SAD SUN

The Ikan Method is a project based in Alessandria, Piedmont, that came to life in 2019 on the initiative of drummer and composer Luca Grosso (who previously collaborated with Projecto, Narrow Pass, Marcello Chiaraluce, The Rome Pro(g)ject and others). Their debut album, inspired by bands such as Marillion, IQ and early Genesis, is entitled Blue Sun and was released in 2020 on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash Records label with a line up featuring along with Luca Grosso himself (drums, keyboards) also Marcello Chiaraluce (guitar), Davide Garbarino (vocals) and Fabio Zunino (bass) plus the guests Piergiorgio Abba (keyboards) and Giacomo Grosso (flute). According to the official website, the title of the album refers to a concept that encompasses all the alienation and unease of a world that has become enslaved by technology, where the individual is isolated from each other, in a sort of ‘golden cage’ where solitude reigns...

The first track, “The Great Opening”, is a caustic piece that describes in music and words the spectacle of the commodification of one's dreams. It takes us to the inauguration of a new temple of modern society, a huge shopping mall. There one can wander freely among the crowd under the lights, forgetting anger and frustration, and it doesn't matter if it's raining outside! There, it's always spring and everyone can find everything they desire in exchange for their savings. And if their savings aren't enough, they can buy on credit... Welcome to the show!

“The Journey” is a beautiful instrumental piece that alternates dark and alienating atmospheres with bursts of furious energy and electric tension and leads us to following “No More Lies” that portrays a man in front of the television, overwhelmed by images of catastrophes and wars around the world. He wonders what kind of world we will leave to the future generations if we continue to greedily consume all available resources, thinking that we enjoy life without realising that we just bring death. We think we are free, but in reality we're nothing but slaves to a machine that never stops turning. We need the illusion of an enemy to hate and we are no longer able to think. Eventually, the protagonist falls asleep and is overcome by sadness, fed up with weapons, words, tears and lies...

“The Long Way To Madness” is another good instrumental piece, rhythmically intense and in line with what the title suggests. It brings us to “The Storm”, a long and complex piece divided into three parts. The first part is a brief, calm and dreamy instrumental introduction titled "The Grand Illusion Of Life". It is followed by a long central section, titled "The Calm Before The Storm", where the music and lyrics describe an approaching storm, metaphorically referring to life: an unexpected and violent event capable of unsettle the protagonist's life, who must now prove himself strong. The description of this event is left to the instrumental coda, titled "The Storm"...

“Golden Cage” describes the protagonist's reflections on the illusion of freedom when we're constantly busy and immersed in the daily routine of the life we ​​think we've chosen. In truth, it's difficult to escape the control of those in charge, and we end up moving between different scenarios, all within a golden cage to which we don't have the keys and from which we can't escape. Thus, we waste our time waiting for something that will never come and we realise too late that the time to make our dreams come true has already passed... Next comes “Time Lost”, a beautiful instrumental piece drenched in regret and nostalgia with a flamboyant finale that might recall Genesis...

The title track, “Blue Sun”, is an instrumental piece in a melancholic vein that leads to “Changes”. The final piece starts with a delicate piano intro and marks the protagonist's awakening after a restless sleep, pervaded by a sense of loneliness and confusion. Slowly, the images of his nightmares fade, giving way to a sense of confusion. The protagonist feels that something has changed in him and finally finds the strength to move forward, supported by the love of his children...

On the whole, a very interesting work that deserves a try.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.theikanmethod.com/

HIGH CRIME

Anonima Sonora came to life in Turin in 2019 with the aim of playing original music inspired by the soundtracks of Italian crime action seventies B-movies (a genre known as poliziottesco), concocting an explosive cocktail of funky and prog in the vein of bands such as Calibro 35, La Batteria, Strato’s, L’Attimo del Dubbio or Apollo Beat. In May 2021 they self-released an interesting eponymous debut EP with a line up featuring Stefano Ruggero (bass), Marco Cerrato (sax), Carlo Peluso (keyboards), Matteo Pagliardi (drums) and Giovanni Peluso (guitar). The art cover gives an idea of the musical content...

The first track, “Titoli di testa” (Opening credits), starts by a short narrative part, a threatening dialogue between two men that sets the atmosphere. Then the music takes off with a frenzied funky rhythm and a perfect interaction between all the instruments. To leave is to die a little... In fact, the four tracks of this EP include some short quotes taken from their sources of inspiration, short dialogues from films such as Il cittadino si ribella (Street Law), directed in 1974 by Enzo Castellari, Milano trema, la polizia vuole giustizia (The Violent Professionals), directed in 1973 by Sergio Martino and Poliziotto solitudine e rabbia (The Rebel), directed in 1980 by Stelvio Massi, all proudly credited by the band.

The following “Asfalto” (Asphalt) begins by a keyboard pattern and a nervous rhythm section building up a tense atmosphere. Then the music gives way to a narrative quote describing a hold-up in the street and the consequent police reaction. When music starts again, the rhythm is tight and there are some jazzy passages underlining a car chase and a shooting...

“Un altro giorno per morire” (Another day to die) starts with a fast pace and pumping bass lines adding adrenaline. This piece has strong jazz rock flavour with the sax in the forefront. In the middle the rhythm calms down and on a dramatic organ background you can hear the hurried footsteps of a fleeing man and those of his pursuer, bursts of machine gun fire and groans of pain. After the murder the rhythm takes off again...

“Il cerchio nero” (The black circle) opens with an ominous warning about the risk of hiring a professional hitman who is too stupid, then the music takes you on another ride across a dangerous metropolitan landscape for a kind of safari where you don’t know if you are the hunter or the hunted...

On the whole, a very promising debut!

