THROUGH DIFFICULTIES TO THE STARS

Per Aspera ad Astra, the fifth studio album by Taproban, was released in 2017 on Musea Records with a renewed line up featuring Gianluca De Rossi (piano, organ, Minimoog, Mellotron), Roberto Vitelli (bass, guitars) and Ares Andreoni (drums) plus a couple of guest musicians such as former Taproban’s member Francesco Pandico (drums, percussion) and Antonio Marangolo (sax). It contains some reworked tracks from two previous album (Outside Nowhere and Posidonian Fields) and only three new pieces. According to the liner notes, the album is dedicated to the heroes of space explorations like its 2004 predecessor, Outside Nowhere, of which it is practically a new version with some substantial cuts and additions. The title of this work, in Latin, means “through difficulties to the stars” and the art cover, taken from a tableaux by Daniela Ventrone entitled Tramonto sul mare (Sundown on the sea), reflects the subject matter depicting in vivid colours the mythological flight of Apollo’s chariot upon a raging sea...

The opener is the title track of the 2004 album, “Outside Nowhere”, a long and complex instrumental suite that describes a mission in space, from the launch to the come back in a new world. Here the piece is slightly shortened (the section named “The Last Goodbye”, featuring Alex Papotto’s sax solo, was cut out) and reinterpreted by the new line up with energy and passion: in seconds they shot through veils of crimson and pink and gold and blue into the piercing white of day... (quote from A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke). Even if the sequence of the different sections is slightly changed, in my opinion the final the result is as good as the original version.

Taproban on stage, 2017

The first (relatively) new track is the short “Fragments Of Life”, a reinterpretation in a softer key of the first section of the aforementioned suite, “At The Fifteenth Orbit”. It is followed by three other tracks from Outside Nowhere: “Il difficile equilibrio tra sorgenti di energia” (The difficult balance between energy sources), where music and lyrics describe an endless conflict between spheres attracting and repelling each other until they’ll melt into the void, then the powerful, aggressive “veS ml’ taHghach (A Klingon War Dance)” with reference to the species of swarthy, ruthless humanoids in the science fiction series Star Trek and finally the reflective, melancholic “Nexus” where, after the beautiful sax solo and the heartfelt vocals by Gianluca de Rossi, you can hear in the background the last words of Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov before crushing to the ground on April 24, 1967, after nineteen orbits around the Earth. The new versions are all convincing and perfectly match together.

Then it’s the turn of two new instrumental tracks. The first is “D.I.A.N.A.” (Domotic Interface Artificial Neurological Android) that every now and again could recall The Alan Parsons Project and maintain a sci-fi atmosphere as suggested by the title that refers to home automation. The second is the beautiful “Agata Lost In The Mirror Whale” with its sumptuous display of keyboard virtuosity. 

 

The last two tracks are both taken from 2006 album Posidonian Fields. “Entwinings” and “Octopus!” have been reworked and linked together to form something new and even the lyrics are different from the original version. Here music and lyrics describe the meeting with the marine creature from a very personal point of view... “You know an octopus is smarter than a dog, and would probably make a much better pet. It’s a wonderful, clever, very emotional creature, an octopus. Only we never think of them that way”... (just a short quote from the novel Sphere by Michael Crichton to give an idea of the content of the piece!).

On the whole, I think this album could be an excellent addition to a prog collection: nice packaging, great music... even if you already own Taproban’s previous works I’m sure it won’t be a waste of money!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

http://www.taproban.com/

https://www.facebook.com/taprobanband/

THE BRAND OF THE WITCH

Strigma is the fourth studio album by the Roman band Taproban. It was released in 2013 on the French label Musea Records with a renewed line up featuring, along with founder member and main composer Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, flute, vocals), a brand new rhythm section formed by Roberto Vitelli (bass, electric guitar, synthesizer) and Francesco Pandico (drums, percussion) who replaced Guglielmo Mariotti and Davide Guidoni. According to the band, the title is a crasis that blends two Latin words: strix (witch) and stigma (brand). It was inspired by the idea of the element of fire associated with women and in some way this concept was developed through music, images and words. The album is almost completely instrumental but the beautiful art cover by Daniela Ventrone and the art work by Gianluca De Rossi that you can find in the booklet can give you a clue of what the music is about. Well, the overall sound could recall bands such as Le Orme, Goblin or Banco del Mutuo Soccorso but the band showcase great personality and freshness blending vintage sounds and original ideas...

The long, complex opener "Nesia al notturno congresso delle streghe" (Nesia at the night meeting of the witches) alternates calm, dreamy passages to fiery sections where obscure energies and warm colours take you in the whirls of the infernal dance portrayed by the painting on the cover, entitled “La Danza delle fiamme” (Dance of the flames). There are no lyrics but in the booklet you can find a drawing that describes this track with a mysterious blackbird perched on the branch of a spectral tree and below some words in Latin: concurrentia ad maleficia nefandissima in genus humanum opera venefica... Welcome to the Sabbath! Anyway, do not expect black metal growls or frenzied heavy riffs, here the music goes through many changes in atmosphere and rhythm but never leaves its oneiric, almost poetical dimension and there's more mysticism than violence or luxury in this esoteric dance.

