BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO

Banco's debut is one of their best records without a doubt, and it's essential in Italian prog. Francesco is one of my favorite aspects of this band for sure, absolutely incredible vocals! Typical of Banco, there's very short tracks and very lengthy tracks, ranging from two minutes to eighteen! This album features amazing instrumentation that should not be underestimated as well, Vittorio Nocenzi's keyboard work is magnificent!

The stand-out, as you would expect, is the eighteen minute epic, Il Giardino Del Mago, which is one of their longest tracks and a very experimental work. It has spacey instrumental sections that send you to another world, and the vocal sections help establish themes. It also has R.I.P. which is one of their most popular songs, at least within prog circles.

Similar to what they would make in their three following records, this album definitely deserves the five star rating. It was the start of one of the best Italian prog bands ever, and it for sure was a bold, but solid, debut that remains to this day as one of my favorites.