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

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Tutti i dettagli in cronaca, the second EP by Anonima Sonora, was released in 2024 with a renewed line up featuring Stefano Ruggero (bass), Marco Cerrato (sax), Carlo Peluso (keyboards, percussion, glockenspiel, melodica), Anna Truglio (vocals, samples, percussion), Enrico Beltrame (drums) and Giovanni Peluso (guitar). In particular, the voice of Anna Truglio, used as an instrument and that might recall Edda Dell'Orso, expands the musical palette of the band in a significant way. In my opinion, this work marks a step forward for the musicians involved in this project and sounds more personal and mature if compared with the eponymous debut EP. The vocalist took also charge of the graphic part...

This time the short film excerpts that the band used to add touches of colour to their music come from Milano violenta (Bloody Payroll), directed in 1976 by Mario Caiano, La polizia incrimina, la legge assolve (High Crime), directed in 1973 by Enzo Castellari and La malavita attacca... La polizia risponde! (The Criminals Attack, The Police Respond), directed in 1977 by Mario Caiano. According to an interview with the band, those grim films are a legacy to be valorised since they convey a certain vision of society and its dynamics and there are many analogies with the present beyond the obvious historical changes. Above all the coexistence of good and evil as opposite points of the same curve, dimensions so close that they almost no longer have boundaries...

The title track, “Tutti i dettagli in cronaca” (All the details in the crime news), opens the EP and starts by a dark solo organ passage, then there’s a sudden burst of energy and the rhythm rises. Vocals rising wordlessly and frentic instrumental parts lead to the following “Margot (Vedova di mala)” (Margot - crime widow) that opens with a dialogue between a bad girl and a bandit. The atmosphere is calm and dreamy, the man and the woman discuss about their future and the possibility to an existential redemption, leaving for another place where to begin a new life. Echoes of Piazzolla and tangos might suggest that a change is possible but in the middle section you can hear a wild shooting and a desperate, anguished attempt to escape as the music veers in another direction. Maybe the change is not for the better...

“Chi di noi due sono io?” (Which of us am I?) is an excellent jazz rock piece that leads to “Marsiglia” (Marseilles), a track that seems to drive you across the pages of a Jean-Claude Izzo novel. It starts by a slow pace and a strong Mediterranean flavour, the mood is dreamy but soon the dreams turn to nightmare with a powerful sax solo and raging drums in the background. You’re not in an exotic paradise and you may have to deal with a violent detective asking questions in a vicious way and without a warrant. In short, violence is what we breathe here...

On the whole, a very interesting work that is really worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

More info: 

https://www.blogdellamusica.eu/anonima-sonora-intervista/

HEAVY WINGS

Wilson Project took form in 2015 in Acqui Terme, a town in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont. After some years spent honing their skills and a good live activity on the local scene, in 2022 they released an interesting debut album, entitled Il viaggio da farsi, on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash Records label with a line up featuring Annalisa Ghiazza (vocals), Giovanni Giordano (guitar), Andrea Protopapa (keyboards, backing vocals), Stefano Rapetti (bass) and Mattia Pastorino (drums, backing vocals). Producer Marcello Chiaraluce helped the musicians during the recording sessions in the studio and contributed to the song-writing while Daniele Cavallero’s Za! Factory, a design firm from the near town of Valenza, took charge of the art work. The overall sound of the band draws on many influences ranging from Italian prog masters of the seventies such as PFM or BMS to contemporary, heavier acts and the music perfectly fits the subject matter the musicians have chosen to develop in this work. In fact, this is a concept album that tells a story about a woman who leaves planet Earth and goes to Mars, a kind of space odyssey inspired by the launch of Elon Musk’s Falcon Heavy... 

The short, spacey instrumental “Intro” sets the atmosphere and leads to “Non pensare vai” (Do not think, go) that describes in music and words the expectations and the doubts of the protagonist who is embarking on a spacecraft directed to Mars where she’ll start a new life. What she’s left behind is a broken relationship and some regrets, what lies ahead is the dream of better days to be reached on the wings of a heavy falcon...

“Come mi vuoi” (As you want me) deals with the nostalgia of real relationships and the choice of a virtual lover to replace them. The music and lyrics depict the protagonist trying to teach her new mechanical companion how to laugh with her and how to love. While she’s programming its artificial intelligence she goes through many errors but at last she seems to reach her goal...

Then it’s the turn of the bitter-sweet “Complice innocente” (Innocent accomplice) that describes the strange relationship between the protagonist and her new companion, a toy man docile and tireless... On “E’ stato un errore” (It was a mistake) the protagonist experiences doubts and regrets looking at the infinite space that surrounds her. She begins to realize that an aseptic, odourless virtual companion can’t really erase the deep sense of loneliness she feels in her silent Martian new home...

 

Wilson Project on stage, 2019

“Ingannando i miei sensi” (Deceiving my senses) describes in music and words the confusion of the protagonist whose memories come back and hit her senses almost leading her on the brink of madness... Imagination and reality almost melt together on “Quando cerchi di respirare” (When you try to breath). The protagonist, looking at the creature she shaped, keeps on thinking of her broken relationship and she almost fears her new virtual lover might let her down like her ex boy friend on Earth. She even think of keeping it closed in a glass box as it tries to breathe and behave like a human being...

The ethereal “Se solo avessi un’anima” (If only you had a soul) begins softly, then the music and lyrics depict the sense bewilderment of the protagonist in front of her new companion... What she misses more is the feeling of a real interaction in front of a creature without soul and heart, she would like to teach it to believe in God or to make it understand how important relationships with other human beings are. But something seems to go wrong... On “Un gioco” (A game) the machine in some way begins to feel human! It’s thunder, light and uproar but it tried to be good and what does it discover? It’s just a game. But it’s too late and it can’t stop what she has created, they’re both victims of a sterile world...

