Bokeh is a double album
containing the remixed and remastered version of Logos’ eponymous
albumfrom 1999 and
the remastered version of the following Asrava, from
2001. It was released in 2023 on the Andromeda Relix label and
distributed by Pick Up Records. According to the liner notes, this is
a photograph of the early years of the band, when their artistic
identity was still out of focus but their project was full of fresh
energies and enthusiasm. As you can guess from the art cover, the aim
of the band was to look back at their youth and save those memories
from oblivion trying to improve the sound quality of the old tapes
but avoiding re-recording and overdubbing to let the magic of the
moment linger...
The
eponymous debut album was recorded in the spring of 1998 and
self-released in a few physical copies the following year with an art
cover by Luca Zerman inspired by the style of the painter Giorgio De
Chirico. According to the official website of the band, it was
recorded live in the studio with an old 8-track deck, with all the
members playing together, except for the overdubbing of the voices
and some guitar solos. From a sound quality point of view the result
was very far from perfect, but the band is still very proud of it, in
particular of the long suite “Il grande fiume”, inspired by
Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha and of “Sentiero nel prato,
porta nell’universo”, which tells of the meeting between a child
and an alien. Given the quality of the sources, the band couldn’t
do miracles but, in my opinion, the result is remarkable...
Logos’
second album, Asrava, was recorded in Verona between August
2000 and January 2001. The art cover by Luca Zerman tries to describe
the musical and lyrical content, harder and darker if compared with
their previous work. The overall sound quality is better since the
band spent a lot of time in the studio working painstakingly to
properly record all the pieces in a satisfactory way. Originally it
was self-released in a few physical copies and, unfortunately, in
2001 it went under the radar but it’s an excellent work and the new
version offers to possibility to fully appreciating it...
On
the whole, I think this double CD is an excellent chance to complete
your Italianprog collection with two very interesting albums in a
restored version and a beautiful packaging. It’s a kind of gift the
band made to their fans and I’m happy about it.
Judge
by yourselves, you can listen to the complete album HERE
Wyatt Earp took shape in
Verona in 2013 on the initiative of Matteo Finato and the name of the
band refers to Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp, an American lawman and gambler
in the American West who was involved in the famous gunfight at the
O.K. Corral. After a change of vocalist and a good live experience,
in 2018 they released a first eponymous album on the independent
Andromeda Relix label with a line up featuring Leonardo Baltieri
(vocals), Matteo Finato (guitar), Flavio Martini (keyboards), Fabio
Pasquali (bass) and Silvio Bissa (drums). Their music is clearly
inspired by seventies hard rock and bands such as Deep Purple,
Rainbow, Kansas, Rush or Uriah Heep but although this work might
sound unashamedly derivative it’s not without interest and every
track oozes passion...
The
opener “Dead End Road” is a straightforward track full of energy
that could recall Led Zeppelin and tells of someone who takes the
wrong road getting lost... The following “Ashes” starts softly,
with psychedelic echoes that could recall The Doors, and describes a
windy and dusty landscape. It’s a bloody land where you can lost
your faith surrounded by creeping nightmarish creatures and the
frenzied second part, that every now and again could recall Deep
Purple, seems to mark the desperate effort to escape...
“Live
On” is another straightforward hard rock piece exhorting you to
choose your own road and way of life while “With Hindsight” is
longer and more complex. It alternates reflective, dreamy passages
with hard riffs and sudden surges of rhythm and rage evoking
memories, awareness and bitter regrets playing together in a
dangerous mind game...
Then
the frenzied “Back From Afterworld” leads to the final epic “Gran
Torino”, that depicts an injection of adrenaline to get on the
verge of something dangerous and strange. In the middle section the
search for joy ends up in pain and apathy, the protagonist goes
through various psychedelic visions until a voice announces that his
soul is damned. The final part is a wild instrumental ride to hell...
Sadako e le mille gru di
carta is the fourth studio album by Logos, an Italian prog band
from Verona whose roots date back to the nineties. It was released in
2020 on the independent Andromeda Relix label with a renewed line up
featuring Luca Zerman (vocals, Hammond, synth), Fabio Gaspari
(vocals, bass, guitar, mandolin), Claudio Antolini (piano, synth) and
Alessandro Perbellini (drums) plus some special guests such as Elisa
Montaldo (vocals - from Il Tempio delle Clessidre), Massimo Maoli
(guitar), Simone Chiampan (drums) and Federico Zoccatelli (sax). It’s
a wonderful conceptual work inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, a
Japanese girl who died because of the consequences of the nuclear
bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the American Air Forces during World War
II. As you can read in the liner notes, a Japanese legend tells that
anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes will see his wishes come
true. Sadako unfortunately didn’t complete her task and stopped at
644... The beautiful artwork by Marica Fasoli reflects the subject
matter.
The
short instrumental opener “Origami in Sol-” (Origami in G-) sets
the atmosphere with its strong symphonic flavour and solemn pace. It
leads to the disquieting “Paesaggi d’insonnia” (Insomnia
landscapes) that starts by a frenzied rhythm and a stormy atmosphere.
The music and lyrics depict apocalyptic sceneries where you can see
asbestos flowing into a creek and deer with amaranth fleeces,
deformed lanterns in fire slowly moving in a strange bronze ballet
between mad chants and litanies, there’s anguish and fear all
around... Then the rhythm slackens and soaring sax lines drive you
through sad expectations and dark omens. As the nightmare fades away
you’re exhausted but lying in bed in not enough to sleep...
