of an area called Salento, the south eastern extremity of Italy. This area is best known for a particular dance called pizzica and for an annual music festival dedicated to this dance, La Notte della Taranta.

 This area is home to prog bands and artists such as Abash (MySpace), I Viaggi di Madeleine (Facebook), Aria Palea (MySpace), Zaq (Bandcamp), Tempu’s (MySpace), Marcello Zappatore (Facebook), Muzak (MySpace), Shedim (MySpace), RetrAvantgarde (MySpace), the folk oriented Aedo (MySpace), the hard, dark L’Impero delle Ombre (MySpace) and the metal influenced Historia (MySpace). Some members of RertAvantgarde are also involved in a side project called Melanalogica (MySpace). 

For our next stop we head north west along the coast of the Ionian Sea, to the city of TARANTO where we conclude our visit to Puglia. The city is home to some interesting prog bands such as Plurima Mundi (MySpace), Dante Roberto's project The Circle (Facebook), Ritratto di un Mattino (MySpace), Sin Terra (Reverbnation), Exedra (Facebook), Nuclide (MySpace), Il Sogno di Rubik (Facebook), Le Meccaniche Illusioni (MySpace), Samsara (MySpace) and, in the nearby town of Grottaglie, Vino Zingaro e la Sospensione del Giudizio (MySpace).