The last track, “Il viaggio da farsi” (The journey ahead) is open to various interpretations. The protagonist feels that her creature is just an extinguished fire, time is running out and hysteria prevails, the creature is about to die. The melancholic finale depicts the creature hanging in the room of her maker, swinging lightly. The protagonist, in her madness, feels a strong sense of guilt and becomes aware that there’s no way out to escape the spectre of silence and there’s no need of heavy suitcases nor ships for her next journey...

On the whole, a very interesting concept and an excellent work.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/wilsonproject/ 

BRILLIANT EXPLORERS

In 2006 Roby Munciguerra set up a new Procession incarnation for some live performances and from June to September 2006 the new line up featuring, along with Roby Munciguerra (guitar, backing vocals), also Samuele Alletto (vocals, flute), Stefano Carrara (keyboards, 12 string guitar, backing vocals), Enzo Martin (bass) and “Herman” a.k.a. Max Aimone (drums) plus the guest Danilo Pala (sax) recorded in the Overtone studio in Turin the new versions of the old pieces and a brand new one. Procession’s new album, produced by Dario Todesco and Ernesto Ausilio and entitled Esplorare, was released in 2007 on the independent Electromantic Music label with a nice art work that in some way depicts the intricacies of its musical content...

The opener “C’era una volta” (Once upon a time) starts by a beautiful new introduction with piano and electric guitar in the forefront. From the very first notes you can appreciate the clear sound and the care that the band put in the new arrangements revitalizing the old repertoire with respect and competence. The new vocalist is absolutely up to the task and breaths new life into the story of the child who wasted his time looking for the sense of life, getting old without reaching his goal...

To better underline its apocalyptic, tense atmosphere, the new version of “Uomini di vento” (Men of wind) gives more room to dark organ passages while the hieratic vocals depict the terrible wind that rules on the world and bends nature, guided by its blind will, sweeping away terrorized men and a blurred reality...

Then it’s the turn of the melancholic “Un mondo sprecato” (A wasted world) where Samuele Alletto delivers in a very effective way the caustic reflections of the jaded clown protagonist of the piece, perfectly backed by a band able to add colours and emotions in the instrumental sections.

“Esplorare” (To explore) is the only new track on the album and it’s a pity since the vitality of Procession’s new course is great. It’s a piece that deals with the illogical but nonetheless powerful belief that things will change for the better in a new place. The music and words describe a young man that looks for another world to explore, a place where his fantasies will come true. He wears his dreams and sets off but later realizes that is all in vain and begins to feel lonely and desperate while his certainties fade away. He will have to take a step back to find the meaning of life...

The new arrangement of “Il volo della paura” (The flight of fear) is excellent and succeeds in conveying the disquieting feelings that a flock of birds provoke darkening the sky and the need to overcome the gloomy omens that they could represent...

Next two tracks reshape brilliantly, with good taste and respect, Procession’s first album, Frontiera, a conceptual work telling the story of a young man who leaves his home and family in Southern Italy searching for a job and a better life in a big city of the North. “Suite 1” includes “Ancora una notte” (One more night), “Uomini e illusioni” (Men and illusions), “Città grande” (Big city), “Incontro” (Meeting) and “Anche io sono un uomo” (I’m a man as well) while “Suite 2” includes “Un mondo di libertà” (A world of freedom), “Un ombra che vaga” (A wandering shadow) and “Solo 1” (Alone).

Then “Fiaba” (Fairy tale) ends the album by painting with new vivid colours the surreal landscape of an imaginary village perched on a mountain that hosts dreamers, poets and musicians. The inhabitants do not need money nor gold to be rich since happiness and peace are their real treasures...

On the whole, an excellent work that gives new life to the old repertoire of the band and leaves some hope for the future.

Procession: Esplorare (2007). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: The new musicians are superb players as is the vocalist... What one takes away from this disc is the love they have for the old material, mixed with a dynamic new energy and forcefulness that updates this material successfully. It must be very challenging to attempt to re-do your classic material decades later and bring something new to it without messing with the original magic. Procession have succeeded as well as I could imagine... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/ProcessionRock/

ONCE UPON A TIME

After their debut album “Frontiera” released in 1972, Procession released their second album for the record label Fonit Cetra in 1974 with a different line-up featuring the original members Gianfranco Gaza (vocals) and Roby Munciguerra (guitars) plus Maurizio Gianotti (sax, flute) and Paolo D’Angelo (bass). In studio they were helped by some guest musicians such as drummer Francesco Froggio Francica (Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno), keyboardist Ettore Vigo (Delirium) and vocalist Silvana Aliotta (Circus 2000). The result was excellent. The overall sound is less raw and aggressive compared to the previous album and dreamy acoustic atmospheres prevail while the lyrics by Marina Comin perfectly fit the music blending dreams and reality.

The opener “Uomini di vento” (Men of wind) starts with a rhythm percussion pattern, then an electric guitar comes in... “The wind blows strongly now / Men run away because they can’t stand it...”. Sax, flutes and vocals depict a world battered by the wind where scared shadows are looking for shelter. Reality and its hypocrisies are swept away...

“Un mondo sprecato” (A wasted world) is more reflective and darker and features good electric guitar and sax solos... “I wasted a world trying to understand / But I don’t know how to begin / Man, you look at me and you don’t understand / I used to live like you / A bitter life like many others / But I made up my mind and now I know / You’re laughing at a clown / That has stopped playing with the wind now... You are laughing without asking yourself what this tale could mean...”.