Taproban on stage 2014

Next comes the instrumental "Lo sguardo di Emily" (Emily's glance) that starts with a sudden surge of energy. The band chose an image of Cupid's bow to describe this piece. In classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. His bow and arrow represent his source of power and everyone who is shot by Cupid's arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire. So you can guess that Emily is a woman burning with love and longing for a romantic waltz, her glances are like flames trying to melt the cold desert of a meaningless life... Let the music drive and let Emily's eyes draw you away for a little while!

The last track is a nearly 19 minute epic, "La porta nel buio" (The door in the dark). It's a wonderful suite divided into six parts with many changes in rhythm and atmosphere where you can listen to some fantastic keyboard passages. It starts softly, you can hear the noise of a door creaking on its hinges, the atmosphere is almost hypnotic. There's a door in the dark, but what kind of door? Are you dreaming? There's something that you can't understand... The rhythm rises, the mood is disquieting, tense. You're scared and you try to run away at breakneck speed, down the stairs... But you get lost, you're still in the dark... Will you ever see the light again? You're desperately looking for a way out that you can't find, you're freezing inside and you don't know why, you can't see where you are. Is it nightmare or reality? You're alone and Gianluca De Rossi evocative vocals lead you into the fortress of the solitude, amid rag men and broken dolls... Will you ever leave it? The last part of the suite suggests that there's a way to escape and that you can break through... A great track! Although Le Orme influence looms large over this piece of great spiritual and musical grace, this it is not a recreation of the past and the songwriting is absolutely brilliant...

Taproban on stage 2014

On the whole, I really like this work. If you like modern progressive rock that’s based on classic prog, you really have to check this album out!

Taproban: Strigma (2013). Other opinions:

Michael "Aussi-Byrd-Brother": "Strigma" is a triumph for lovers of the usual Italian sophistication, with complex arrangements and consumate playing, wrapped in an intoxicating darker mood that's perfect for night-time listening... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.taproban.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taproban/284210754964231

ALTERED STATES

Posidonian Fields is the third album by Taproban, a band from Rome formed in 1996. It was released in 2006 on the independent label Mellow Records with a line up featuring Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards), Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, guitars, vocals) and Davide Guidoni (drums, percussion). It's a concept album containing three long suites that tell about a journey through an imaginary submarine abyss, a metaphorical one way trip in the subconscious. The lyrics by Davide Guidoni are loosely based on Altered States, a 1980 American science fiction-horror film directed by Ken Russell and are based on a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky about a sensory deprivation research conducted in isolation tanks under the influence of psychoactive drugs. Davide Guidoni took also charge of the art work that in some way depicts the content of the album... Anyway here words, images and notes are like touches of colour used to stir your imagination and you have to fill the gaps. As for the music, every now and again the overall sound could recall bands such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Le Orme, with the use of a wide range of vintage instruments such as Hammond C3 organ or Minimoog, but the song-writing is brilliant the final result perfectly fits the storyline.

The first suite, "Chapter One: Immersion", is divided into three parts and begins softly, with the narrative vocals in Greek and the mysterious atmosphere of "EvapZis". The second part, "Immersion", begins by a dreamy acoustic guitar arpeggio and floating vocals to bid farewell to reality... The one way journey to the unknown begins while colourful psychedelic images appear and melt during the long dive into the submarine kingdom of Poseidon... On the third part, "Caronte’s Ship Imponderability", the rhythm rises while frenzied keyboards waves and rough, nervous bass lines take you across the Styx to a kind of blue hell...

The second suite, "Chapter Two: Suspension", is divided into four parts and begins by the surreal calm of "Riding in Posidonian Fields" that depicts in music and lyrics the meeting with a strange creature. A strummed acoustic guitar pattern reminds you that the ocean is like a desert with its life underground where you can find nameless seahorses and other creatures riding into the blue... The second part is the instrumental "Entwinings" that conjures up the image of a mysterious dance into the deep and fades into "Suspension" where you can hear the echoes of a choir of submerged voices coming from a world that you can't reach. Then you relax, you get lost in your dreams, among corals and fishes you become someone or something else in a kind of new Genesis... The fourth part, "Octopus!", suggest what could be the result of this metamorphosis...

