A HYMN TO LIFE

E’ is the second studio album by UT New Trolls and was released in 2015 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a renewed line up featuring Gianni Belleno (drums, acoustic guitar, vocals), Maurizio Salvi (keyboards, piano, Hammond), Stefano Genti (keyboards, vocals), Claudio Cinquegrana (electric and acoustic guitar), Alessio Trapella (bass, vocals) and Umberto Dadà (vocals) plus the special guest Elisabetta Garetti (violin). The album was recorded trying to recreate the atmosphere of the early seventies with all the band playing in the same room using vintage instruments and analog recording techniques. This time the prog soul of the band prevails on its melodic vein and I’m sure that Italian prog lovers will be pleased... 

 

 

The opener “Dies Irae” starts with the violin in the foreground, then the rhythm section and the other instruments come in blending baroque music and rock while the lyrics try to convey a message of hope. The beauty of life remains, even in misfortune, and you have to look inside yourself to discover that there’s world in a grain of sand and to find the eternity in an hour… A kind of hymn to life! 

 

The long, complex “Oggi non sono spento” (Today I’m not off) begins by a long instrumental section in a jazz rock vein with Latin rock elements. You can hear a dynamic rhythm section, suggestive organ waves and an electric guitar solo that could recall Santana until the pace slackens and melodic vocals invite you to reflect about the mysterious adventure of life and urge to enjoy the day keeping the flames of your inner fire always burning... 

 

 

“Cambiamenti” begins in rockier way, then the rhythm calms down and there’s a softer section where melancholic soaring vocals on an acoustic guitar arpeggio express a love for life that is stronger than regrets and disappointments. Every rose has its thorns, lies or unfaithful relationships are just thorns that can’t erase the beauty of life... Then the rhythm rises again for the finale where the lyrics invite you to get up and fight to change the world and make it better. 

 

The short, dreamy instrumental “Trullo Lungo” closes the first part of the album with a good display of keyboards in the forefront. The title refers to a picturesque village in Apulia where the band found a moment of relax and inspiration documented by some pictures that you can find in the booklet... 

 

 

Ut New Trolls on stage, 2014

The second part of the album opens with the brilliant “Cherubino”, a lively piece about a kind of psychedelic, beautiful dream where the borders between heaven and hell get blurred, sacred and profane meet each other and the cherub who stands the guard to the tree of life lower his sword and let your soul fly free, in harmony with the universe... 

 

Next comes the gorgeous instrumental “Opera Suite”, a challenging piece that blends with freshness and gusto some classical influences with the powerful energy of a rock band. Here the musicians are able to express in an effective way all their pleasure to play together... 

 

 

“Io...” (I…) is a melodic ballad about time passing by. The music and words conjure up the image of a peaceful landscape at dawn and try to express the desire of a better world where men respect each other and the environment, a world with a soul that can make the dreams come true. Life is short, so carpe diem and try to not waste your time... 

 

The beautiful instrumental “Ostinato” closes the album with a perfect exercise of style, blending again in an impeccable way classical forms and rock rhythms. The title refers to a musical term defining a short repeating element, usually only a bar or two long, though the term may also be applied to such longer repetitions as occur in a chaconne or passacaglia... (quote from the New Penguin Dictionary of Music). Anyway, this is an ostinato sui genris and there’s no room for boredom, it’s really a gran finale! 

 

On the whole, a very good album! 

 

You can listen to the complete album (plus two bonus tracks) HERE

 

More info:

https://www.utnewtrolls.com/pagengl/home.html 

 

