THREE VAIN MOONS

 Pangea e le tre lune is the fourth album by Il Cerchio d’Oro and was released in 2023 on the independent Black Widow Records label with a line up featuring Franco Piccolini (keyboards), Giuseppe Terribile (bass, vocals), Gino Terribile (drums, percussion, vocals), Piuccio Pradal (guitar, vocals) and Massimo Spica (guitar) plus some prestigious guests such as Donald Lax (violin, from historic Italianprog band Quella Vecchia Locanda), Tolo Marton (guitar, former member of Le Orme), Ricky Belloni (guitar, from Nuova Idea and New Trolls), Valerio Piccioli (guitar) and Carlo Deprati (narrative vocals) who contributed to enrich the sound. This album confirms all the good qualities of the band's previous works, with a sound deeply rooted in the seventies yet never overly nostalgic and a music always in service of the storyline. It's a concept alnum that tells of the birth of the Earth with fantasy and fairytale nuances. The lyrics are by Giuseppe Paolino, an old friend of the band, while the beautiful art cover is by Armando Mancini, a talented painter who's behind some seventies iconic prog album covers like those of Quella Vecchia Locanda...

The title of the opener, “Pangea”, refers to the supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras and began to break apart about 200 million years ago. After a dreamlike introduction with piano and flute in the foreground, the music and lyrics evoke a ball of fire that some god has carelessly hurdled into eternity. The music is dense and rich with shifts in tempo and atmosphere, while the lyrics, with nuanced tones, outline the mystery of creation. No one knows exactly how it happened, there are no witnesses, but the flame slowly turned into Earth. So, it's just a strange trick of fate that gave life, almost with childlike innocence, to this new entity that will become a continent and be called Pangea...

In “Alla deriva” (Adrift) the music and lyrics describe the new continent floating on dark, restless waters, a lifeless land slowly drifting aimlessly across a frightening landscape. Three amused moons watch over it from the sky...

Introduced by a dreamlike section with the violin in the forefront, “Dialogo” (Dialogue) evokes the image of a shooting star causing the fragmentation of the new continent. The fractured land turns to the wind and the moon, giving rise to an imaginary dialogue. The wind pushes Pangea onto the sea waves and lifts it to seek a new path, while a friendly moon watches from above and smiles, accompanying it into the darkness of the night...

“Le tre lune” (The three moons) is a complex piece, rich in nuances and changes in rhythm and atmosphere. The music and lyrics evoke the image of three moons slowly revolving around the Earth. The first is red, the second yellow, and the third is black, blending into the darkness of the night. Each moon chases the other, casting colourful reflections on the sea of ​​Pangea. These marvellous reflections spark a dispute between the three vain moons. Eventually, the yellow and red moons implode and dissolve, leaving only the black moon in the sky of Pangea. Over time, the black moon learns to wear yellow and red colurs, while it tires of black and, from then on, wears it, albeit elegantly, only occasionally...

The instrumental introduction to “Dal nulla così” (Out of nowhere, like that) might recall Le Orme, but the piece then develops in an original way. The music and lyrics describe a desolate and hostile landscape: a dark sea, brown earth, earthquakes and storms, winds and active volcanoes. Who would have thought that life could arise in such a place? Yet there was no past nor fear, and life began its journey toward an unknown future,...

The next piece, “E la vita iniziò” (And life began), dreamily describes the beginning of life on Earth. Beneath a carpet of stars, Pangea continued its journey unstoppably, driven by a rebellious sea. The continent broke apart, then reunited, changing shape several times until reaching its current form. Chance, chemistry, and the sun's rays helped life emerge from the seabed, now less dark and threatening. An evolutionary process destined to never stop...

The album's final piece, “Crisi” (Crises), is listed as a bonus track and has nothing to do with the concept. It's a hard rock song (with obvious references to Deep Purple) released as a single in 1981 and occasionally played by the band during their concerts. It deals with the economic crisis and social values ​​of the late 1970s...

On the whole, an excellent work that should find a place in your Italianprog collection!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/66935355951/

FIRST STEPS

Nuova Idea formed in Genoa in 1970 from the ashes of another band called Plep and later J.Plep. After a beat-oriented beginning and a few singles, they changed musical direction and converted to progressive rock, even taking part in the first Viareggio pop festival where they played a lengthy suite. Their debut album, In The Beginning, was released in 1971 on the Ariston label and features a line-up including Marco Zoccheddu (guitar, vocals), Claudio Ghiglino (guitar, vocals), Giorgio Usai (keyboards, vocals), Enrico Casagni (bass, flute, vocals), and Paolo Siani (drums, vocals). According to an interview with Paolo Siani (in Prog Italia magazine 42), the label released the album, without informing the band, using the demo of the suite (recorded with inadequate resources) and the previous singles just to ride the success the band exhibition obtained in Viareggio: Our first album wasn't supposed to exist, at least not as people know it. The Ariston released it without our knowledge... Obviously, the homogeneity between the compositions was ruined: it really seemed like the product of two different bands...

Despite the less than perfect recording quality, the lengthy suite that occupies side A of the album, “Come, Come, Come... (Vieni, vieni, vieni)”, is well-composed and not without interest for fans of the genre. It's a piece inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth and, despite the English title, is sung in Italian. The lyrics don't attempt to literally translate the bard's writing but try to interpret its emotion in an original and personal way. The piece opens with a slow pace and a dark atmosphere, with the organ taking centre stage. Then the pace increases and becomes frenetic, leading to the first sung part, which features Macbeth recalling how he killed Duncan to become king in his place, as foretold by three old witches. He felt the strongest, the greatest of all, and no one could stop him. He killed the traitors and no one could judge him. A calmer section follows, where Macbeth recalls how he loved wandering in the forest at night, where he saw the branches of the trees reaching toward the dark sky, resembling the arms of those he had killed, and heard the desperate cries of those seeking justice all around him. The lyrics then interpret those voices: Macbeth's final hour will come, too; his kingdom will fall in shame and sorrow when the branches of Birnam Wood will move to besiege his castle. Macbeth will fall on the battlefield, and peace will return; only a legend will remain of him, to be told to posterity. The piece ends with a long instrumental section, complete with a drum solo that evokes the thunderous sounds of the battle...