 

On the long, complex “C’era una volta” (Once upon a time) the band tries to explore the “dark side of the moon” and the sax and vocals every now and again run after Pink Floyd’s shadows... The lyrics are about a quest for true life: a child sets off looking for the sense of life and when he thinks he has found it he realizes that he’s now old and that he has wasted his time...

 

 

“Notturno” begins softly, with acoustic guitar and flute drawing a strange, disquieting dreamy atmosphere... “A boat sails lightly on the sea / There’s a man on the edge / And the breeze wets his face / And the night gets darker / The man seems to be looking for life / But what is he looking for? He’s not a fisherman... And the sea gets darker and darker / And the man leaves the edge / Now the boat is lighter...”.

“Il volo della paura” (The flight of fear) is another beautiful dreamy track. The lyrics depict a flock of seagulls that darken the sky. When they land all together the earth is shaken. Men, who can’t fly, are scared and remain on their shaken world where there’s only a wall left, so hard to climb... Just a thousand wings and so much fear!

The final title track “Fiaba” (Fairy tale) describes a village on top of a hill where live people refusing the rules of the world and enjoy their peace... I think that the inlay painting featuring classical and rock musicians climbing the hill describes this track better than words...

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

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Procession: Fiaba (1974). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: Fiaba is a well rounded and musically satisfying album that will certainly entertain you even if it doesn't make the top of your list. A fabulous painting on the gatefold mini-lp edition shows the band and orchestra traipsing up a hill for an apparent jam at a medieval castle. It may not be the most representative album of the Italian scene but I doubt this album will disappoint anyone looking for good music... (read the complete review HERE)

STEP BY STEP

Passo dopo passo, Il Castello di Atlante’s second album, is a collection of live recordings and demos dating back to the first period of the band’s activity, from 1976 to 1984. It was released in 1994 on the independent Vinyl Magic label with a beautiful art cover representing time passing by with an hourglass in the forefront. In my opinion, this album is a good document of the musicians’ enthusiasm and freshness in their early years but, despite the remastering, the sound quality is not always adequate to say the least. Moreover, the booklet is rather poor, with no details about the recording sessions. Nonetheless the music is worth listening to... 

The powerful instrumental “Overture per un concerto” (Overture for a concert) opens the album, then it’s the turn of another instrumental track, an early version of “Cavalcando tra le nuvole” (Riding through the clouds), a beautiful piece properly re-recorded and released in 2005 on the album Quintessenza...

The long, complex “Danza sulla Quinta Strada” (Dance on Fifth Avenue) begins by the sound of wind and hooters while distorted vocals evoke long shadows with a deathly train and funereal ghosts ready to wear their mask. Then the rhythm rises and the dance can start... Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan and one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world. Here it is described as the temple of deception, a place without poetry where even music sounds phoney. The protagonist walks along the street, under the colourful lights he’s hiding his thoughts and his disenchantment...

“Alice” is a delicate piece that depicts in music and words a little girl in love with nature who prays in the night, picks up daisies in the morning and let her dreams fly from the seashore to the mountains... Next comes “Omer”, a joyful, surreal ode to friendship and music that describes a keyboardist on his way to a castle located in the mountains of sound, guarded by friendly bearded knights...

Then comes the ethereal instrumental “Epiciclo” (Epicycle). The title refers to a geometric model used in the Hipparchian, Ptolemaic, and Copernican systems of astronomy to explain the variations in speed and direction of the apparent motion of the Moon, Sun, and planets...

 

The disquieting “L'ombra” (The shadow) features a pounding electronic sound and a mysterious feeling. The vocals play the role of a strange, insubstantial shadow fallowing you everywhere but disappearing at night... Then it’s the turn of the short, acoustic ballad “Il cortile” (The courtyard) that depicts a pastoral landscape from where old memories and bits of the protagonist’s past emerge...

The instrumental “Passaggio” (Passage) is just a long violin solo inspired by classical music that leads to the following “La guerra dei topi” (The war of the mice), an epic piece that evoke a rebellious army of mice marching from the suburbs towards the big city, pushed by a strong thirst for justice. They go on and on towards the unknown, towards the void, towards the glory, against the power, against the gods...

“Babele” (Babel) is another long, epic piece. Here the music and lyrics conjure up the images of living statues and ashes of gods wandering on the ground and whispering their meaningless words to the grim reaper, playing a pointless game of checks with the fate. Strong in their armours they build wall after wall trying to erase their past in a dark spiral of power and death... Then the soft instrumental “Chorale I” ends the album with a slow, solemn pace and a dreamy, nocturnal mood.

On the whole, despite the poor sound quality, a good work that deserves a try.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:
http://www.ilcastellodiatlante.it/

https://www.facebook.com/ilcastellodiatlante 

FROM THE NORTHERN LANDS

Il Castello di Atlante were formed in Vercelli in the mid seventies but it wasn’t until 1992 that they had the chance to release their first album, “Sono io il Signore delle Terre a Nord” (I’m the Lord of the Northern Lands), thanks to the independent label Vinyl Magic. The line-up here features Dino Fiore (bass), Aldo Bergamini (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Paolo Ferrarotti (drums, vocals), Roberto Giordano (piano, keyboards, vocals) and Massimo Di Lauro (violin, keyboards) and the overall sound is surprisingly fresh and up to date. Il Castello di Atlante were influenced, of course, by British and Italian prog bands as Genesis, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso but they managed to shape an original sound and their song-writing is quite good. The result is an amazing debut album full of passion and dreams. 