“Un
lieto inquietarsi” (A happy way to get worried) is another long,
complex track evoking troubling visions and nightmarish atmospheres.
As the music goes through many changes in rhythm and mood, the
hermetic lyrics evoke a pain that lies somewhere below the sounds,
beyond the frontier between obsession and vice, among half crumbled
skyscrapers and gloomy thoughts, collective hysteria and dull
ignorance. There’s people who need just a room to pray while others
need a church or an altar. Then, there are those who can imagine a
merry countryside and meadows in bloom behind origami paper figures
and colours in the chemical warmth of desire...
Logos 2020
“Il
sarto” (The tailor) is an amazing, dreamy acoustic ballad, enriched
by the charming vocals of the guest Elisa Montaldo, that conjures up
with passionate sounds and extraordinary poetical force the image of
a fantastic, merciful guardian. It’s the image of a tailor who
creates magical clothes for a little girl by weaving bits of sky and
sea waves, sun rays and fabrics stolen from the fairies, stars and
dreams. All in the desperate effort to keep her close and not let her
go. But in the end there’s nothing to do, silence falls down,
tomorrow there will be someone else who will have to provide her with
a new dress of musical notes...
The
joyful “Zaini di elio” (Backpacks of helium), depicts in music
and words the release from pain by a surreal ascension to the sky.
The little girl, thanks to a backpack loaded with helium and without
ballast, takes off through the smoke of burning trees and plunges
into the sky over the icy top of her dreams, crossing rivers of
feelings and sensations, gliding over memories and regrets, towards
shining suns and soft streets. Her heart is light and she’s ready
to fly higher and higher, over and over...
The
long epic “Sadako e le mille gru di carta” (Sadako and the one
thousand origami cranes) ends the story with a message of hope and a
warning. The music and words depict Sadako looking down while flying
across the sky, hanging on one thousand origami paper cranes held
together by strings. She can see from above stories of war and
ravaged nature that have been unfolding for thousands of years on
Earth. There are many people who try to express their grief over a
dying little girl, her story moved them. Now she sleeps near a bomb
and becomes a symbol. In heaven Sadako can listen to the sound of
death rising from below and gets angry because war never stops and so
famine, greediness, lust for power. How many years will it take to
get rid of hatred and selfishness? One thousand origami cranes get
wet and fall down from the sky while a light little girl finds her
grave hugging a bomb. But a new war is raging and it’s even worse
than those before, hidden behind TV screens, smoothed by the fake
news riding on social media. It seems far away, from our safe place
we can see only a few glimpses of what’s happening but we’ve
better wondering how many more innocent victims are still in danger
or suffering because of a brand new shining bomb that’s going to
blast...
On
The CD there’s still room for a Radio Edit Version of the title
track and you can look for the video the band shot for it.
Logos: Sadako e le mille gru di carta (2020). Other opinions:
Nick Hudson: My only worry was that LogoS might fall prey to attempting to integrate Japanese instruments or instrumentation into their lush RPI sound, something I'm not sure could work terribly well, and far too easily be tokenism at best, and appropriation at worst. I need not have worried... A wonderful album. Anyone who loved the previous LogoS album, 2014's L'Enigma della Vita, and was worried that the band might struggle to follow it up with something as good need not worry. Anyone who doesn't yet know the band is simply in for a treat... (read the complete review HERE)
Divide et Impera is Røsenkreütz's second studio album and was released in 2020 on the independent Andromeda Relix label with a renewed line up featuring Fabio Serra (guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals), Gianni Brunelli (drums, percussion), Gianni Sabbioni (bass, Chapman Stick), Massimo Piubelli (vocals), Carlo Soliman (piano, keyboards) and Eva Impellizzeri (vocals, keyboards). It confirms all the good qualities of the band’s debut work, Back To The Stars, with its excellent blend of melody, AOR and more complex passages that every now and again could recall Kansas or The Spock's Beard. All the pieces seem to have a common thread as they in some way describe the subtle line between what we perceive and what’s real and, in my opinion, the beautiful art work by Christophe Dessaigne gives a good idea of the album’s content...
The opener “Freefall” starts with a jump into eighties soundscapes, then takes a different direction maintaining a strong melodic approach. The music and lyrics tell about a dangerous descent into a vortex of desires, mislead by cheating smiles and kind words. Sometimes a particular glance can change the balance between the things you really need and what you feel necessary and make you fall into a dangerous, deceitful daydream, cradled by the sound of little, seducing lies...
The sarcastic “Imaginary Friend” every now and again could recall Queen and is an excellent piece about religious ideals that turn into business and terrorism. The imaginary friend of the title is a kind of hand tailored, bloodthirsty god created by merciless pseudo-religious leaders and exalted preachers to rip you off and make you kill other people with the joy in your heart...
Then comes “The Candle In The Glass”, a disquieting melodic ballad depicting a wicked game where the protagonist falls under the spell of the images he can see in a looking glass lighted by the flickering flame of a candle. The refined arrangement features a string quartet (the guests Evequartett) that add a touch of romantic colour to the crepuscular tableaux...
“I Know I Know” is an aggressive, nervous track that features even a short passage with rap vocals delivered by the guest Flamma. It evokes an inner demon taking the lead, a dream driving you insane as reality becomes more and more blurred... Next comes “Aurelia”, where the rhythm slackens and eerie melodies soar from nocturnal passages and nightmarish atmospheres. It tells a dark story of love and betrayal, murder and regret, a story where the perfect life of a glamorous woman suddenly turns into madness...