GIVE AND TAKE

 UT New Trolls are just one of the many offshoots of historic Genoese New Trolls (like Ibis, New Trolls Atomic System and Tritons in the seventies and later La Storia dei New Trolls, Il Mito dei New Tolls, Il Cuore dei New Trolls, La Leggenda dei New Trolls...), all featuring some of the old members claiming the heritage of the original band. This project took off in 2011 under the name Uno Tempore on the initiative of New Trolls’ historic members Gianni Belleno and Maurizio Salvi who gathered around them a bunch of talented musicians with the aim of reviving the “prog soul” of New Trolls, in particular performing live pieces from the 1972 album Ut and other material from the early seventies. In 2012 a live album entitled Live In Milano was released under the name Uno Tempore New Trolls and in 2013 the band with the name shortened to UT New Trolls released a brand new studio work entitled Do Ut Des on the independent label Immaginifica with a renewed line up featuring Gianni Belleno (drums, vocals), Maurizio Salvi (keyboards, piano, Hammond), Alessandro Del Vecchio (keyboards, piano, vocals), Claudio Cinquegrana (electric and acoustic guitar) and Anna Portalupi (bass). Despite the good intentions, I have to say that for a prog fan the fruits of their work could have a bitter taste since the prog soul of the band here seems to be smothered by the prevailing pop, melodic vein that is also part of New Trolls’ DNA... 

 

 

The album opens with promising short instrumental “Paganini”, then comes “Per ogni lacrima” (For every tear), a piece about the healing power of friendship and love that starts with a sparkling, classical inspired, organ passage. Unfortunately, after a minute the music veers to AOR and could remind of New Trolls’ albums like Aldebaran rather than Ut. 

 

“La luce di Vermeer” (Vermeer’s light) combines melodic vocal parts and bolder instrumental passages. It’s a good piece where the lyrics invite you to look in a different way at people who serve time in prison because not all of them took deliberately the career of evil but some where just doomed by an ill fate and a difficult social condition. Even those branded with the sign of Cain should deserve another chance and bit of respect... 

 

 

The following “Oltre il cielo” (Beyond the sky) is just a melodic ballad dealing with the need to overcome the consequences of the traumatic end of a relationship while “Rispettare può salvare” (Respecting can save) is a reflection about the never ending conflicts in the Middle East and the troubled situation in Palestine. The softer parts evoke a comet over Bethlehem and the hope that sooner or later men will learn the mutual respect and live in peace...
 

“Do Ut Des” (Give and take) is a beautiful piece, featuring many brilliant classical inspired passages and lyrics inspired by an absolute love for Music. Next comes “Sarà per noi” (It will be for us) a touching, romantic ballad with beautiful harmony vocals. Then the dreamy “Siamo ancora qui” (We’re still here) tries to express the feelings and the emotion of the musicians on stage, even after many years of career... 

 

 

The swinging “Sporca politica” (Dirty politics) is a kind of ranting against the politicians who waste the money collected with taxes in their games of power but in my opinion the committed lyrics and the carefree music are neither here nor there and this is probably the weakest point of the album. The closer “Can’t Go On” could be considered as a bonus track since it’s just the English version of “Oltre il cielo” sung by the special guest Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen from Toto. 

 

On the whole, in my opinion this is a good AOR album with some hints of prog that should be of interest for fans of bands such as Toto but that is not essential in a prog collection.

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

 

 

PROG AND CLASSICAL MUSIC

In 1971 I New Trolls met composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov and producer Sergio Bardotti for the soundtrack of the film “La vittima designata” directed by Maurizio Lucidi starring Tomas Milian. The plot was set between Milan and Venice and featured the scene of a murder in Venice... So the idea of a soundtrack inspired by Vivaldi and featuring the strength of a rock band interacting with an orchestra seemed a good idea for the musical comment of the scenes on the screen. Then, from cinema to vinyl was a short step. I New Trolls line-up features here Vittorio De Scalzi (guitar, keyboards, electric piano, flute, vocals), Nico Di Palo (guitar, vocals), Giorgio D’Adamo (bass), Gianni Belleno (drums, vocals) and Maurizio Salvi (keyboards, organ) while the orchestra was directed by Maestro Bacalov himself. This album is usually regarded as a masterpiece of Italian progressive-rock and it’s historically important because it was the first experiment of this kind in Italy, moreover it was quite successful and it opened the way for other works in the same style.