The opener “Tirando le somme” (Drawing conclusions) is a reflective track about the meaning of happiness. A steady marching beat and keyboard waves set the atmosphere and a question arises... Who is greater, a powerful king coming back from a victorious battle or a happy gnome? Well, when you have death inside you, you can’t be happy, even if you are the greatest of the kings... “Is it really so sad to be as tall as the stem of a flower?...”.

The long, complex “La foresta dietro il mulino di Johan” (The forest behind Johan’s mill) begins softly with acoustic guitar and violin, then a piano pattern leads to a darker mood. The piece is about the fear of an impending obscure destiny knocking on your door. You can shout out loud your questions about your fate in the wind but only the spirit of the old forest can hear you... and it laughs! Fear spreads its tentacles in you and you can do nothing but close your eyes and delay for a short time the upcoming reality while the weight of silence becomes overwhelming... “Future will be knocking at your door anyhow / Future will be knocking at your door anyway!”.

“Il saggio” (The wise man) is a delicate, melancholic ballad about time passing by. Listen to the sound of the pouring rain, it’s the same sound you might have listened to in your childhood, it’s the same sound you might listen to when you have grown up... “Now I listen to the sound of the rain falling in my solitary hermitage / My hair is white and I’m indifferent to everything around me / And on the doorsteps the rain is still falling, drop after drop, until my new morning...”.

Next comes “Semplice ma non troppo” (Simple but not too much). It is a nice, lively instrumental piece full of energy where the musicians express all their joy of playing together...

“Il pozzo” (The well) is a beautiful acoustic track with a strange medieval taste that might recall some of Angelo Branduardi’s works. The lyrics describe a strange journey. As in Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice in Wonderland”, the protagonist of the song explores a magic world that lies behind the images mirrored by the water down in a well... “Master Spider leads the way / The image mirrored at the bottom of the well is reality...”. 

 

“Non c’è tempo” (There’s no time) is a melancholic piece featuring good harmony vocals and some nervous passages. Sometimes everyday life is full of compromises and hard to endure... “The wet asphalt reflects the colours of the morning / I listen to the sound of my steps echoing in the street... There’s no time to think, there’s no time to talk / There’s no time to dream, there’s no time to be happy / There’s no time to love...”.

“Estate” (Summertime) starts softly with a piano solo intro. Here the music every now and again might recall Procol Harum, the atmosphere is pastoral and the lyrics describe a hot summer day in the country... “On the horizon shines that coloured bow / It’s like the touch of a painter on this new summer...”.

“Il vessillo del drago” (The dragon’s banner) is a perfect finale for this excellent album. Medieval influences blend with powerful rock passages and evocative images... “I’m the Lord of the Northern Lands / Under my banner you will fight...”.

 

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

NOCTURNAL FIREFILIES

 After Locanda delle Fate’s split up in 1980, the band’s keyboardist Michele Conta completed his medical studies and focused his energies on his career of physician. Anyway, his passion for music didn’t die and after a long time he pulled out of the drawer some of the pieces he composed during the years and gave a definite shape to his sketches with the help of sound engineer and arranger Simone Lampedone and guitarist Ermanno Brignolo. After a long, passionate work in 2019 he finally released a solo album, entitled Endless Nights, on the independent label AMS Records. Along with Michele Conta (piano, keyboards) and Ermanno Brignolo (guitars, vocals) the recording sessions involved many guest musicians such as Max Arminchiardi (guitar), Gianni Branca (drums), Gavin Harrison (drums), Lele Melotti (drums), Segio Pescara (drums), Gianni Cicogna (bass), Effe Quartet (strings) and Leonard Plumbini (cello). The result is absolutely worth listening to...

 

The instrumental opener “E’ nell’aria” (It’s in the air) begins by the sound of a storm in the background and a dynamic piano solo passage, then the other instruments come in bringing a change in rhythm and atmosphere. It’s an excellent piece that mixes frenzied, heavy electric guitar riffs with calmer, dreamy sections dominated by piano and keyboards and that could recall the old pieces of Locanda delle Fate with an updated sound...

“With You On The Walk Of My Life” is a calm, romantic track featuring English lyrics about the importance of a long lasting relationship and the good luck you have finding someone who can help you in times of trouble, support your dreams or simply hug you when you come back home. It’s another track that recalls Locanda delle Fate but the vocals in my opinion are not completely up to the task... Then it’s the turn of the dreamy “Notte infinita” (Endless night), another excellent instrumental track that alternates delicate, relaxed atmospheres with more livelier moments and soaring keyboards flights... 

 

The following “Growin’ Up” takes us back to the times of Locanda delle Fate. In fact, this is a new version of an old track of the band, “Crescendo”, that was not included in the 1977 album Forse le lucciole non si amano più and was not officially recorded in studio until 2012. The lyrics deal with the passion for rock music and the experience of being part of a band... In a rehearsal room the notes of the instruments are like atoms moving in a perfect chaos that match, crash and collide providing an incredible energy. Unfortunately, again the vocal parts sung in English are not up to the beauty of the music and I miss Leonardo Sasso’s operatic exuberance.

The reflective, melodic “In riva al mondo” (On the shore of the world) starts by a sound of church bells, the nocturnal atmosphere is calm. The music and lyrics (in Italian) evoke visions and memories inspired by the view of a sleepy city from the window of a room, in the middle of the night... 

 

Michele Conta, 2019

“Fiori nascosti” (Hidden flowers) ends the album alternating a first part characterized by a soft, mellow mood with a more varied second part where there are sudden surges of rhythm and joyful flights of notes. The short vocal part (in English) invites you to look around and start searching for the beautiful things that are so close to you but the hectic rhythm of live can hide from your sight... You’d better find them before it’s too late!

On the whole, a good work with a strong nostalgic vein.

