LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO

Over the last few years the Italian prog scene seems healthier than it's been in quite a while with many great albums from bands such as Pandora, Il Tempio Delle Clessidre, Gran Turismo Veloce and La Maschera Di Cera to name a few and that's without going into the bands that are still with us or have reformed from the golden seventies era. Another one to keep an eye on are La Coscienza Di Zeno, a six piece from Genoa who formed in 2007 and released their debut album in 2011.

This eponymous debut is a very mature album, no doubt helped by band members having a past in various Italian formations such as Finisterre, Il Tempio Delle Clessidre and Narrow Pass. CDZ like most bands in the current RPI scene acknowledge the past without succumbing totally to a retrogressive style and keep at least one foot firmly in the present though not as obvious as fellow countrymen Gran Turismo Veloce who have a more streamlined and harder modern sound. CDZ sound more organic where mellower parts sit alongside heavier sections on their inventive and complex compositions. Neo prog plays a part in their sound with symphonic sections too. There are some truly excellent moments such as the thirteen minute Nei Cerchi Del Legno and moody instrumental Un Insolito Baratto Alchemico to name just two but occasional lapses steal it of classic status. Nevertheless there's no denying this is a very good debut by anyone's standards and if CDZ stick around they have the potential to be somewhere near the top of the current breed of RPI bands. 3 ½ stars.