The last suite, "Chapter Three: Oblivion", is divided into three parts and begins by the dark, nightmarish "Uncontrolled Dreams", where you risk to get trapped behind a series of doors corroded by time... The rhythm is frenzied and the tension is higher and higher while you seem unable to climb out from the abyss... Well, an altered state of consciousness is a condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state and the expression describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary... But beware! Sometimes there's no way out and the following part "No Return" marks a new awareness while you realize that you can't turn back and that it's too late to escape from the fog of your subconscious. The mystical final part, "Farewell (including Rebirth)", marks the beginning of a new journey towards the eternal mystery of the afterlife while your soul spreads beyond the infinite...

On the whole, an interesting concept and a very nice album, although I think that's a pity that the band did not exploit their mother language for the lyrics as in their previous works.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

http://www.taproban.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taproban/284210754964231 

LOST IN SPACE

Outside Nowhere is the second album by Roman band Taproban and was released in 2003 on the independent label Mellow Records. The line up is the same as on its predecessor, Ogni pensiero vola, and features Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, organ, Minimoog, vocals), Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, Moog, vocals) and Davide Guidoni (drums, percussion) but here the overall sound is enhanced by the special guest Alessandro Papotto (sax - from Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Periferia del Mondo) who took part to the recording sessions. If you like bands such as Le Orme, Emerson Lake & Palmer or Quatermass I'm sure you will not be disappointed by this interesting work where the music flows steadily taking you across the space. In fact, this is a concept album dedicated to the memory of Russian cosmonaut Komarov and to all the other space-flights pioneers...

Taproban 2004

The short instrumental opener “At the Fifteenth Orbit” sets the atmosphere. As you can read in the beautiful booklet, Komarov, aboard of the Soyuz 1, returned to Earth after fifteen orbits around the planet and this track tries to capture the feelings of the cosmonaut before his return trip...

The following “Outside Nowhere” is a long instrumental suite divided into six parts. The first part, “The Mission”, features a dark atmosphere and a haunting marching beat that develops in a kind of strange bolero. It takes you back in time as a flashback, when everything started and the space mission was planned. The following section, “The Last Goodbye”, is warmer and lightened by the sound of Alessandro Papotto's sax that evokes the strong emotions of the departure. On the third section, “The launch”, you can hear the countdown while the rhythm takes off like a glider: here the music reminds me of some counterpoints by Le Orme... Next comes “Outside Nowhere”, the fourth section which describes in some way the feelings that an astronaut can experience during his long flight... Komarov: oh, what a Lucky Man he was! The last two sections, “Return To...” and “...A New World”, take us on the way back with new perspectives and a strong sense of hope.

“Broken Shell” is a short acoustic ballad sung in English that tells about the sense of solitude and restless inquietude that seizes the astronaut when he thinks of his ex-sweetheart... “Now my life is a broken shell / I need a place to go far away... But there’s no place that is safe from you / And in spite of my strong will / You will be anywhere, forever with me...”.

“Il difficile equilibrio tra sorgenti d’energia” (The difficult balance between sources of energy) is a beautiful track featuring Italian vocals that evokes infinite spheres clashing one against each other, ruled by mysterious laws that, sooner or later, will make them melt in a black void... “Long is the fighting between sources of energy / One against each other / One against each other...”.

“veS ml’ tagHach” (Klingon War Dance) is track full of obscure energy. It features some martial passages, some exotic touches and fiery keyboards rides. The title refers to a fictional extraterrestrial warrior species in the 1960s television series Star trek...

The following “Pieces Left Behind” reminds me of some Pink Floyd's atmospheres and features some vocal parts in English drenched with nostalgia. Feeling alone and lost in the space, our astronaut is looking forward to the return trip because he has realized that the world leaves a mark on you and you can't really escape from it... “In this place is it always day-time? / Is it always night-time? / I really don’t know / World, I’m coming back...”.

“In The Deep” is a short track full of tension that describes the dive of the space ship towards the Earth. The mood is dark and in some way you can feel an impending sense of tragedy in the air. It leads to the final track, “Nexus” that recalls the early works of Franco Battiato. It features some beautiful sax lines and filtered vocals in Italian... “I sent signals as I was moving between sound waves / Visualizing my dream among dark interferences...”. According to the booklet the voice that you can hear in the background is really the voice of Komanov, but you can't hear the final explosion. As you probably know, the Soyuz 1 crushed on the ground...

On the whole, an interesting work with a nice art-work by Davide Guidoni that maybe describes its atmospheres and content better than all my words.