The album's second side - in a beat style - opens with "Realtà" (Reality), a track that alternates dreamy sections and hard rock riffs. The lyrics and music evoke the image of children playing war in front of an adult. The adult reflects on how different the reality of war is from that of children's games and recalls that when he was little boy, he too played war and his mother tried to hide reality from him, because you can't discover the world in a day...

“La mia scelta” (My choice) is a song halfway between hard rock and psychedelia, reflecting hippie ideology and giving voice to a boy who leaves the city he loved so much to seek freedom in the isolation of the mountains. There he will soothe his anger and stress, breathe pure air, gaze at the stars without the filter of smog, and feel like heaven...

“Non dire niente... (Ho già capito)” (Do not say anything... I’ve already understood) is a melodic song in which the protagonist, while sipping good wine, learns from his girlfriend that he'll soon be a father. His reaction is an explosion of joy. The central section recalls C.S.&N. Well, the lyrics don't mention the girl's eyes colour. but I suspect they're blue...

The last track, “Dolce amore” (Sweet love), might recall early New Trolls. It describes the feelings of a man remembering an ex girlfriend and hoping that one day she too will remember him...

On the whole, an interesting but still immature work that documents the band's musical evolution from the beat of the late sixties to the prog of the early seventies.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Nuova Idea: In The Beginning (1971). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: Comparable to what bands like Osanna and the New Trolls were doing at the same time, ‘In the Beginning’ is wild, rough around the edges and a little directionless, but it's still a glorious mess of ideas and styles. Nuova Idea had yet to deliver grander and more polished progressive rock, but this is colourful psychedelic music from a band still finding their feet yet bursting with confidence and imagination. ‘Clowns’ and ‘Mr E Jones’ may be their defining moments, but there's still plenty of inventive psychedelic instrumentation, hazy rock atmospheres and cool tunes on ‘In The Beginning’... (read the complete review HERE)

THROUGH THE FIRE

Petali di fuoco is La Maschera di Cera’s fourth studio album and was released in 2009 on the independent Immaginifica label, produced by Franz Di Cioccio. It features a renewed line up featuring Alessandro Corvaglia (vocals), Maurizio Di Tollo (drums, percussion, guitar), Agostino Macor (keyboards), Andrea Monetti (flute), Matteo Nahum (guitars) and Fabio Zuffanti (bass, bass pedals). It is a remarkable work in which compositional skill and visionary poetry give life to musical structures and melodic lines of absolute beauty, using vintage sounds and atmospheres to evoke timeless themes and emotions...

The beautiful and heartfelt opening track, "Fino all'aurora" (Until Dawn), is a song of hope and rebirth dedicated to all those who find the strength to live by resisting life's tragedies. The music and lyrics describe the furious force of the sea battering a coastal town, causing death and devastation. At dawn, the protagonist's world no longer exists, swept away along with the faces and smiles of loved ones swallowed up by the night. Past and future of the protagonist vanished in an instant. But now it's time to rebuild on the rubble and blood to continue living...

“D-Sigma” is the snapshot of an emotional short circuit where the delirious protagonist feels lost in the crowd. His heart is pounding while his world is falling apart. He experiences a timeless nostalgia while visions of burning cathedrals rising into the sky and trains departing for the cosmos appear in his mind...

The calm and dreamy “4.18” is a short instrumental piece for solo acoustic guitar, written and performed by drummer Maurizio Di Tollo. It's a pleasant interlude that precedes the emotional storm of the next track, “Discesa” (Descent), an intense and rhythmically complex piece that describes a transcendental experience. The protagonist approaches the centre of a room and a trapdoor opens before him. He looks into the void where he sees a white vortex and at the bottom of the spiral a forest of arms reaching out to grab him. The protagonist loses his balance and falls down. In the abyss, the protagonist frees himself from his social conditioning and completely loses all sense of time and space. The arms of Time cradle him and free him from fear and pain, giving him an infinite sense of freedom and peace. But suddenly the white light disappears and the protagonist finds himself in the dark, surrounded by mirrors, with a strong sense of anguish growing within him...

“Between Two Petals of Fire” is a beautiful, slow piece, rich in nuances, that opens with the sound of an acoustic guitar arpeggio. The atmosphere is dreamy and tinged with melancholy. The music and lyrics describe the protagonist, a man lost in the fog, tired and blank-eyed, feeling as if time has stopped around him. Suddenly, a still white light appears before him. Confused, the protagonist tries to touch the light, but it eludes him. He chases after it and feels alive again. Seeing itself being chased, the light stops, and in the darkness something comes to life. A dance between two petals of fire. The protagonist follows the light through the flames in an endless embrace. Finally, the light soars toward the sky and vanishes...

“L’inganno” (The deception) opens with a dark bass line. It's a beautiful song where music and lyrics describe the tormented awakening of the protagonist, a man dissatisfied with his reality who seeks refuge in dreams. After a night spent chasing his dreams, his dark room appears to him like an illusion the next morning and he doesn't recognise his own face in the mirror: in the dream, he was a different man. Now his hands move in the void, digging in the mud in search of someone and something that isn't there. Eventually, reality and the present of his imploding world can no longer restrain him as he flies back toward the dream...

“Agli uomini che sanno già volare” (To the men who already know how to fly) is a delicate ballad drenched in melancholic sweetness. Here, the music and lyrics evoke a dying father's final message to his son. Now his place is among the stars, invisible but finally free and without regrets. His is a farewell that isn't eternal and at the same time a warning to his son not to give up in the face of life's difficulties...

“Il declino” (The decline) is a visionary and cryptic piece that describes the passage of time and the slow decline of a once-powerful man, now withered and mad, for whom the end of his earthly journey seems almost a liberation. The music, especially the piano parts, can at times recall Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, but the compositional skills are remarkable and never fall into overly predictable stylistic devices. This piece is seamlessly linked to the following track, “Phoenix”, where the music seems to convey a breath of optimism and a hope of rebirth...