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

Michele Conta: Endless Nights (2019). Other opinions:

Nick Hudson: Conta has given us a lush, symphonic album deliciously reminiscent of the classic days of ‘70s Italian prog, without sounding stale or dated, and allows the other players on his album room and space to elevate this beyond the stereotypical keyboard album... (Read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/michele.conta.35 

 

FIREFLIES FOREVER

 Lucciole per sempre, along with The Missing Fireflies from 2012, is a good complement to the band’s 1977 masterpiece Forse le lucciole non si amano più and could be considered a celebration of their career. In fact, this CD plus DVD features two brand new tracks recorded in studio by the last line up, five tracks taken from a 1977 live show recorded in the studios of the Italian National TV and four tracks taken from a 1974 concert (the DVD includes only the videos shot for the two unreleased pieces and the complete video from the TV show). The album was released on the independent label AMS Records in three different versions: the first option is the standard edition, consisting of a tri-panel gate-fold support containing a CD, a DVD and a 64-page booklet full of vintage pictures and excerpts from Luciano Boero’s book Prati di lucciole per sempre (with an English translation); the second option is a super-limited deluxe edition that, in a vinyl-size box, contains the standard CD plus DVD and booklet set, a white-coloured gatefold cover LP, a certificate of authenticity and an exclusive signed copy of the original promotional 1977 poster with the photograph here used on the cover and originally appeared in the 1977 LP sleeve; the third option consists in a simple gate-fold cover LP edition, on black 180gr. vinyl.

The album opens with the new compositions. The first one, “Mediterraneo”, is a beautiful track with some ethnic flavours inspired by the Mediterranean sea and by the efforts that men have to endure to overcome the raging force of the waves when the weather is bad and by the peace that its beauty could give when the weather is calm. The second one, “Intro - Lettera di un viaggiatore” (Letter from a traveller) is another excellent track, this time inspired by the character of Cristoforo Colombo. Here the band imagined a love letter sent by the famous explorer to the Queen of Spain...

 

Then it’s the turn of the historic pieces taken from the 1977 TV broadcast. The sound quality is good enough and we have the chance to watch and listen to the heartfelt live versions of “Forse le lucciole non si amano più”, “Profumo di colla bianca”, “Sogno di Estunno”, “Non chiudere a chiave le stelle” and “La giostra” (the last one not included in the 1977 album and officially released only in 2012 on the album The Missing Fireflies). 

 

The last four tracks were poorly recorded in 1974 and, in my opinion, can be appreciated only for their historical relevance. The first one, “Ti penserò con tenerezza” is a cover of Gentle Giant’s “Think Of Me With Kindness” but with Italian lyrics. Then other three covers follow, “Nothing At All” (Gentle Giant), “Appena un po’” (PFM) and “Bambina sbagliata” (Formula Tre).

On the whole, a perfect item for Italianprog collectors with a wonderful packaging and a lot of great music.

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

http://www.locandadellefate.com 

REFLUX

 Quinto Stato is the third studio album by Arti e Mestieri and was released in 1979 on the independent label Cramps Records with a renewed line up featuring Furio Chirico (drums), Marco Gallesi (bass), Marco Cimino (piano, synth, clavinet, Moog - former member of bands such as Errata Corrige and Esagono), Claudio Monafia (guitar, flute, vocals) plus the contribute of the guests Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Rudy Passuello (lead vocals, bassoon), Arturo Vitale (sax), Gigi Fregapane (vocals), Gino Torni (vocals) and Flavio Boltro (trumpet). The overall sound is more straightforward than in the past blending jazz-rock and committed lyrics and every now and again this work could recall the seventies albums released on the Cramps label by artists such as Eugenio Finardi or Alberto Camerini...

 

The caustic opener “Quinto Stato (emarginato)” (Fifth State – Outcast) tells the misadventures of a musician falling into marginalisation in a time of ideological crisis, called in Italy riflusso, characterized by the betrayal of the ideals of the seventies, swept up by problems such as drug addiction, unemployment, corruption or criminality... The title refers to a famous tableau by Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, made in 1901 and representing the Fourth State assuming class awareness and marching together, a well-known symbol for progressive and socialist causes. In this sense, the Fifth State of the title is located on a lower level and the protagonist feels like an outcast without hope...

Next comes “Vicolo” (Alley), a nice instrumental track featuring slapping bass lines and soaring synth melodies that leads to the following “Arterio (sclerosi)”, a venomous ranting against the Italian political class of the time, here described as an incompetent gerontocracy clinging on power and crowded with hunchbacks and dwarves...

Next comes “Torino nella mente” (Turin in the mind) that closes the first side of the LP. It’s a calm piece that could recall Perigeo with a good flute work that contrasts with the pulsing rhythm section. It paints with its notes the hazy urban landscape of an industrial, busy city that is not without charm and beauty...

 

Side B opens with “Mercato” (Market), a beautiful track with a vein of suffused melancholy and a pinch of exoticism. Here vocals are used just as an instrument and the relaxed atmosphere could be the perfect background for some scenes from a seventies film shot in the streets of an Italian city...

Then it’s the turn of “D’essay”, an ironic track that tells of a police raid in an art-house cinema... A genial film about alienation and social crises, ten spectators in all for the premiere. When the police arrive all of them are searched, one hides a joint and complains... Well, it’s just another ordinary evening of urban commitment!

Then the short, dynamic “Arti” (Arts) leads to the last track, “Sui tetti” (On the roofs). Here vocals are used as an instrument again to give colour to a relaxed jazzy piece where melancholic sax notes seem flying over a sleeping city that wants to dream on...