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

Taproban: Outside Nowhere (2004). Other opinions:

Dave Sissons: While this is unlikely to top anyone’s “best of year” lists, it is a pleasing work with much to offer the old school prog fan. It manages to steer clear of the bombastic overkill employed by Japanese proponents of similar music (Ars Nova, Gerard) and also avoids the overt metal influences that are currently in vogue with many Neo-Prog groups (Star One, Aryeon). All in all, this is an agreeable album for all fans of keyboard prog... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.taproban.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taproban/284210754964231 

THE PARK OF MONSTERS

Taproban began life in Rome in 1996 on the initiative of keyboardist Gianluca De Rossi and drummer Fabio Mociatti. The name of the band was inspired by the ancient name of Ceylon or Sri-Lanka where Italian philosopher Tommaso Campanella (1568 – 1639) set his imaginary “City of the Sun”. After a lot of trouble and line-up changes, in 2002 Taproban released their debut album, “Ogni pensiero vola” (Every thought flies) on the French label Musea Records with a line-up featuring founder member Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, moog, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, vocals) along with Davide Guidoni (drums, percussion) and Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, acoustic and classical guitar, mandolin, vocals). The main sources of inspiration of the band are Emerson Lake & Palmer and Le Orme but the music is not too derivative and perfectly fits the concept. The music and lyrics, in fact, were inspired by a very peculiar place, the Garden of Bomarzo, near Viterbo, also known as the park of Monsters of Bomarzo. It’s a set of monuments created by Prince Pierfrancesco Orsini in the XVI century and made up of small buildings and a wooded park populated by strange sculptures. It was built not to please but to astonish and its symbolism is arcane. According to the liner notes, the band tried to transpose in music the ideal dimension behind this artistic creation, which consists of “non-conformist, parodoxical overturning of the Renaissance stylistic principles of balance and harmony, proposing instead a horrid, grotesque version of classical mythology and chivalric epic”. Well, it’s high time now to visit the park following a musical path between mythology and fantasy...

The opener “Prologo” (Prologue) starts with dark sounds and hypnotic percussive patterns, then the tension melts into a dreamy acoustic passage... From a window in his castle Prince Pierfrancesco Orsini still seems to be observing the statues in his garden... “You, who are coming in, leave out every thought / Until you reach your goal...”.

“L’enigma della Sfinge” (The Sphinx enigma) is full of vibrant energy and exotic excitement. In the middle section you can hear echoes of bolero and oriental touches... At the entrance to the garden there are two mysterious sphinxes, one with an enigma carved in its stone... “You, who are coming in, set your mind aside / And tell me whether so many wonders are made for deceit or for art...”.

“Orlando che squarta un pastore” (Orlando quartering a shepherd) is a very short instrumental that was inspired by a sculpture portraying Orlando, the protagonist of the poem “Orlando furioso” by Ludovico Ariosto, quartering a shepherd who had annoyed him. It’s a kind of warning against the excesses of passion leading to blind rage...

The dreamy, ethereal “La Tartaruga e la Fortuna” (The Turtle and Fortune) was inspired by a sculptural group representing the contrast between Virtue and Fortune. The Turtle symbolizes the prudence required to follow the inconstant ways of Fortune, a female winged figure walking on a ball and playing two horns. “Blind and inconstant ruler of the world / I must pay attention to second her balance...”.

In “Pegaso il cavallo alato” (Pegasus the winged horse) the rhythm takes off for a ride on the wings of fantasy. This track was inspired by the statue of one of the best known imaginary creatures in Greek mythology, a divine winged white horse... “Look at his wings, the wings of freedom / Look in his wings, the wings of freedom...”.

“La casa pendente” (The little leaning house) is a kind of surreal psychedelic track featuring strange filtered narrative vocals and evocative experimental sounds. It was inspired by a strange building that is set in the Garden of Bomarzo, a small leaning house apparently bent by adversities but which never falls down...

“Il signore del bosco” (The lord of the wood) starts with dark organ chords. It’s a short instrumental inspired by the statue of an old man sitting on a throne, the God of Hell as depicted by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso in his poem “Jerusalem Delivered”, first published in 1581, which tells a largely fictionalized version of the First Crusade.

“La ninfa dormiente” (The sleeping nymph) is another beautiful instrumental, an idyllic interlude that begins with a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio setting a dreamy atmosphere. It was inspired by the statue of a woman lying on her back...

“L’Orco (Lasciate ogni pensiero voi ch’entrate)” (The ogre – Set aside every thought you who enter here) is a long, complex track featuring a dark atmosphere. It was inspired by an enormous, ferocious mask representing the door to Hell and portrayed on the album cover. “Infernal monster mask, in your gaping maw there’s a room carved in the rock / I go in cautiously / The light is low, it filters from the holes of the eyes / It carves the table, and on the walls...”. Well, listen to the music and imagine the rest!

The last track “Il tempio araldico” (The heraldic temple) is an amazing instrumental with a strong Renaissance touch. It was inspired by a memorial to Giulia Farnese, Pierfrancesco Orsini’s wife, located at the top of the garden. It’s also called the heraldic temple and represents victory over death and oblivion and the achievement of a spiritual purification releasing from anxiety...

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

More info about the band:

http://www.taproban.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taproban/284210754964231 

More info about the Garden of Bomarzo:
http://www.parcodeimostri.com/