The final track, “La notte trasparente” (The Transparent Night), is another excellent piece describing a man trapped between the mirrors of his room, waiting for someone or something that can give him back the world that was his and helping him emerge from a deep personal crisis. The music and lyrics intertwine to embroider the emotions of a real dream that can set the protagonist free...

On the whole, a great album and a must-have for every Italianprog lover!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

La Maschera di Cera: Petali di fuoco (2009). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: Flawless playing and superb production, but ultimately an album experience that fails to truly excite me. Despite the positive attributes this album is beautiful and safe at the expense of the gritty and unpredictable elements that make Italian prog rock so fantastic. This is a good album in so many ways and most people are going to wonder how I can criticize it. I really can't other than to call it a taste issue. RPI fans should check this out and many should be pleasantly surprised, but this listener finds the experience a bit middle of the road... (Read the complete review HERE)

AN ACCOMPLISHED WORK OF ART

In 2014 Latte e Miele released on the independent Black Widow label a re-elaborated version their debut album Passio Secundum Mattheum adding some sections and filling some gaps in the narrative parts. The line up featuring Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa (electric and classical guitar), Oliviero Lacagnina (piano, keyboards), Alfio Vitanza (drums, vocals) and Massimo Gori (bass, vocals) re-recorded the album with the intention to leave the narrative parts to the voice of don Andrea Gallo (18 July 1928 - 22 May 2013), an Italian presbyter, founder and leader of the community of San Benedetto al Porto of Genoa, best known for helping poor and needy people. Unfortunately he passed away before the album was completed and that’s why the album is dedicated to his memory. Eventually, the narrative vocals were provided by some prestigious guests such as Silvana Aliotta (Circus 2000), Paolo Carelli (Pholas Dactylus), Giorgio D’Adamo (New Trolls), Aldo De Scalzi (Picchio dal Pozzo); Sophya Baccini (Presence, Sophya Baccini’s Aradia), Alvaro Fella (Jumbo), Paolo Griguolo (Picchio dal Pozzo), Max Manfredi, Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre), Simonluca and Lino Vairetti (Osanna). The new version of the opera features also a string quartet and a choir to add more colours to the musical fabric while the new art work is dedicated to Storm Thorgerson and tries to reflect his style to depict the musical content. In my opinion, this new version is far better than the original one, for many reasons...

Back in 1972, when the original album Passio Secundum Mattheum was released, the instruments of the time, the sound engineers, and the Italian recording studios were certainly not up to par with those of today. Furthermore, the young band had to compromise with their record company and limit the album's running time by cutting some sections. The new version does justice to this complex and intensely beautiful rock opera, recovering what was lost and adding new sounds and nuances. The new version is the fruit of the work of experienced musicians, aware of their abilities and capable of shedding new light on their youthful compositions, bringing them to completion for the listener's delight.

The new version doesn't distort the original plot or introduce any sonic elements that might seem out of place or out of context. It's a work that's extremely respectful of the past, yet looks to the present and modernises sounds and melodies without sacrificing the vintage atmosphere. In fact, for the "Toccata for Organ", a section not included on the original album, an old recording from 1972 was used. The final result is extremely convincing and definitely deserves a place in the collection of any Italian prog enthusiast.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Latte e Miele: Passio Secundum Mattheum – The Complete Work (2014). Other opinions:

Michael "Aussie-Byrd-Brother": Some listeners may find the constant direction changes and multiple narrated guests initially intimidating and off-putting, but perseverance pays off perfectly for those willing to give this work the necessary amount of plays for it to start making sense. `Passio Secundum Matthaeum - The Complete Work' is a gift for fans who cherish the beloved original, as well as a sumptuous aural treat for newcomers to discover. It's possibly one of the finest modern releases from a vintage Italian act, and comes across as a hugely important and defining progressive rock work in general for 2014. Italian prog doesn't come any more grand, lavish and exquisite than this, and it's certainly one of the most sophisticated works to appear on the Black Widow label to date... (read the complete review HERE)

BLOODLESS

After the album Aquile e scoiattoli was released in 1976, Latte e Miele kept playing until the beginning of the 80's with an always more commercial sound but the singles they released were not successful. Their last single from 1980, Ritagli di luce, even took them to the Sanremo Italian song contest but was a flop. An album, recorded in 1979, documents this period of the band but it was not released until 1992 when it was picked up by the Mellow Records label. Titled Vampyrs and played by the three-piece line-up of Gori, Poltini and Vitanza, it's not comparable with the band's previous works...

The album opens with “King Of Darkness,” an instrumental halfway between Goblin and the French Rockets. Then come “Master of the Time,” “I Don't Wanna See You,” and “Burnin’ Out”: sung in English, they are melodic pop-rock songs, not particularly brilliant, shyly nodding to the Italo-dance music that was popular at the time. “Life Is Just a Game” is just a whiff of smoke on the water, while “Nobody’s Comin?” is a bland piano ballad that mimics the more commercial New Trolls. The following songs are sung in Italian and are a bit better, but “Stasera” (This Evening) is romantic, light-hearted pop that, while well-played, has nothing to do with prog, just like the other songs, which at times are close to the style of Umberto Tozzi (“Angela” and “Fumetti rosa”) or Pooh (“Dimenticare, ricominciare”). “Immagini di un porto” (Images of a seaport) is a ballad that reminds me a lot of the New Trolls of the eighties, while “Un colpevole mago”, “Rock’n’Roll Star” and “American Time” are, in my opinion, unremarkable melodic-style pieces.

On the whole, an unaccomplished work that perhaps would have been better left in the drawer and very far from essential for a prog collector.

Anyway, you can listen to the complete album HERE and judge for yourselves.