Mew Trolls 1971

On the first side the band interact with the orchestra blending prog-rock influences (for instance the flute in “Jethro Tull style” and the distorted guitar) and classical music passages with balance and good taste. The first movement is the lively instrumental “Allegro”. In the second movement, the slow, passionate “Adagio”, well balanced vocals soar in an evocative way. “Wishing you to be so near to me... Waiting for the sun to shine again / Finding that it’s gone too far away / To die, to sleep, maybe to dream...”. The short lyrics were inspired by the poetry of Shakespeare... To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; or in that sleep of death what dreams may come (Hamlet, Act III - scene I). The third movement, “Cadenza – Andante con moto” is a beautiful melancholic piece, to sleep and to dream... The fourth movement, “Shadows”, is dedicated to Jimi Hendrix. It’s a reprise of the “Adagio” where the band with electric guitar and flute in the forefront seem to look for Jimi’s shadow in the dark and struggle to find it...

On side two there is a long track where the members of the band showcase all their musicianship, “Nella sala vuota, improvvisazioni dei New Trolls registrate in diretta”. This piece is almost completely instrumental (in the middle there are just some vocals in Italian, a short reprise of a previously released single “Il sole nascerà”) and though the title means “improvisation in an empty room” it is very far from being just a boring free improvisation sounding more like a medley of different pieces put together. According to Vittorio De Scalzi, this is not just a filler and the aim of the band was to reproduce in studio the same energy that they were able to express live on stage during their concerts . Well, the result is definitely not bad at all!

On the re-release on CD of this album you’ll also find its sequel, “Concerto grosso n. 2”. Indeed, after their first split-up and the separate experiences of the members with Ibis and New Trolls Atomic System, in 1976 I New Trolls reunited with a renewed line-up and tried to repeat the success of “Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls”. Luis Enrique Bacalov composed the music of the first three tracks and the band interpreted them interacting with an orchestra. Perhaps you can’t find here the originality of the album released in 1971 (on the third movement every now and then there are slight reminiscences of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells...) but the pieces are well structured and well performed. In the second and third movement there are some remarkable harmony vocals and the romantic lyrics are sung in English... “She’s many miles away from me / She’s wasting nights away from me / But every song and every tear and every lie and every fear / Are always calling back my love keeping back my love...”. An amazing example of merging classical music and progressive rock...

It’s a pity that the other tracks of the album seem to go in another musical direction. Just some nice pop songs (the dreamy “Quiet Seas”, sung in English and “Bella come mai”), some West Coast echoes (“Vent’anni” reminds me slightly of CSN&Y, with amazing harmony vocals built up around a remarkable acoustic guitar work, while “Let It Be Me” is the cover of a song made famous by the Everly Brothers) and a not altogether convincing vocal experiment (“Le Roi Soleil” where the words of the bleak nonsense lyrics are nothing more than sounds while the music recalls slightly Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”). 

From the book Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock 

You can listen in streaming to Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls HERE and to Concerto Grosso N. 2 HERE

 

LOOKING FOR THE PROMISED LAND

After the successful album with Luis Bacalov, “Concerto grosso per I New Trolls”, in 1972 I New Trolls released “Searching for a land” with a renewed line up featuring Vittorio De Scalzi (guitars, flute, keyboards, vocals), Nico Di Palo (guitars, vocals), Gianni Belleno (drums, percussion), Frank Laugelli (bass) and Maurizio Salvi (organ, piano). For this album New Trolls deliberately drew their inspiration from foreign bands such Colosseum, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin or Jethro Tull although trying to keep an original touch while blending hard rock with classical influences. It's a double album and it's maybe too heterogeneous and not always convincing but it has some very good moments. It was released for the international market and completely sung in English and Italian-Canadian bass player Frank Laugelli, who replaced Giorgio D'Adamo in the line up, wrote most of the lyrics signing them as Rhodes.

The opener good “Searching” begins with a nice acoustic guitar pattern and the lyrics in my opinion capture the spirit of the whole album that sometimes seems to lack a definite musical direction... “Travelling, wish I knew where I was going / Every place now looks the same / Nothing new seems to come my way / All my life I've been searching for something... But I'm happy to be free and to be able to weep / And I'm happy to be me...”.

