IL BACIO DELLA MEDUSA

Il Bacio della Medusa is an Italian prog band from Umbria that was formed in 2002 by Simone Cecchini (vocals, 6 & 12 acoustic guitar, mandolin, charango), Federico Caprai (bass) and Diego Petrini (drums, organ, keyboards, piano, vibraphone, percussion). In December 2003 Simone Brozzetti (guitar) and Eva Morelli (flute) joined the band and in 2004 they released their eponymous debut album (the album was re-released in 2008 by Black Widow Records and it is available now also on vinyl). The beautiful art cover painted by Federico Caprai tries to describe the content and the mood of the album: dark and poetical lyrics, an intersting mix of progressive, hard rock and classical music that reminds me every now and again of bands like Biglietto Per l'Inferno, BMS and Jethro Tull...

The opener "Requiem per i condannati a morte" begins with an uneasy sound of greedy crows waiting for the hangman's duty... On heavy guitar riffs, filtered vocals describe the dismay of people sentenced to death by hanging, people without dreams and with the fear into the blood, desperate eyes gazing from shady prisons, "damned souls sold out to justice"... Then the tension melts in an acoustic ballad (A post mortem dream: end of a winter) where a deep sense of pity prevails: "At least let the ground receive our humble bones"...

Next comes "Orientoccidente", almost an electric dream on the footsteps of Marco Polo with an "Eastern air in Western ground" feeling, featuring interesting bass lines and guitar riffs...

The long epic "Scorticamento di Marsia" is probably the "plat de résistance" of this work. It was inspired by the myth of the satyr Marsyas, great flutist who challenged Apollo in a music contest and was punished by the god with death by flaying. "Let the wind blow in my flute / That now lies on the ground"... The track features many changes or rhythm and mood with an excellent work of flute and sax (provided by the guest musician Angelo Petri) and inspired theatrical vocal parts...

Good also the next track "Il vino (breve delirio del vino)", where an evocative accordion sound and the lyrics remind me of some Baudelaire's "maudits" poems about the consolatory powers of wine for desperate people...

The "baroque" ballad "Cantico del poeta errante" is another excellent track in three parts with the flute in the forefront and inspired vocals, while the long finale "De luxuria, et de ludo, et de taberna" is a tribute to the Italian poet Cecco Angiolieri (1260-1312) and is built upon one of his poems...

Although not flawless, I think that the debut work of this interesting band could be an excellent addition to the collection of every Italianprog lover...