Resenkreutz on stage, 2022
The catchy “True Lies” could recall Toto and is about the dangerous, deceiving power of media, fake news and television preachers, overwhelming advertisement policies and true lies running over and over the screen making of you just a kind of fool to exploit while the following “Sorry And...” describes in music and words a very hard letter to write and evokes suicidal thoughts under the moonlight, when autumn turns into winter and hell seems a welcoming place...
Then the long, complex “The Collector” ends the album by telling the story of a psychotic collector of human eyes, an insane serial killer that eventually realizes what he’s done and takes off his own eyes to complete his macabre collection. Well, his story is long but it’s worth listening to...
Røsenkreütz: Divide et Impera (2020). Other opinions: Peter Skov: "Divide et Impera" doesn't have that incredible pinnacle that was the title track of the first album, but I feel the thrills on the album are more consistent and frequent. If you're interested in a heavy prog album with strong eighties influences and synthesizers plus excellent vocal melodies and some great examples of action-packed progressive rock flair, head on over to Bandcamp and have a listen to Rosenkreutz's "Divide at Impera"! (read the complete review HERE)
The
Delphic Prophecy is the third album by Gran Torino, an
interesting prog band from Verona. It was released in 2020 on the
French label Musea Records, seven years after their previous work
Fate Of A Thousand Worlds (2013), with a renewed line
up featuring the confirmed Alessio Pieri (keyboards), Gian Maria
Roveda (drums) and Fabrizio Visentini (bass) with the prog veteran David
Cremoni (guitars – from, among others, Moongarden and Submarine
Silence) who took the place of Leonardo Freggi. According to the
band, the album was conceived as a sort of soundtrack for an
imaginary journey through Ancient Greek mythology and the art cover
by Pablo Elices tries to depict the musical content...
The
dreamy opener “Ondine” starts softly by a piano solo pattern,
then the electric guitar takes the lead evoking dangerous, soulless
creatures wandering slowly under the moon... The title refers to the
water nymphs that appeared in the Aegean Sea under the form of
beautiful women but in the booklet there are no liner notes with a
guideline to follow, so the plot of this imaginary peplum film is up
to your imagination!
The
mysterious “Faint Dimness” conjures up nocturnal landscapes and
threatening shadows, then the disquieting “The Sibylline Oracle”
evokes the feeling of an impending trick of the destiny. In the
oracles the Sibyl predicts future events and here the priestess
seems to prophesy disaster...
The
suggestive “From Lust To Shame” flows steadily through martial
rhythms and exotic flavours while the following “A Gentle Soul”
is reflective and dreamy. “After The Cure” is a piece with some
echoes of new wave and a dark, Gothic sound that seems chiselled by a
smith...
Then
the melancholic “Faded Elation” leads to title track and to the
mysteries of the oracle of Delphi. “The Delphic Prophecy” is a
wonderful track that every now and again recalls seventies
atmospheres and black and white TV series... Then it’s the turn of
the nervous “Ancient Labyrinth” where we can follow the thread of
Arianna or admire Dedalo’s bold, clever plans to escape. “Ethereal
Noise” closes the album with some nice soaring electric guitar
parts and some hypnotic keyboard passages.
On
the whole, a good album, especially recommended if you like bands
such as L’Ombra della Sera...
Side C were a young band from Veronamarked by diverse approaches, mainly stylistic, with contaminations ranging from blues to funky-jazz and hard rock, always within the boundaries of progressive rock (Jim Russell). Despite some line up changes, they had been active performing live on a local basis from 2006 to 2012 and in this period self-released two demos: Stati d’alienazione (2009) and the live Andare via… (2011). The first one was recorded by a line up with Laura Bressan (vocals), Michele Zanotti (electric and acoustic guitars), Thomas Pessina (piano, organ, synth), Giulio Stevanoni (drums) and Paola Cantachin (bass, keys). It features four nice tracks, three sung in Italian and one in English.
The opener, “L’imperfezione” (The imperfection), is an ironic piece about the endless flaws of the human race and has a solemn pace and powerful, passionate vocals. The second track, “L’altro lato” (The other side), starts with an acoustic guitar arpeggio and soaring keyboards that remind me of Le Orme, then a jazzy interlude follows and leads you through a dark, dreamy path in search for the hidden sides of the human nature driven by excellent vocal parts. “Slowly Dies” is the only track sung in English and in my opinion the less convincing one while the complex, introspective closer “Nuova speranza” (New Hope) is a kind of glance towards the sky in search for new light coming from a man who feels like a wax mask looking for new experiences… Well, if you find my words too confused or hermetic have a try and listen to this work on MySpace or YT!
All in all, despite the inexperience of the band, in my opinion on this demo you can find many good ideas and appreciate the great potential of the musicians involved.
Side C, Stati d’alienazione (2009). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: All the tracks are for the most part simply wonderful. Side C pulls together listener-friendly progressive rock as played by many modern bands these days, using melodic music and catchy hooks to pull the listener in, but thankfully they move beyond that as well... (read the complete review HERE).
The live EP Andare via… (Going Away) was self-released by Side C in 2011 with a renewed line up featuring Laura Bressan (vocals), Michele Zanotti (guitar), Thomas Pessina (keyboards, piano, vocals), Alessandro Danzi (bass) and Andrea Sbrogiò (drums). It was recorded on June 18, 2011 during a concert at the Blocco Music Hall in San Giovanni Lupatoto, Verona. It shows the improvements of the band on stage and gives us the chance to listen to four previously unreleased, interesting new tracks that would have deserved a better fortune and a place in the set list of an official studio work. The performance was very good and the theatrical, confident vocals by Laura Bressan stand out backed by skilled musicians...