The second track “Percival” is introduced by a nice acoustic guitar arpeggio and features a distant and filtered vocal part that I don’t like at all. It's a song about time passing by, sometimes you grow up and finally you realize that along the years you never found what you were looking for and now that you're old you have even forgotten what your goal was... “Percival is my name / My kingdom is wide...”. Good acoustic guitar solo!

“In St. Peter’s Day” is a beautiful acoustic ballad with a peaceful, dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics have religious references and the guitar and keyboards parts here are very good... “All the tears of the world have now been cried / I don't want to hear the screamin' of the crowd... For three times I heard the day bird cry / For three times your love I have denied now / I hear the beating of the hammers crucifying the soul off all summers...”.

“Once That I Prayed” is introduced by piano and vocals and is another good track with a strong classical influence. The lyrics and music evoke a feeling of uncertainty and the need for freedom, an absolute freedom that could lead even to solitude... “Goin' on my way I was trying to pray / Something may change into my life / Nothing to say, nowhere to stay / No hand to hold to keep me warm...”.

The sound of the organ introduces the rarefied, dilated “A Land To Live, A Land To Die”, an interesting track featuring a great organ work and an ethereal, dreamy atmosphere. The pace is slow, almost bluesy in some passages, and you can dream of a new promised land where to find peace and rest.

“Giga” is just a short, nice acoustic guitar track that leads to the following “To Edith”, another dilated, dreamy track with an excellent keyboard work that closes the first part of the album. The lyrics are taken from a poem by Bertrand Russell... “Through the long years I sought peace / I found ecstasy, I found anguish, I found madness, I found loneliness, I found the solitary pain that gnaws the heart / But peace I did not find / Now, old & near my end, I have known you / And, knowing you, I have found both ecstasy & peace / I know rest, after so many lonely years / I know what life & love may be / Now, if I sleep I shall sleep fulfilled...”.

The second part of “Searching For A Land” was recorded live and I think that is less interesting, with more hard rock and less classical influences. “Intro” is a long instrumental track where the members of the band showcase their great musicianship while the following “Bright Lights” is an uninspired hard rock track and in my opinion the weakest on the whole album.

Next comes “Muddy Madalein”, a hard, bluesy track with a flute solo in “Jethro Tull style”. The lyrics tell about a man who, while walking in the street with his child, is puzzled by the meeting with the prostitute who was his “first shot”.

The long final track “Lying Here” begins with classical reminiscences (Gregorian chant, flute and organ passages) that after six minutes melt into hard rock with clear references to Deep Purple and ample room for drums and electric guitar solos.

Well, on the whole “Searching For A Land” might not be a masterpiece but I think that it is worth listening to and could be an excellent addition to any prog collection.

More info:

http://www.newtrolls.it/ 

http://www.newtrollsnetclub.it/ 

http://www.newtrollsfanclub.com/ 

 

THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEASONS

I New Trolls started their career in 1966 in Genoa, influenced by beat and psychedelia. Then, in 1971, they turned to progressive rock and later to pop. Nowadays I New Trolls continue to keep alive their repertoire with excellent live performances even if they have split into many branches with old and younger members playing in different line-ups. One of these is La Leggenda dei New Trolls, featuring founder members Vittorio De Scalzi (vocals, piano, guitar, flute) and Nico Di Palo (vocals, keyboards) along with Alfio Vitanza (drums, vocals), Andrea Maddalone (acoustic and electric guitars, vocals), Mauro Sposito (electric guitar, vocals) and Francesco Bellia (bass, vocals). In 2007 they released on the independent label Aereostella an interesting new album, Concerto Grosso - The Seven Seasons where you can find a new creativity and an excellent interplay between rock instruments and orchestra. Nico Di Palo here is in the background, because of the consequences of a car accident now he can hardly move his left arm and he can’t play guitar any more, but New Troll’s fan still love him and his voice. In this work the orchestra conductor, Maestro Stefano Cabrera, and guitar virtuoso Andrea Maddalone play an important role too and with the executive producer, PFM’s drummer Franz Di Cioccio, they contribute to the excellent final result. 