EAGLES AND PREYS

Aquile e scoiattoli is the third studio album by Latte e Miele and was released in 1976 on the independent Magma label with a renewed line up featuring Alfio Vitanza (drums, percussion, 12 string guitar, vocals), Massimo Gori (bass, electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Luciano Poltini (Hammond, Moog, clavinet, piano, vocals) and Mimmo Damiani (piano, solina, eminent, guitar, vocals) plus some prestigious guest musicians such as Vittorio De Scalzi (flute - from I New Trolls), Leonardo Lagorio (sax - from Celeste), Aldo De Scalzi (sax - from Picchio dal Pozzo), Divo Gori (violin) and Giorgio Karaghiosoff (flute - from Picchio dal Pozzo). Despite the line-up changes, the quality of the music remains high and anchored to the symphonic prog of their early days. The album cover, provided by Maria Vitanza, almost seems to assert the right to a certain underlying naiveté, at least when listening to music in a social context like that of Italy during the Years of Lead, a time of turmoil and rampant violence...

The album opens with the title track, "Aquile e scoiattoli" (Eagles and Squirrels), a brilliant and well-structured, if short, piece. The music and lyrics paint the image of a beautiful forest after a storm. The protagonist can sense the squirrels hidden in the bushes trembling, while eagles circle overhead, ready to snatch their prey. This leads to a comparison with everyday city life, where, metaphorically, vigilant eagles ensure that no one can ever choose between sleep and freedom, where life is scheduled and there's no room for novelty or variation, where you have to run, work, eat, consume the products offered to you, and go to bed early to then resume your daily routine the next morning: if you slip up, sooner or later an eagle will get you...

“Le vacche sacre – Il falso menestrello” (The holy cows – The false minstrel) is a caustic critique of hippie ideals and of those seeking a better world in Indian culture and philosophy. The music and lyrics evoke a person who, upon returning from a journey to India, locks himself into his house and opens a closet of memories, memories provoking a profound disappointment when confronted with the truth of everyday life. The protagonist is then invited to look at himself in the mirror and face the real world. It's clear that life is difficult, which is why he tried to escape, but telling fairy tales doesn't change the situation. The protagonist thinks he's a poet, but he's merely a prophet of falsehood, responsible for those who believe in him. Sacred cows, incense, and necklaces are not what people need; you have to fight for your bread, and it's not right to deceive people by renting artificial paradises...

“Menestrello” (Minstrel) begins with a calm, dreamy atmosphere. The music and lyrics portray a lonely minstrel singing his songs to the moon, trapped by old hopes and past joys that can never return. Then someone urges him not to open his childish eyes, so that if his truth lies in dreams, no one can disturb his inner peace. In the central instrumental section the pace accelerates and a beautiful electric guitar solo intertwined with synthesisers conveys a sense of mysterious unease. At the end, the pace slackens, and the figure of the dreaming minstrel from the beginning of the song reappears...

“Opera 21” closes the first side of the album and is a cheerful instrumental piece that reworks part of Beethoven's First Symphony while the second side of the original LP is entirely occupied by a long and complex instrumental piece of classical inspiration, "Pavana" (Pavane). The pavane is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance), in slow duple time with a long -short - short pulse, perhaps taking its name from Paduan (Padovana) associations (quote from The New Penguin Dictionary Of Music, London, 2004). In any case, despite starting from classical inspiration, the band here does not limit itself to reworking classical forms and effectively presents its own musical ideas, characterised by great technique and taste, blending classical music with rock and a touch of jazz...

On the whole, an excellent work that deserves to be listened to and which at the time would have deserved more success.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Latte e Miele: Aquile e scoiattoli (1976). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: Despite the very good sound quality and fine performance, it feels like a prog keyboard exercise that goes on far too long while hitting very few of my musical pleasure receptors. I'm truly surprised by this as I enjoy Basso's "Voci" and certainly tons of albums that are not so far in style from this. I urge RPI and symphonic prog fans to check out this album for themselves because many other like it a lot, some like it more than their two earlier albums. Just not my cup of tea, or rather not my glass of vino... (You can read the complete review HERE)

A DANGEROUS TURN OUT

La Curva di Lesmo is a project based in Genoa that was born on the initiative of keyboardist Stefano Agnini (La Coscienza di Zeno) and bassist Fabio Zuffanti (Finisterre, Höstsonaten, La Maschera di Cera). In 2015 they released on the independent AMS label an excellent eponymous album with a line up featuring many prestigious guests such as Beatrice Antolini (vocals), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (from La Coscienza di Zeno - bass), Laura Marsano (from La Maschera di Cera - acoustic and electric guitar), Andrea Orlando (from La Coscienza di Zeno and Finisterre - drums), Fabio Gremo (from Il Tempio delle Clessidre and Ianva - classical guitar), Domenico Ingenito (from La Coscienza di Zeno - violin), Loris Lombardo (percussion), Max Manfredi (vocals), Edmondo Romano (from Eris Pluvia - flute), Claudio Roncone (vocals), Luca Scherani (from La Coscienza di Zeno and Höstsonaten - accordion, strings arrangements), Jenny Sorrenti (from Saint Just - vocals), Sylvia Trabucco (from Höstsonaten - violin), Matteo Merli (vocals), Claudio Milano (from Nickelodeon - vocals), Jutta Nienhaus Taylor (from Analogy - narrative vocals) and Boris Valle (from Finisterre - piano). The project's name and album cover pay homage to a comic book character created by Guido Crepax, Valentina, while the music draws inspiration from 1970s Italian prog, vintage electronic music and old soundtracks. In any case, the two musicians’ highly personal creative vein is clearly evident, making this album a must-have for fans of their main reference groups, La Coscienza di Zeno and La Maschera di Cera.

The album opens with “La posa dei morti” (The lying of the dead), a bittersweet piece perfectly interpreted by Beatrice Antolini presenting a dangerous and sensual, seductive and predatory female character. The description of the protagonist is confronted by the image of an undertaker walking with a coffin on his shoulders who takes a break along the path, momentarily easing the heavy burden of the laying of the dead. When the protagonist reappears on the scene, she is preceded by the clatter of her stiletto heels echoing down the corridor. A widow to be burned alive, meditating on the pyre...