But this line up did not last long and, unfortunately, Side C never reached the goal of releasing a properly recorded full length album before disbanding. Their legacy lies here and we can only imagine what the band would have done if things had gone differently by listening to these tracks on their Myspace or on YT...
Side C, Andare via… (2011). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: It is not easy for prog bands find gigs in Italy I'm told and I hope Side C is able to continue for a long time, and eventually records a full length studio album. This live EP certainly proves they deserve the shot. The new musicians were solid choices and the new material is inspiring. Very enjoyable, bravo Side C! (Read the complete review HERE)
Il Rumore Bianco 2013
From the ashes of Side C and on the initiative of Thomas Pessina, Michele Zanotti and Alessandro Danzi, in 2012 came to life a new band named Il Rumore Bianco that by the end of 2013 self-released an interesting EP entitled Mediocrazia with a line up featuring Eddy Fiorio (vocals, synth), Michele Zanotti (guitars, sax), Federico Lonardi (guitars), Thomas Pessina (keyboards, synth, vocals), Alessandro Danzi (bass) and Umberto Sartori (drums). According to their Facebook page, although the main source of inspiration is certainly progressive rock, Il Rumore Bianco (the name means White Noise) tried to shape a particular and personal style drawing also on jazz, electronic, ambient and post-rock and in my opinion the result is really good...
Mediocrazia is a kind of mini concept album dealing with social and introspective themes that starts with “Tutto un sogno (Parte I)” (All A Dream, Part I), a track describing in music and words the crises of a man crushed by the daily grind, unsatisfied and downhearted, who tries to find an escape in alcohol and pills and wishes to go through his looking-glass, a bit like Alice in Wonderland, to see what lies beyond his nightmares...
Next comes the melancholic “Il vestito buono” (The Sunday dress) that tells about the efforts of the protagonist to write a letter to his ex-girlfriend who left him in the middle of his personal crises, leaving him alone, prisoner of his doubts and of his lack of self-esteem...
The introspective, nervous “Il primo attore” (The first actor) describes in words and music the reflections of the protagonist who slowly becomes aware of his condition and feels the need to change. He realizes that he lost the right way and got trapped in the perverted logic of false myths and conformism. Now he feels like a baby who wakes up to be catapulted from his world of dreams full of expectations into a dull reality…
The long, complex “Tutto un sogno (Parte II)” ends the EP. The atmosphere is ethereal and dreamy. In the abstract world of his dreams the protagonist feels confident and at ease, he does not have to tell lies to survive pretending to be what he’s not. He would like to remain in this world where he can set free his imagination but… He’s aware that as soon as the dream will melt away he’ll be again a slave of reality. He closes his eyes because he knows that tomorrow is going to be another gloomy day...
On the whole, a good work that deserves a try! You can listen to the complete EP HERE.
Il Rumore Bianco, Mediocrazia (2013). Other opinions:
Jon Neudorf: Although short, just under thirty minutes, the band packs a lot of music into these four tracks. This is progressive rock with good complexity fusing on other styles like jazz and ambient. Guitars and keyboards are both used effectively. Lots of edgy guitar riffs and a myriad of keyboard sounds creating sonic soundscapes that are at times quite ethereal and dreamy, with a definite quirkiness. King Crimson did come to mind and seems to be a big influence and while there is a retro flavour here there are modern elements as well all helping to elevate the sound... Mediocrazia is an impressive debut and I highly recommend it to fans of Italian prog and prog rock in general... (read the complete review HERE).
After the first promising EP, Il Rumore Bianco worked hard on their compositions for their first full length album entitled Antropocene (Anthropocene) that was recorded at the Sotto il Mare Recording Studios in Verona, released in late 2016 on Altrock/Fading Records and distributed by Ma.Ra.Cash Records. It features a renewed line up with Alessandro Zara (lead vocals), Michele Zanotti (guitars, sax), Giacomo Banali (guitars), Thomas Pessina (keyboards, piano, organ, synth) and Alessandro Danzi (bass). During the recording sessions they were helped by some former members of Side C and Il Rumore Bianco such as Andrea Sbrogiò (drums), Umberto Sartori (drums), Federico Lonardi (electric guitar) and Eddy Fiorio (synth) while Carlo Cappiotti is credited as a guest backing vocalist on one track. The title of this work refers to a proposed epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on the Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change (definition taken from wikipedia) and the art cover by Davide Zuanazzi gives an idea of the musical and lyrical content of the album...
The nervous opener “Al crepuscolo dell’anima” (At the dusk of soul) tells about the contrast between the tendence of humanity to self-destruction by means of wars and violence and men’s need of love and self-respect. The piece ends with the noise of a shot after a quote from a speech by J.F. Kennedy (Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961). Confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent...
The caustic, abrasive “Mediocrazia” (Mediocracy) depict the loss of the sense of identity of a man who feels lost among other people and reflects about how difficult is to get rid of the sense of mediocrity that rules in the modern society and emerge from the mass.
The jazz-rock “Il capitale umano” (The human capital) every now and again could recall Area and tries to convey a strong criticism against consumerism and all the behaviours that can transform a man into a member of a herd without personality. Programmed obsolescence of creation, dictatorship of money and selfishness, structural classism, drugs and tobacco addiction… Like a broken compass men get lost in a place where time stands still.
