IN HOC SIGNO

I've got some good news and bad news: Rock Progressivo Italiano is alive and kicking. And it sounds almost exactly the same as it did 40 years ago. This was my ambivalent reaction for this Roman debut. At least it has a running time of 64 minutes whereas the genre's classics were usually only about a half of that. Even the cover art is very retro style, and it's understandable that the reviews here are extremely positive. I personally am not as charmed. Basically, it's a bit too intensive and heavy for my taste. The quintet continues the long tradition and features a keyboardist with a massive list of used instruments and a violin player. There are also many guests, e.g. David Jackson (VdGG) who plays sax and flute on the long 'Finale'.

The music is highly strung, clearly inspired by its historical and socio-critical concept about the fates of Norman knights. All the way it operates in the hard core of progressive rock without ever staying long in more serene paths. There are a lot of tempo changes, and a constant variation in the power relations between the instruments. The closest comparisons I can think of are some short-time RPI classics such as Il Balletto di Bronzo (Ys), Quella Vecchia Locanda, Alphataurus or Semiramis. Guitars and violin are played quite heavily, and Hammond organ is a central keyboard. Also Igor Leone's vocals are rather attacking. For a debut this is a very notable work and would pass perfectly as a lost 70's gem of RPI. If you like the harder end of the classic RPI, you probably enjoy this album enormously. Sadly it left me cold, and I prefer rating albums subjectively, otherwise four stars would be appropriate.

(Recycled from a review in Colossus magazine.)