“L’isola delle lacrime” (Tears Island) is a long and complex piece that takes us aboard a ship sailing from Italy to America, telling a story of desperation and hope. The voices of Max Manfredi and Jenny Sorrenti masterfully portray the feelings of a young woman and her brother, who seek redemption and a better life by embarking for the New World, leaving behind a present of marginalisation and poverty. She is beautiful and seductive, but she is forced to prostitute herself in the port’s bars where she is the object of desire of many men that she finds disgusting. She can no longer bear a present without dignity and is losing faith and hope. Her brother convinces her to undertake the journey, but difficulties aboard the ship abound, and they will not be lacking in America as well...

The excellent suite “Ho rischiato di vivere” (I risked living) that closes the album is divided into five parts for more than twenty-six intense minutes. The haunting music and heartfelt vocal performances of Claudio Milano and Matteo Merli evoke ghostly atmospheres and nightmares. The suite opens with the description of a man frightened by the reality around him and who prefers to take refuge in a state of unconsciousness filled with nightmares. In the first part, “Ho rischiato di vivere, Parte I”, the music and lyrics drag you like a vortex into the exploration of altered states generating monsters, where you can hear the footsteps and breathing of men who perhaps never existed or are long dead, reaching out to grab you. The second part, subtitled “Ritratto di donna in nero” (Portrait of woman in black), opens with the narrative voice (in German) of Jutta Nienhaus and evokes the figure of a young pianist of twenty, nine of whom had been dedicated to studying her instrument. The girl died suddenly, and the protagonist is left with only memories of her, which fade into the fog of Milan’s canals. The third part, "Memoriale", celebrates the memory of the girl, who for the protagonist represented life. The fourth part, "Gargoyle", describes a statue observing the city life from above, a metaphor for the protagonist himself. Detached from the daily grind, like a silent, resonant stone, he wastes away in anticipation of his transmigrations, burning slowly in his hell of jasper and wind, just as ordinary mortals burn in their hell of flesh and blood. The final part, "Ho rischiato di vivere, Parte II", describes the protagonist's disillusionment and his reflections on life, a cycle that repeats itself endlessly. You set out in search of something and inevitably end up back where you started. A brief reprise of the album's first track concludes the suite, a truly accomplished and engaging work...

Overall, an excellent album that should not be missing from the collection of any Italianprog lover.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

La Curva di Lesmo - La Curva di Lesmo (2015). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: “Full of intricate, daring instrumental arrangements with rich and lively vocal performances, Italian prog doesn't come more confidently grandiose and proudly pompous than this, and it's a thrilling, essential purchase for RPI fans. `La Curva di Lesmo' is not only one of the strongest Italian progressive works of 2015, but it may even prove to become something of a modern classic...” (Read the complete review HERE).

More info:

https://linktr.ee/fabiozuffanti

ANOTHER TRIP

 Now The Time Has Come is the second album by The Trip’s new course started in 2015 on the initiative of original drummer Pino Sinnone who took over the name and brand (initially as The New Trip) to keep alive the old repertoire of the band. While the previous work from 2021, Caronte 50 Years Later, was mainly focused on the re-interpretation of tracks from the early years of the band, this new album is based only on original pieces and fresh ideas. The consolidated line up features Pino Sinnone (drums), Andrea “Ranfa” Ranfagni (lead and backing vocals), Carmine Capasso (guitars, sitar, theremin, percussion, drums), Tony Alemanno (bass) and Andrea “Dave” D’Avino (Hammond, piano) plus the guests Nico Di Palo (vocals), Max Botto (Hammond, Moog, Mellotron, piano) and Giuseppe Sarno (Hammond). This work is not a concept album but in some way follows the atmospheres of The Trip’s second album from 1971, Caronte. The beautiful art cover by Lidia Grillo tries to give an idea of the musical content...

 

 

The album opens with the excellent instrumental “Joe’s Spirit”, composed by Max Botto and dedicated, as you can guess from the title, to The Trip’s original keyboardist and founder member Joe Vescovi. It’s a brilliant piece with many classical quotes and changes of rhythm. The atmosphere is dark, the organ is in the forefront backed by the rhythm section and everything works to help you cross the Styx on Charon’s boat...

 

 “Fragile Mimì” is sung in Italian and is dedicated to the memory of late Italian pop singer Mia Martini, an old friend of the band who had a love affair with Joe Vescovi in the seventies. It’s a delicate, intense ballad who evoke the sublime melodies that the singer was able to create with her voice. Described as sad and fragile, Mia is now just another star in the sky, a light in the darkness who has chosen to hide to find shelter from the judgements of malevolent people... 

 

 “Enigma” is another beautiful instrumental piece. It begins by threatening bass lines and dark organ sounds, then the drums and fiery electric guitar riffs break in contributing to build up an atmosphere of mystery and distress, perfectly suited to evoke a strange walk in the underworld where you can meet the souls of the dead...

 

 

 “Il mio capitano” (My captain) is dedicated to the memory of Pino Sinnone’s older brother, Rino. It’s another touching ballad interpreted by the particular voice of the special guest Nico Di Palo, historic member of New Trolls. The music and lyrics evoke an indelible memory emerging from the past and depict the image of two little children in the cold, lost in the snow. One of them shows his courage helping and comforting his younger brother...

 

 Unfortunately, in the following ballad “Two Friends” the vocals turn to English. The music and the hermetic lyrics tell of a surreal friendship where music is the real protagonist... Then comes the intense “Four Lives”, a piece dedicated to the late members of the band, Joe Vescovi, Wegg Andersen and Billy Gray. Pino Sinnone is the only surviving member of the original line-up but he feels that his former bandmates are still with him while he plays to keep their memory alive...

 

The Trip, 2023

 

 The autobiographical “Momento Prog”, despite the Italian title, is sung in English and sums up the spirit of this work. It’s a piece that starts by telling about the birth of a child's passion for rock music and drums, then recalls with puns based on the titles of the songs from the early years the experience and passion of playing together in a band like The Trip and ends by telling about the joy of picking up the drumsticks again and starting to play again after a long period of musical inactivity... 