On the whole, a good album performed by a skilled group of musicians but not an outstanding one.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Arti e Mestieri: Quinto Stato (1979). Other opinions:

Peter Thelen: Chirico is still there, but original keyboardist Beppe Crovella and violinist Giovanni Vigliar are nowhere to be found, and original guitarist Venegoni only guests on a couple tracks. As a result, their sound morphed into a more streamlined and funky jazz-fusion style, losing some of its early delicacy. In addition, new singer Rudy Passuello has a far more aggressive delivery and dominates the music on the tracks where he sings. Four of the album's eight tracks are purely instrumental, and on those the band still shines brilliantly, even though it's in the new style. In short, this isn't a bad album, but it doesn't live up to the standard set by their first two... (Read the complete review HERE)

TOMORROW WALTZ

After a good live activity, supporting bands like PFM and even Gentle Giant, in 1975 Arti & Mestieri released their second album “Giro di valzer per domani”. The line-up, along with founder members Furio Chirico (drums), Beppe Crovella (keyboards, piano, mellotron, Hammond), Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Giovanni Vigliar (violin, percussion, vocals), Marco Gallesi (bass) and Arturo Vitale (sax, clarinet, vibraphone), here features a new member, vocalist Gianfranco Gaza, from another band from Turin, Procession. Despite the presence of a lead singer the weight of instrumental tracks prevails over committed lyrics and vocal parts. The music is in the same vein as the previous album, delivering an original, perfectly balanced twining of jazz, rock, classical music and folk.

 

The opener “Valzer per domani” (Waltz for tomorrow) is a light, joyful instrumental. Furio Chirico’s drumming is brilliant while the melodic lines played by the violin seem to bring some gusts of optimism.

“Mirafiori” is more complex. It begins softly with delicate melodic lines, then the rhythm takes off backing a following frenzied violin solo. Changes in rhythm and frenetic solos seem to depict a very busy place... Mirafiori is the name of the Turin district where there is the most important car factory in Italy, Fiat Mirafiori, a symbol of the industrialization of the whole country.

On “Saper sentire” (Knowing how to feel) you can listen for the first time on this album to Gianfranco Gaza’s voice. It’s a nervous, introspective track inviting you to avoid the venomous spells of consumerism and trust your feelings... “Why are you crying if I’m here with you? / If you look for me / You will find me inside you... Just a few people know what a man is now / But there are many people who can easily feel it...”.

 

“Nove lune prima” (Nine moons before), “Mescal”, “Mescalero” and “Nove lune dopo” (Nine moons after) are closely linked together and form an exciting instrumental suite featuring sudden changes in mood and rhythm. The titles could suggest a spaghetti western setting, featuring Indians and cowboys and the cavalry charging... Well the music here is very different from an Ennio Morricone soundtrack but the band showcase great personality and musicianship, so you can imagine what you want while listening to this wonderful flow of notes!

“Dimensione Terra” (Dimension Earth) is a short instrumental featuring tense drumming and catchy sax patterns that leads to the committed “Aria pesante” (Heavy air) where the desire to change the world and rage shape a dreamy atmosphere turning into a nightmare... “Yesterday you were dreaming to set the city on fire and hang all the inhabitants / Today you wake up and, you know / It’s sad when you realize that you have no fire and that they have put a rope around your neck...”. The heavy air of the years of lead!

Three short instrumentals follow, forming an evocative, dreamy suite, the ethereal, nocturnal “Consapevolezza parte 1” (Awareness part 1), the joyful, wild “Sagra” (Feast) and “Consapevolezza parte 2” (Awareness part 2), a short reprise of part one. 

 

The bitter-sweet “Rinuncia” (Renouncement), is piece about the generation gap that is structured as a dialog between parents and son. The vocals feature Eugenio Finardi (albeit not credited) who in 1975 released his debut album on Cramps Records, the same label as Arti & Mestieri and Area. “The dreams that were born some years ago are now like trees broken by the weather / Time slipped out from us and we are not children but fathers now...”.

Next comes “Marilyn” an instrumental that begins with a delicate piano pattern, then sax and drums help stir the flow of the music. The last track “Terminal” is another excellent short instrumental where violin and vibraphone perfectly interact with the other instruments. On the whole an excellent album...

 

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

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Arti e Mestieri: Giro di valzer per domani (1975). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: For me personally the music is at times too busy and this is why I give a higher rating to something like Esagono, who may not have quite the chops of this band but arguably provide more emotionally satisfying music. "Giro" can be a simply exhausting listen that rarely gives the listener a chance for a breather - of course I realize this is a plus for many of you... (Read the complete review HERE)

INFINITE HORIZONS

Shards Of Infinity took shape in Turin in 2012 on the initiative of Alberto Cubito, Federico Cioci and Luca Capurso with the aim of blending progressive and power metal. After a long, hard work, with the help of producer Stefano Torchio, in 2017 the band self-released a debut album entitled Horizon Seeker with a line up featuring Alberto Cubito (drums), Luca Capurso (flute, bass), Federico Cioci (guitars, bass), Max Lanz (keyboards), Luca Damicis (vocals) and Marcello D'Ascenzi (guitars). According to the band, it’s an oneiric concept album dealing with the search for truth, a goal always out of reach like the horizon and all the tracks are linked together...

 

The short opener “Eternity Of Truth” sets the atmosphere with narrative vocals and an exotic musical landscape in the background. The protagonist starts his journey seeking for the eternity of truth within the limits of his consciousness... Then, on “What Remains Of Nothing” we meet quasi operatic passages and harsher sections while classical influences are wisely blended with prog metal. Every now and again bands such as Rhapsody Of Fire or Blind Guardian could come to mind as the plot of the concept unfolds in a flight between consciousness and unconsciousness, under a bleeding red moon...