The following “Tempio pallido” (Pale temple) starts by a delicate piano passage and features a dreamy atmosphere. It depicts a kind of transcendental experience in a parallel world where you can feel really free, where there’s nothing to touch, there’s no time nor dimension, no boss nor money, no temple nor gates. Your soul can wander everywhere without limits, resting in peace for the eternity...
The dark, jazzy “Tephlon (Club)” is an inspired instrumental track that leads to the long, complex “Il giudice e il bugiardo” (The judge and the liar) that depicts in a surreal way the trial of a man who passed away, drowned in his silence. The music starts by a slow pace, the atmosphere is filled with mystery and jazzy touches. Hanged on a rope and dragged into oblivion, now the protagonist is sitting on a chair in a judgement room crowded by abstract characters, in touch with the worst part of himself, trying to reanimate what he’s not any more... Then rhythm and tension rise. The protagonist observes the scene from the outside like a fake man who observes a liar to eradicate worn out emotions, looking for hidden truths smothered by endless lies… Always trying to wake up what he is no more!
Il Rumore Bianco 2016
The title track ends the album. “Antropocene” (Anthropocene) is divided into two parts. The first one starts by delicate piano chords and dreamy vocals. A man with a bitter-sweet smile who is coming to the end of his journey takes a sit beside your opaque thoughts… The second part is more aggressive and theatrical vocals begin asking questions about ethic and morality, common sense and social networks. The tone becomes accusatory when touching issues as egocentrism and hypocrisy to stir your conscience, hoping to wake you up from your guilty numbness, sooner or later… A very good conclusion!
On the whole, a very nice album that needs many listening and a good comprehension of the lyrics to be fully appreciated.
Il Rumore Bianco, Antropocene (2016). Other opinions:
Olav Martin Bjørnsen: Il Rumore Bianco isn't a band to inspect if you tend to favor the inviting and compelling varieties of progressive rock. But if words like challenging, quirky and perhaps even difficult finds your favor, and you enjoy bands described in this manner to explore dark landscapes and using multiple sets of genre elements, then "Antropocene" is most likely an album that will find favor with you. A dark, twisted and innovative production… (read the complete review HERE)
Fate
Of A Thousand Worlds is the second album by Gran Torino, an
interesting prog band from Verona. It was released in 2013 on the
French label Musea Records, two years after the promising debut
grantorinoProg, with a renewed line up featuring Alessio Pieri
(keyboards, piano), Gian Maria Roveda (drums), Fabrizio Visentini
(bass) and Leonardo Freggi (guitars). According to the band's
website, this is a conceptual work about a man who travels in space
and in real time throughout the universe that is based on a short
sci-fi story written by one of their friends, Paolo Gadioli, that you
can find in the booklet and that's also mirrored in the beautiful art
work created by Ed Unitsky. The music was conceived as a soundtrack
to describe the adventures, emotions and torments of the
protagonist...
The
opener, "Child of the Stars", sets the atmosphere and
introduces the protagonist, Velasquez, a kind of super-hero created
by a superior race whose mission is to conquer the whole universe.
His birth required a huge amount of energy that was obtained by
destroying a planet... The music starts softly, then the rhythm
gradually rises, calms down for a while and rises again, powerful and
threatening...
Then
comes the frenzied "Absolute Time". Here every now and
again I'm reminded of bands such EL&P and Goblin... The merciless
protagonist can travel through space and time and when he finds a
planet inhabited by a superior race he can go back to an era when
that civilization was not so evolute and can't resist to his
powers...
"The
Battle of Velasquez" is a dark, powerful track that could recall
some passages from Darwin! by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It's a
perfect score for the destructive actions of the protagonist who
defeats powerful armies and ravages fortified cities. It leads to the
following "Dead Suns" where you can hear the great poem of
the extinguished suns and the last pulses of the worlds swept away by
Velasquez...
The
melancholic "The Fog of Time" describes the feeling of
loneliness and deep sadness of the protagonist. Velasquez can't find
anyone who can match him. They call him just the child of the stars,
they fear him, they hate him... Next comes "Empty Soul"
that tries to capture in music the strange feeling that the
protagonist experiences by approaching a new planet: it's just like a
deep emptiness in his soul. So, he begins to observe this new planet,
to explore it from above...
Gran Torino 2014
The
delicate, romantic "Arìda" is a piano solo track that
describes the meeting between Velasquez and a beautiful woman called
Arìda who lives on the mysterious planet. The heartless protagonist
finally falls in love and the following "The Short Dream"
describes in some way this complicate, unsettling romance...
"End
of a Planet" breaks the dream, the rhythm rises suggesting an
impending danger, something is going to happen. Suddenly Velasques
has to go back in his spaceship, there's something wrong... As he
gets on board the planet blows up and his love is lost forever...
Here the music reminds me slightly of other two planets in a distant
solar system, hidden behind the jewellery of a thousand stars and
forests of coral...
The
title track, "Fate of a Thousand Worlds", ends the album
describing the dark thoughts of the protagonist, condemned to live
alone in his immense spaceship, master of time, master of the
universe... Master of nothing!
On
the whole, this is an excellent instrumental album and the music is
really worth listening to. Have a try, even if you don't like the
storyline!
Gran
Torino: Fate Of A Thousand Worlds (2013). Other opinions:
Mark
Johnson: The musicianship is inspired and unique sounding enough
to set this band apart from the many instrumental prog bands that
roam the universe. Imagine all of the things that you might encounter
on a journey through the universe. Without lyrics you are left to
your imagination... and sometimes that can provide its own horrors as
well as inspirations... (read the complete review HERE)
Pedro
Bekkers: Gran Torino have made a lot of progression compared to
their debut. With the replacement of the guitarist they moved the bar
up by a few notches and forced themselves to create more challenging
compositions shifting toward a heavier prog rock or prog metal style.