 

 The album closes with an alternative version of “Il mio capitano”, sung this time by Andrea Ranfagni and considered a “bonus track”.

 

 On the whole, a very good work.

 

 You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/thetripbandofficial 

 

A FURIOUS TRIP

The first reunion of The Trip ended in 2014 after keyboardist and original member Joe Vescovi passed away. Drummer Furio Chirico gave up and from 2015 on the name and brand of the band has been in the loving hands of Pino Sinnone, drummer on the first two albums of the seventies. Nonetheless, in 2019 Furio Chirico decided to come back to the old repertory of the band with a new line up and with the main idea of continuing to open new paths through research and experimentation, without any nostalgic approach but staying true to the most genuine “progressive rock” texture. In 2022 the new course took form under the name Furio Chirico’s The Trip (to avoid confusion with the other current incarnation of the band) and released an interesting album entitled Equinox with a line up featuring, along with Furio Chirico (drums), also Paolo Silvestri (Hammond, synthesizers, vocals), Giuseppe Lanari (lead vocals, bass) and Marco Rostagno (guitars, vocals).

 

The opening track, “I’m Fury”, was composed by keyboardist Paolo Silvestri who dedicated it to his new band leader. Furio Chirico is here free to express his explosive, virtuosic and brilliant drumming, interacting with the organ and the other instruments in an exemplary way. The rhythm is fast, the atmosphere is full of emotion, the new trip begins...

 

The following “Mother Earth” deals with environmental issues and global warming. The music and lyrics depict a gloomy, arid landscape were you breath sand and ashes. Water is rare and precious, it looks like a Holy Grail. The countdown has begun, time is running out, Mother Earth is dying while we waste our energies in pointless discussions instead of trying to save her...

 

The beautiful “A Suite For Everyone” is a long, complex piece that blends baroque influences and psychedelic visions. It starts softly, the atmosphere is dreamy and relaxed. Then the rhythm takes off and the music goes through many changes. It’s time for memories and reflections about the time spent running after freedom, music, friendship, love and dreams. To be honest, the music is excellent but the vocal parts are not always up to the task and I think it’s a pity that the band did not choose to sing in their mother language. After all, Arvid “Wegg” Andersen was English but the new singer is not...

 

“Catch The Dreamin’” is a good track where the music and lyrics revolve around the concept of carpe diem, the necessity to seize the day and try to make your dreams come true when you have the chance because life is short and nothing can last forever...

 

“Downward Onward” tells of a personal crises. Boredom, drug addiction and bad habits could push you to lock your dreams and even your whole life in a closet, so you fall down. But sometimes joyful memories can do the trick and reverse the course of a life fathomed to doom. The image of your mother appears. She’s here to support and comfort you with her adorable tenderness telling you that you can go on and make it...

 

The acronym of “The Reason Inside Playing” is T.R.I.P. It’s a piece dedicated to the late bassist, vocalist and founder member Arvid “Wegg” Andersen and to the early days of the band. According to an interview, the lyrics of this piece were conceived as a kind of wordplay and the man in black they mention is, of course, Ritchie Blackmore who was part, for a short period, of the very first nucleus of The Trip...

 

The instrumental “Summer Solstice” was composed by guitarist Marco Rostagno and, according to the artist, it’s conceived as a story told by the voice of the lead guitar, imagining the sun that, in its maximum splendour, defeats the darkness, generating a true rebirth. The fiery electric guitar sound is in the forefront and the interaction with the other instruments is pretty good...

 

“Remember Joe” is dedicated to the late The Trip’s keyboardist and founder member Joe Vescovi. It begins by a church like organ section, a kind of requiem that might recall Bach, then the vocals evoke images from Atlantis and a call for a Time Of Change, beautiful sounds from the past that last in the memory of the music lovers. The final organ pattern fades in the last track, the short, dreamy instrumental “Story Of A Friend”...

 

In addition to the CD, this work also includes a DVD with the recording of the live performance at the Salone Internazionale del Libro in Turin on May 23, 2022 where the members of the band showcase all their potential on stage. The set list features three songs from the new album, a selection of tracks from the 1972 album Atlantide, and a piece from the second album from 1971, Caronte.

 

On the whole, a very good work.

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/thetrip.official/ 

 

MUSEUM OF MEMORIES

Dei ricordi, un museo is the first solo album by Stefano Lupo Galifi, historic vocalist of Museo Rosenbach, and was released in 2021 on the independent AMS Records label with a line up featuring along with Stefano Lupo Galifi (vocals) also Luca Scherani (piano, organ, keyboards, flute), Marcella Arganese (guitars), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass) and Folco Fedele (drums) plus Alessio Calandriello and Irene Spina (backing vocals). Rather than a solo album, in this case it would be more correct to speak of a team effort involving numerous musicians from the current Italian prog scene who are also members of bands like La Maschera di Cera, La Coscienza di Zeno, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Ubi Maior or Panther & C.. In particular, Luca Scherani and Gabriele Guidi Colombi have tailor-made for the singer’s voice music and lyrics suited to his exuberant vocality, perfectly in line with his musical history. Marcella Arganese contributed to the composition of the title track and took charge of the beautiful art work of the cover and booklet, inspired by the content of the lyrics...

 

The opener “Cuore (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 1)” (Heart - Of memories, a museum Part 1) sets the atmosphere. It starts by a dreamy piano passage, then the music and words evoke the image of a homeless, a man whose house is a bench in the park. The yellow lights of the city feed the silent and thick mud that covers his past. Then, suddenly, appears the image of a lent helping hand and of emotional doors that are opened by a good heartened person. There’s a strong sense of empathy, questions about family and identity and the figure of a forgotten son who reappears from the past...