 

The opener “The Knowledge (Overture)” is an instrumental track with an excellent interaction between the orchestra and the band that recalls New Trolls' first Concerto Grosso. The following “Dance With The Rain (Ballata)” is a delicate, soft ballad featuring soaring vocals upon a classical guitar arpeggio and a good flute work by Vittorio De Scalzi. The lyrics by Shel Shapiro depict images inspired by universal love and comprehension and draw some reflections about the mystery of life... “Have you ever tried to dance with the rain? Have you ever tried to fly to the stars? Has compassion ruled your world? Could an overdose of knowledge divide? Dance with me and let your heart decide...”. 

“Future Joy (Scherzo)” is an interesting, joyful “instrumental dialogue” between orchestra and electric instruments with the guitar of Andrea Maddalone in the forefront. “High Education (Cello cadenza)” is a cello performance provided by Stefano Cabrera that leads to the following track, “The Seventh Season (Ostinato)”, more in a pop vein and that in some way reminds me of the Gianpiero Reverberi’s project called Rondò Veneziano. This piece features the narrative vocals of the lyricist Shel Shapiro and is a kind of prayer invoking a new season that could bring love and a new balance in the relationship between men and nature... “The seventh season will teach you to love the land / The seventh season will teach you to love again...”.

“One Magic Night (Larghetto)” is a beautiful, melodic air where the lead “pop vocals” of Vittorio De Scalzi are counter-pointed by the operatic vocals of the soprano Madelyn Monti (who sings in Italian). The lyrics conjure up a magic night where dreams come true and the light of knowledge leads you... “Dream a dream of northern lights... Sleep and let your spirit heal... Let your mind flow like a river / Give it freedom, let it fly / All you have to do is try...”.

The instrumental “Barocco'n'Roll (Allegro brioso)” is another interesting example of blending between rock and baroque music while “Intro and Canone” is a short classical guitar piece that introduces the following track, “Testament Of Time (Andante)”, featuring a beautiful melody and excellent harmony vocals. Here the lyrics evoke a future of joy where love can penetrate your mind at ease... “As the sea shifts the sand / Let us float away hand in hand...”.

Vittorio De Scalzi and Nico Di Palo 2007

“The Ray Of White Light (Rondò)” is another track in a particular “pop vein” that could recall some works of Queen (or, if you prefer, “Le Roi Soleil” from Concerto Grosso N. 2). The lyrics invites you to follow the light of love... “Listen to your heart / And you will be loved in return / Don't be afraid / Follow the white stream... And like a love that's blind / You'll see the future behind / And feel the love alive in your heart...”.

“To Love The Land (Adagio)” is a piano ballad featuring the lead vocals of Vittorio De Scalzi and a remarkable electric guitar work with the orchestra in the background. The lyrics draw another invocation to love and hope, another prayer to the god of earth, wind, fire and rain... “Like spring from the rain / The seventh season gives you love again...”. The following “The Season Of Hope (Piano preludio)” is an interesting, calm duet between piano and viola that evolves into a more “progressive” and “jazzy” mood eventually leading to “Simply Angels (Suite)”, in my opinion the best track on this album and the closest to the prog vein of the early Seventies, featuring shifting tempos and well balanced harmony vocals. The lyrics here compare a flock of birds to angels heading south, following the rhythm of the seasons... “We're simply angels / We've been dancing with the rain / We birds are leaving / And we're flying south again...”.

Next comes “Ethix (Canzona)”, a simple melodic song sung by Vittorio De Scalzi that here seems almost trying to draw the listeners away from their daily grind leading them into a world of dreams... “I hate the noise of the world of today...”. A “bonus track” concludes the album. It's “So che ci sei”, the Italian version of “Dance With The Rain” and I have to say that I like this version more than the English one...

Well, to be honest the lyrics by Shel Shapiro are a bit naïve and the conceptual thread is not completely convincing but the music is really good and even in the “pop oriented” passages you can always find a pleasant, never banal sense of melody. Have a try!

More info:

http://www.newtrolls.it/