With an album like Fate Of A Thousand Worlds Gran Torino may be very
proud of themselves! They can face the future with confidence...
(read the cmplete review HERE)
L'enigma
della vita (The enigma of Life) is the third album by Logos, an
Italian prog band from Verona that was formed in 1996. It was
released in 2014 on the independent label Andromeda Relix with a
renewed line up featuring Luca Zerman (organ, Mellotron, synthesizer,
vocals), Fabio Gaspari (drums, bass), Claudio Antolini (piano,
keyboards, synthesizer) and Massimo Maoli (guitar) plus some special
guests as Alessandro Perbellini (drums), Simone Bistaffa (guitar),
Simone Chiampan (drums) and Gianbattista Bodei (narrative vocals). A
long time has passed from their previous work Asrava, from
2001, but during all these years the band never stopped and kept on
working on the new compositions, refining them, recording them
without pressure nor hurry, with care, determination and love. The
result is an excellent concept album conceived as a long suite about
the life, nature and time passing by, a mature work where the band
showcase great musicianship and personality blending vintage sounds,
poetry and new ideas. Well, the beautiful artwork by Luca Zerman and
all the images that you can find in the booklet perfectly fit the
poetical strength of the lyrics and the evocative power of the music: probably they can help you to understand the concept better than all my
words...
The
dreamy opener “Antifona” is a short instrumental track that sets
the atmosphere and fades in the following “Venivo da un lungo
sonno” (I was awakening from a long sleep) where a pulsing rhythm
conjures up the image of a night train running through dark shadows
and ethereal, lunar landscapes. In a wagon a passenger wakes up at
the noise provoked by a drought against the curtains. He emerges from
a long sleep and can hear some people nearby speaking in a foreign,
unknown language. It's still dark, the mysterious passenger has
forgotten his destination and now he's on his way leading to nowhere,
lost in the mist...
Logos 2014
Next
comes the disquieting “In fuga” (Running away) where the music
and lyrics draw the image of some soldiers in the snow. They're
running away from the battlefield seeking for freedom. Their life is
hanging on a thin rope while around them the storm is raging... The
following “Alla fine dell'ultimo capitolo” (At the end of the
last chapter) is filled with tension and dark visions and depicts an
empty town where a fugitive man looks for a shelter from the storm.
He walks alone among ruins and crumbling walls but he can feel
something in the air, the streets seem haunted by strange presences.
Suddenly he sees a dim light glimmering through the dust, a pale
flame of life and hope. A ghost gets close to him and tells him to
keep that flame burning...
“N.A.S.”
is a charming instrumental track that every now and again reminds me
of Le Orme and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and makes me think of a
glider taking off towards distant planets where there are rivers of
lava and creatures generated by earth and electricity. It leads to
the ethereal, reflective title track, “L'enigma della vita” (The
enigma of life), where the music and lyrics raise questions about the
origin of life: was it just the result of vibrating atoms clashing
against each other at random or rather the mathematical product of a
superior maker? The answer is hidden inside every man but we can't
catch it, we keep on running after forces that we can't understand
and we are always left in doubt, wandering in the dark and trying to
learn how to overcome our ignorance, in vain...
“In
principio” (In the beginning) is a long, complex track about the
mystery of creation and the relativity of time. It starts softly by
an acoustic guitar arpeggio, then goes through many changes in mood
and rhythm taking you on a mystical trip across the universe. Stars
and planets come to life and die as the men who claim to be the
masters of the universe. The wisdom of a superior hand carved and
shaped indescribable forms and painted the deserts with infinite
colours, gave life to rivers and human beings... In the beginning
there was nothing, from nothing we came and we're bound to return to
nought...
“Completamente
estranei” (Completely aliens) takes us back to Earth. This track
starts by painting haunting notes in deep red colours and conveying a
strong sense of tension... Here the music and lyrics depict a little
tunnel that opens on a side-walk corner. It's the entrance to the
hidden part of the city where live the homeless and the poor. The
people who pass every day by that place never notice it, they can see
distant stars and planets but not the unfortunate men and children in
rags who live underground. For them they're nothing but transparent
aliens coming from another world...
“In
quale luogo si ferma il mio tempo” (Where my time stops) is a
melancholic, classically inspired instrumental track for piano solo
that leads to the epic “Pioggia in campagna” (Rain in the
country), a complex track that depicts in a very curious way the
relationship between man and nature. The lyrics draw a parallelism
between a man and a feather floating in the air that the first gust
of wind will sweep away. He can hear what the leaves on the trees
have to tell, he can see how the nature takes his revenge on the
wrecks of old cars and trucks that are collapsing in a field, covered
by grass and already half-swallowed by the marshy ground... No one
can save men and their work from the imperceptible fury of time! The
following “Il rumore dell'aria” (The noise of air) closes the
circle. It's a short track featuring narrative vocals that takes you
back to the starting point, to a man emerging from a long sleep. We
can't say how long he had been sleeping, maybe centuries or
millennia. We don't know where he fell asleep, maybe under an oak in
springtime or on the bank of a river in winter. We can't say when
time stopped, all we know is that it was the noise of the air to wake
him up and that perhaps he had not been sleeping more than a
minute...