The hermetic “La morale cede” (Morals give way) evoke a crimson wire from which pain and time are hanging. There’s the image of a running man on a golden beach, but at the end of his path there is nothing but pain. Then comes the image of a woman who walks with a heavy pace on her lost soul. Male and female are just two arrogant halves, coherent with their desires but far from each other. And morals give way...

“La stanza e l’angolo” (The room and the corner) is a melancholic, disquieting track that deals with the fear of the unknown and the need for a shelter from the outside world. On the delicate piano pattern, heartfelt vocals tell of a man scared by someone who’s knocking at his door. He stands still, silent and motionless, then he retreats in a corner of his room with his hands on his face. He waits for the unexpected knocking noise to fade out...

The beautiful title track, “Dei ricordi, un museo (parte 2)” (Of memories, a museum Part 2), is a long, complex piece that describes a man walking in the wood, in a light rain. His hands sink into the sand and the feeling of the sand falling through his hands brings back memories of old childhood games. Then he comes out of the wood and pushes open an creacking red gate. A driveway leads to an old empty house. A quivering rainbow feather flies around him and its flight opens the way to memory. A relentless wave of memories overwhelms him. Soon, the flow of memories turns into a museum...

“Le due linee gemelle” (The two twin lines) is another hermetic, dreamy piece that portrays in music and words a charismatic artist suspended between past and future. Voice and silence for the show are like the hidden depth of two twin lines. An idea of courage and the unawareness of maturity stem from an unsolved, enigmatic past and an unknown future...

 

Stefano Lupo Galifi, 2019

 

“Sterile” (Sterile) starts by a beautiful acoustic guitar arpeggio and the vocals in the forefront. It’s a wonderful piece that depicts a winter landscape and evokes an atmosphere of decadent resignation. The pungent smell of burnt wood and ash fills the air as a freezing breeze crystallizes the thoughts. In the morning the protagonist wanders aimlessly in the forest with the heavy burden of his existence weighing on him, reacting like a hunted deer whose blood stains the ground, unconsciously helpless. That blood is so similar to ash, black dust under the protagonist’s feet. Then he searches for a way out of the labyrinth of the forest. Eventually, around him he can hear the noises of the industrialized world that soothe his pain in a sterile wait...

The final piece, “L’amante” (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 3), begins softly and evolves into a sensual crescendo. Music and words try to describe a controversial and morbid relationship that charms and upsets the protagonist. Dragged into a spiral in which senses and reason are lost, overwhelmed by the spells of his mistress, the protagonist is subject to dangerous emotional storms. Storms overflowing with a desire from which he tries to escape with mixed success...

On the whole, a perfect exercise of style and a real treat for Italianprog lovers.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Stefano-Lupo-Galifi-100053956041943/ 

WILD STRAWBERRIES

Una vita migliore is the fourth studio album by La Coscienza di Zeno and was released in 2018 on the AMS Records label with a renewed line up featuring Alessio Calandriello (vocals), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass), Andrea Orlando (drums, percussion), Stefano Agnini (synthesizers, Moog, organ), Gianluca Origone (guitars) and Luca Scherani (piano, synth, Mellotron, Hammond organ, bouzuki) plus the guests Sylvia Trabucco (violin), Alice Nappi (violin), Edoardo Romano (sax), Joanne Roan (flute), Daniela Piras (flute), Davide Corso (sax, clarinet), Marco Callegari (trumpet), Gaetano Galli (oboe), Melissa Del Lucchese (cello), Fausto Sidri (vocals, percussion), Martina Saladino (vocals), Nicola Sannino (vocals) and Alice Scherani (Glockenspiel). It’s an amazing symphonic rock work that draws on the tradition of the Italian historic bands from the seventies to express deep feelings shaping new pieces with an up to date sound and fresh ideas. The beautiful cover artwork, by Genoese artist Jessica Rassi, is linked to the content of the album...

 

The wonderful opener “Lobe iste calabu” sets the atmosphere. It’s an instrumental track that starts by a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio and goes through many changes in rhythm driving you to unknown, dreamy realms made of sounds and emotions...

The title of the following “Il posto delle fragole” (Wild Strawberries) refers to a famous 1957 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and depicts in a surreal way stagnant memories and dreamlike flashes, poignant regrets and the new awareness of an old man, a scientist, who reflects about his past mistakes while trying to seek for a peaceful place to rest. In the end the fog dissolves from his nightmares and he can find the place he was looking for, a place to become a child again...

The lively, folksy “Danza ferma” (Still dance) begins with a strong baroque flavour. The music and lyrics try to describe the unstoppable rhythm of Time that keeps men and women in perennial movement. You can’t help it, you have to keep on dancing as memories flow back and forward and the rhythm rises while the music goes on...

 

“Mordo la lingua” (I bite my tongue) is a tense, melancholic piece about incommunicability. The music and lyrics evoke the image of a little, hot heart that tries to find a shelter form the storms of the outside world with no result. The protagonist drowns in a sea of adverbs and useless words, he can’t properly express himself and keeps on biting nervously his tongue. Without expression skills you risk to become invisible because a man who can’t talk and find the right way to communicate with other people is like a vanishing shadow...

“L’aspettativa del bimbo scuro” (The expectation of the dark child) is an introspective track with strong classical flavours were music and lyrics revolve around the psychological gap between what a man appears to be and his hidden desires and illusions. In every man there’s a dark side, a rebellious child that struggles to emerge on the surface from the deepest shadows of the ego. A dark, blind child that seeks for immorality and slowly retreats in face of the terror of social judgement...

The long, complex title track, “Una vita migliore” (A better life), tells in a very poetic way of a horrible family crime. The new partner of a woman, a seaman, sexually harasses and rapes her young daughter. The woman tries to protect and justify her man. The psychological impact on the girl, as you can imagine, is devastating and the music and lyrics try to depict the victim’s feelings conveying a strong sense of disenchantment and inner discomfort. The girl longs for a better life but now all her dreams are broken, her innocence lost forever...

Then, the beautiful instrumental “Vico del Giglio” closes the album. It’s a track that could recall Banco del Mutuo Soccorso without being derivative and invites you to have another spin...