“Silent Cage” depicts the feelings of the protagonist in his home, haunted by sad memories and facing the call of destiny while the following “The Journey Has Begun” deals with the battle the protagonist has to fight to reach the rising sun of hope and the harmony that will emerge from chaos. This track features the guest vocalist Marco Salusso from the folk metal band Legacy Of Silence and alternates raging passages with some folksy parts...

 

 

“Riding Towards The Sun” is another fiery track with a good use of flute that conjures up winged horses and riders on the brink of madness trying to reach the source of time and the origin of dreams... Then, “Desert Of The Frozen Souls” describes the protagonist going across a strange, misty desert where he meets an eerie apparition and can see the souls of men who have lost every hope and now are trapped in transparent icy stones...

 

“Winged Maiden” tells of a vortex of sand and of the fall of the protagonist into the abyss. Before it’s too late he is saved by a mysterious winged woman who, under the moonlight, enters into his dreams... Then, the melancholic “Vision Of No Return” describes the protagonist longing for the vanished vision and getting lost in an endless chaos. The vision can’t come back... The title track, “Horizon Seeker” closes the album with the dark regrets of the protagonist who realizes that the horizon can be reached only after passing away and gets ready for a final flight into the light of the afterworld.

 

 

On the whole, even if the concept might be a bit confused (like a dream) the music is good and fans of bands such as Rhapsody Of Fire could find this work very interesting. I think it’s a pity that the band didn’t use their mother language, especially in the numerous operatic passages, anyway have a try and judge by yourselves...

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

By the way, after the album was released Shards Of Infinity line up went through many changes but the band is still alive...

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/shardsofinfinity/ 

 

 

TALES FROM UTOPIA

 The roots of Utopia 239 date back to 1971 when in a village of the province of Vercelli called Lignana four friends formed a band to play covers and compose original stuff inspired by Italian canzone d’autore and progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd or Le Orme. During their early years the band never had the chance to properly record and release an album and they split up at the end of the seventies. It wasn’t until 2002 that some of the old members reunited and decided to rework on their early repertoire taking it back from oblivion. In 2015 they finally self-released a debut album entitled I giorni dell’utopia (The days of Utopia) with a renewed line up featuring along with the veterans Massimo Cagliero (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Ugo Giva Magnetti (guitar, vocals) and Fausto Garella (drums, percussion, vocals) also Fabrizio Gallina Sabarino (keyboards, synth), Enrico Barbano (electric and classical guitar), Fosca Zanone (vocals, classical guitar) and Alberto Bocchio (bass). 

 

 

The opener “Ouverture” is a short, ethereal instrumental track with the keyboards in the forefront that sets the atmosphere and leads to “Una borgata” (A township), a piece originally written in 1972 that tells about the formative years spent by a man in an old village between flowers and thorns with a mill, a church, an old inn and where memories are carried away by the wind... The pace is slow and the mood melancholic as the music and the poetical lyrics describe a little town and its hypocritical mentality, then the strong desire of looking for new horizons, leaving behind faded masks, broken dreams and false appearances. The following “Un povero cristo” (A poor man) is a short ballad that was clearly inspired by the style of Fabrizio De Andrè and Francesco Guccini and depicts the lonesome death, in a hospital bed, of an old poor villager. Then, the images of his funeral follow: few people, no flowers, no tears... Life goes on as usual as the memory of the solitary fades away. 

 

 

“Ho udito le megattere cantare” (I’ve heard the humpback whales singing) is a long instrumental track that could recall One Of These Days by Pink Floyd and leads to “9 febbraio, un giorno” (February the 9th, a day), a sad elegy that evokes broken illusions and the blood splattered on the asphalt as a consequence of an accident at work on a normal day in an impersonal, ungrateful metropolis that seems unaware of this kind of tragedies... Then it’s the turn of the long, complex “Il narratore delle storie degli inferi” (The teller of the hell’s stories) a dramatic piece dealing the issue of drug addiction where the lyrics unfold in the form of a dialogue between a “right-thinking” narrator and a damned junky drawn away across the dark infinite space by the white dust he holds in his hands... 

 

The short instrumental “La danza delle lucciole” (The dance of the fireflies) is a dreamy track that leads to the dramatic “Amore fragile” (Fragile love), a melancholic ballad about the first love and the loss of innocence. Then it’s the turn of the introspective, hermetic “Il bivio” (The crossroads) that tells about the torn choices a teenager girl has to make, uncertain about which way to follow between dreams and stability, dangerous paths or beaten tracks... 

 

 

According to the band, “Gloria in excelsis machina (Il confine)” is a piece conceived as a hymn to the human decadence. It tries to depict in music and words a dystopic future where, without the ability to experience or express feelings, humankind is pushed to the edges of the galaxies. Man is now the prisoner of a cage that he has built with his own hands, a cage that he will no longer be able to break down as his life plunges towards extinction on board of ghost spaceships lost into the mists of Andromeda... The following “Ritorno alle origini” (Back to the roots) is another track that tries to conjure up apocalyptic images and deals with the tendency to self-destruction of the human race. You can hear Mother’s nature lament in the day after of a nuclear war. There’s nothing but ruin all around the gloomy landscape. And yet, there’s still hope for a new start as a pale light breaks the veil of darkness... 

 

“Risveglio” is a short instrumental linked to the final track, “La morte e la fanciulla” (The Death and the maiden), that tells in a poetical way of the tragic death of a young girl. The girl is raped and murdered by a maniac killer, her body is found the day after in a suburban lawn. Here reality and dream melt and what is just another tragic crime news becomes a fairy tale... 

 

On the whole, an interesting album although it could be difficult to fully appreciate it without an adequate comprehension of the lyrics. 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

http://www.utopia239.it/