You
can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE
Logos:
L'enigma della vita (2014). Other opinions:
Michael "Aussie-Byrd-Brother": To have the musical skill and confidence
to successfully pull of a perfect mix of both vintage influences and modern styles is utterly
inspiring, and those who want to experience everything they cherish about Italian
progressive music now know one of the best bands that carries on that proud tradition... (read the complete review HERE)
Røsenkreütz
is mainly the brainchild of an experienced multi-instrumentalist and
producer from Verona, Fabio Serra. In 2006 he gathered around him a
bunch of talented musicians to refine some of his old demos and work
on new compositions. In 2014, after a long, hard work, Røsenkreütz's
debut album, Back To The Stars, was finally completed and
released on the independent label Andromeda Relix with a line up
featuring Fabio Serra (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Gianni Brunelli
(drums, percussions), Gianni Sabbioni (bass) and Massimo Piubelli
(vocals). In the studio they were helped by some guests musicians
such as Angela Merlin (vocals), Carlo Soliman (grand-piano), Luca
Nardon (percussion), Gabriele Amadei (violin) and Cristiano Roversi
(from Moongarden, Submarine Silence and Mangala Vallis - Chapman
stick) who contributed to enrich the sound and the final result is an
excellent crossover formula that, without being too derivative, I'm
sure will appeal to fans of Toto, Kansas or The Spock's Beard.
The
dark, nervous opener “Signals In The Water” is a disquieting
reflection about life and afterlife where time stops for a moment
while a man dives into the water from a high cliff with suicidal
intentions. It's like a riddle where sneaky shadows blot out reality
and you get lost in a nightmare where you are drowning in your old
lies...
Then
comes “Sitting On The Edge Of Heaven”, a wonderful track full of
spirituality and positive feelings where you can find a perfect
blending between powerful rock energy and delicate, classical
inspired passages. The music and lyrics are about the need to take
your time and choose your own way to heaven, a way you'll never
regret. The short passage a cappella is a real treat!
“Conditioning”
features synthetic sounds and melodic vocals warning you about the
risks of the virtual reality you live on your computer, hiding your
face behind a screen, loosing your innocence, feeding the appetite of
an evil, technological idol. It leads to the romantic “Nothing More
In You” where the music and lyrics tell of a relationship between a
man and a woman that is going through a period of deep crises, a love
that is fading away between empty shadows and misplaced feelings.
Next
comes the jumping “Childish Reaction” that reminds me of Van
Halen and is overflowing with good feelings and positive energy, then
it's the turn of a tribute to The Beatles, a nice cover of “I Am
The Walrus”.
The
title track, “Back To The Stars”, closes the album. It's a long
suite divided into seven parts, an over 17 minute epic that starts by
a charming piano solo pattern and then grows going through many
changes in mood and rhythm. The music and lyrics depict the feelings
of an astronaut floating in a crimson dusk, suspended between heaven
and hell, tore apart by the contrast between the wish to go back home
and the fear to loose his celestial peace... Well, in my opinion this
is by far the best track of the album and a perfect conclusion for
this interesting work.
Røsenkreütz:
Back To The Stars (2014). Other opinions:
Michael
“Aussie-Byrd-Brother”:Some may find the lack of a clear sound or direction a little confusing, but it's really a band trying to
appeal to as wide an audience as possible and tick a number of boxes. The album is full of strong
compositions, slick playing and skillful vocals with a modern polished production, and the band is
proudly unashamed of aiming to catch the ear of more accessible music listeners. Røsenkreütz are
a very promising band to watch in the future, and `Back to the Stars' is a near-perfect example of
how good crossover bands can be when they get that balance of progressive technicality with
melodic commercial appeal just right - no easy feat!... (read the complete review HERE)
Jason Spencer:This album is flashy, somewhat cheesy, but rich musically
and serious where it counts. It explores both the deep and shallow end of the prog pool, but
I think it comes out a winner in the end... (read the complet review HERE)
Elettrosmog
began life in Verona in 2003 with a first line up featuring Michele
Antonelli (vocals, guitar, flute), Francesco Delli Paoli (bass),
Alessandro Pontone (guitar), Massimo Babbi (keyboards), Cristian
Maselli (drums) and Alessandro Savelli (bouzuky, banjo, mandolin,
acoustic guitar). They were clearly influenced by Italian prog bands
of the early seventies such as Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del
Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme or Delirium (on their official website you
could even find a short history of Rock Progressivo Italiano)
but also by hard rock, jazz, blues, reggae and Italian canzone
d'autore. After an interesting demo recorded in 2004, they
started performing live on the local scene. Later, Alessandro Savelli
left the band and in 2006 Elettrosmog self-released their first full
length album, “Monologando”. According to the liner notes, it's a
concept album dealing with the difficulties that human beings can
experience when they have to communicate with each other in different
situations. Well, probably the beautiful art cover by Andrea Sbrogiò
describes the content of the album better than my words.
The
opener “Trappole per topi” (Mousetraps) is a nice track full of
obscure energy. The music and lyrics depict a man who's on the verge
of folly, a dreamer who desperately search for a shelter from the
daily grind. He's surrounded by people he can't understand and who
show off a false serenity... “Enough is enough! My head is blowing
up / I have to run away from here / A stereophonic madness completes
my mania / It reverberates and swings for me...”.
The
following “Economania” is a caustic track about the “New
Economy”, where money rules and the marketing laws decide what you
have to do. So, you have to stop thinking of social ideals, nothing
matters but your ego... The new economy ethic becomes a silly and
vain vicious circle where men act like marionettes stumbling on the
threads of the Euro-autarchy, pushed by ambition and materialism.