On the whole, an excellent album and a must have for every Italianprog lover.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

La Coscienza di Zeno: Una vita migliore (2018). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: If you're an Italian prog fan, then La Coscienza di Zeno have once again delivered an album that holds everything you could ask for. They draw from such a rich history of vintage Italian progressive music but effortlessly graft it to a modern setting, and they deliver it all with an exceptional technical proficiency and vibrant imagination. Their previous album `La Notte Anche di Giorno' may still be their defining moment to date, but `Una Vita Migliore' is another classy, luxurious and unpredictable symphonic Italian work from an endlessly skilled band, full of colour and endless personality... (Read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/lacoscienzadizeno.ge/ 

TWO WOMEN, TWO STORIES

La notte anche di giorno is the third studio album by La Coscienza di Zeno and was released in 2015 on the Fading Records label with a line up featuring Alessio Calandriello (vocals), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass), Andrea Orlando (drums, percussion), Stefano Agnini (synthesizers, Moog, organ), Davide Serpico (guitars), Luca Scherani (piano, synth, Mellotron, Hammond organ, bouzuki) and Domenico Ingenito (violin) plus the guests Joanne Roan (flute), Melissa Del Lucchese (cello) and Simona Angioloni (vocals). It’s an interesting concept album, divided into two long suites, about two female characters and two different ways to face fear and pain. It confirms all the good qualities of the band’s previous works and the cover with a beautiful painting by Priscilla Jamone gives a visual form to its dark atmospheres and reflective mood... 

 

 

According to the liner notes, the first suite, “Giovane figlia” (Young daughter), was inspired by the figure of a suicidal girl, Serena Zanimacchia, and is dedicated to her memory. It is divided into six parts but, despite its complexity, is well structured and flowing. The first part, “A ritroso” (In reverse), begins with music and lyrics evoking the image of an empty, very particular swing hanging from a tree, a girl floating in the air like a kite without string. Then the music and words take us back in time conjuring up the images of an unexpected pregnancy and of a girl in a hospital fed by syringes and nurses. She feels helpless, as if she were put on trial for her sins and condemned even by her own mother... The following section, “Il giro del cappio” (The turning of the noodle), marks a change of perspective, the atmosphere is calm and reflective, the mood melancholic. The narrator tries to understand the reasons for such a tragic, extreme action. There’s pity and mourn, the memories of the deceased girl emerge from the shadows, with all her efforts to change and the sense of impending tragedy that slowly grows. What did they do to her? She lived in darkness even during the day, but who forced her to hang herself, who knitted the fatal rope? The vortex of memories becomes a hurricane in the third section, “Libero pensatore” (Free thinker), where the narrator draws the image of one of his friends and of his brilliant girlfriend, a bit crazy but friendly and tenacious, now lost forever... In the next part, “Quiete apparente” (Apparent quiet), comes back the image of the girl swinging in the air like a kite while the light chases the shadows along the walls at dawn. A short instrumental part, “Impromptu pour S.Z.”, leads to the last part, “Lenta discesa all’Averno” (Slow descent to Avernus) which attempts, once again, to investigate the reasons that pushed the unfortunate girl to take her own life. She couldn’t overcome her crises, some evil persecuted her like a slithering serpent. What follows is a long, scary journey throughout the holes of the soul, where our hell simmers, a gloomy place that only the wise or the madman dare visit. The last verses of the suite are sung in French by the guest vocalist Simona Angioloni and are taken from a traditional ballad that tells, in a very poetical form, of a terrible family crime. The ballad is “La complainte de la blanche biche”, in the past interpreted, among others, by bands such as Malicorne and Tri Yann...

 

La Coscienza di Zeno 2015

 

The second suite, “Madre antica” (Ancient mother), is divided into four parts and is dedicated to Bianca Orsi, one of the most important Italian sculptresses and to Sfefano Agnini’s father, Gregorio, who during World War II lived in the Po Delta area. Born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia, Bianca Orsi trained in Milan at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and in the first half of the 1930s frequented artistic and intellectual circles. Later she experienced the horrors of World War II first hand taking part in the Resistance as a partisan relay and a profound trace of that experience remains in her works. The first part of the suite, “Il paese ferito” (The wounded country), describes fake scenes of normality in a country ravaged by war: a little girl playing in the street, an old man smoking tobacco, two lovers kissing passionately, two stray cats on the run... The second part, “Cavanella”, takes us in a village of the Po Delta and conjures up the image of the young Bianca walking barefoot on the bloodstained sand while some boys amuse themselves throwing stones with their slingshots at some corpses in uniform floating on the river waters. Mercy seems to be vanishing in war times and violence rules... The third part, “La staffetta” (The relay) depicts Bianca as a partisan messenger in Salsomaggiore Terme. In fact, the most common task for female fighters was the staffetta. The staffete brought or collected weapons and sent messages between the various fighting groups. They were women, in most cases very young, who perfectly knew the territory and moved on foot or by bicycle. The risks they faced were very high... The last part, “Come statua di dolore” (Like a statue of pain) evokes images of the concentration camps in Germany and tells of how Bianca managed to overcome that horror: now her blade cuts into the wood generating statues that recall death, statues of women pierced by pain...

 

On the whole, an excellent work!

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

La Coscienza di Zeno: La notte anche di giorno (2015). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: Considering La Coscienza di Zeno is comprised of musicians who've been involved in the Hostsonaten project and Il Tempio delle Clessidre, it's no surprise to find the music here is so rich and exotic, and the glossy production gives the album a sleek and comforting sound. The fact that the vocal passages are instantly melodic and easy to enjoy, weaving excitedly around the sumptuous instrumental aspects makes it even more of a winner, and once it's been given several replays, the music truly soars with a flowing grace and sophistication. If you don't mind the more polished and slick RPI works in the manner of the symphonic vintage style, `La Notte Anche di Giorno' may just be one of the loveliest RPI releases of 2015! (Read the complete review HERE)

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/lacoscienzadizeno.ge