“Fiore
di carta” (Paper flower) is a melancholic, introspective track
where the music and lyrics depict a man who gets lost in a labyrinth
of madness and who's burning out like a paper flower, stranded and
poisoned by a nightmarish solitude. Suicide or hypocrisy can't save
his soul...
“Dialogo”
(Dialogue) is a short acoustic, instrumental interlude that leads to
the following “Quanto costa un litro di benzina?” (How much does
a litre of gasoline?), an ironic track that blends reggae and Jethro
Tull. The music and lyrics tell about a man obsessed by the ever
growing cost of oil who decides to buy a bicycle and ride it feeling
like Fausto Coppi.
“Non
è così (Il mio regalo per te)” (It's not so – My present for
you) is a complex track featuring many changes in mood and rhythm.
It begins softly, the atmosphere is dark, melancholic then the rhythm
rises and at some point Focus and Jethro Tull could come to mind. A
man realizes that he's adopting ideas that he doesn't share just to
get along with his sweetheart and he's getting tired to live as a
hypocrite. The breaking up is traumatic, his last present might be
mischievous and dishonest... Just his voice recorded on a tape: slow,
magnetic words that will take him away forever.
The
following “Monologo” (Monologue) is a short, delicate
instrumental piano solo track that leads to “Compromesso storico”
(Historic compromise), a powerful, complex track that draws in music
and lyrics the portrait of a cynical politician who's good for every
season, a demagogic media metastasis who knows how to use democracy
in spite of ethics.
“Tu
ti senti meno” (You feel less) is another track that describes the
crises of a relationship in an effective way. A woman wants too much
from his man, but she can't have everything and the game is over and
there's no room left for words... The final track “Rootood” is a
short instrumental where you can hear a telephone call and the
recorded voice of an answering machine. A good conclusion for a very
interesting album that in my opinion is really worth listening to.
After
the recording sessions bassist Francesco Delli Paoli left the band
and Paolo Iemmi stepped in. Unfortunately, the new line up didn't
last for long and in 2007 Elettrosmog split up. Anyway, two years
later a new band called Astrolabio came to life from Elettrosmog's
ashes... But this is another story!
Gran Torino come from Verona and their roots date back to 2000 when Cristiano Pallaoro (guitars), Alessio Pieri (keyboards, piano), Gian Maria Roveda (drums) and Fabrizio Visentini Visas (bass) started to play for fun as a cover band. In 2009 they began to work on a more ambitious project featuring only original compositions blending influences of bands such as PFM, Genesis, Spock's Beard or Kansas with a personal touch. In 2011 they finally released an interesting debut album on the Swiss independent label Galileo Records, “grantorinoProg”, featuring ten instrumental tracks and a nice art work by Mark Wilkinson. The band showcase here an excellent musicianship and the music flows away like a river on the rocks with a great interplay between keyboards and guitar and a pulsing rhythm section in the background.
Although all the tracks are completely instrumental the band provided some short liner notes for every track, just to give you an idea of what the music is about. The opener “Sinapsi” is full of obscure energy and invites you to dream and vibrate to the rhythm of music... “You sleep but you can hear it. You don't know what is it, but you know it is real...”. Some passages recall Goblin and are painted in disquieting deep red colours. The following “Jack Montorio” tries to evoke a search for tranquillity that drives you far away from home and an emotional storm due to a broken relationship. On the powerful “Rock Waters” the electric guitar comes alive while the music is in some way related to the images of the art cover. Next comes “Joy” where the band mix Eastern flavoured harmonies with neoclassical influences inviting you to seize the day.
“Miridiana” is another excellent track full of colours. A mysterious woman paints her face with red eastern dust and looks towards the horizon while ancient maps resurface in her mind... “Fox Box” is frenzied, claustrophobic. You can run and jump like a fox in a box but you can't break through because the only freedom is in your mind. For this track the band shot a video set in the Roman theatre of Verona.
“Five” is a nice short acoustic track that leads to the aggressive “Radio Vox” where the electric guitar is the protagonist. The following “Eco” recalls Goblin once again with its suggestive atmosphere and its dark organ rides backed by the rhythm section. The long final track, “Zorro”, starts calmly, the mood is dreamy, nocturnal... “A mask hides your face, a sword defends your feelings. Harmony takes away the mask, melody defeats the sword, and you fly on the wings of your instrument...”.
Well, all in all I think that this is a very good album where the musicians managed to express all their great passion for the music they love without sounding too retro.
Gran Torino: grantorinoProg (2011). Other opinions:
Jon Neudorf: All four musicians are very good and the band has plenty of chops but they don't go overboard with excessive noodling and can slow it down when the need arises. That said, there are lots of tempo changes and stop/starts that demand your attention. Heavy guitar riffs abound and the band's hard rock beginnings shine through often although the music never gets too heavy. You will hear lots of interplay between guitar and keys and both instruments shine throughout... grantorinoProg is a fine debut release from a band that should have a bright future as long as they continue to move forward and carve their own niche. Nice stuff indeed... (read the complete review HERE).
Vitaly Menshikov: What may initially seem as a certain sameness in the band’s music (due to the fixed instrumentation and the aforementioned similarity in the development of tracks as well), will fade on subsequent listens, as the subtle complexities of the arrangements reveal themselves... This disc is an auspicious debut for the quartet to appear on Top-20 lists of many art-rock and related publications this year. I think only those who are exclusively into the most complicated forms of the genre (e.g. King Crimson, early ‘70s Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes circa 1973-’74) might omit it in this respect... (read the complete review HERE).
