...DI TERRA

The album starts with "Nel Cielo E Nelle Altre Cose Mute" and from the beginning it can be inferred from the sound that this album will be influenced by "The Geese and the Ghost", an album that had been released the year before "...Di Terra". The trumpets and orchestra give a warm welcome. Typical orchestral intro piece and without any explosion, with some nice and entertaining riffs.

In "Terramadre" everything gets a bit more intense here. Electric piano and grand piano lead a dramatic song with unexpected hits from the wind instruments. Everything calms down a bit in the middle thanks to percussion and a Davisian trumpet, but the song ends dramatically anyway to introduce the third.

Then comes "Non Senza Dolore" Here the album starts to take colour! Very interesting orchestral start to the song. BMS captures incredible fusions together with them, and despite not reaching a great sound, manages to create an atmospheric space that catches with its multi-instrumentation. The style of the album keeps going the same way.

"Io Vivo" is the longest song on the album. The bass and the arrangements that sound in the background (mainly the first minutes) are the main responsible for the macabre and tense atmosphere that builds up as the orchestra plays its role neatly. This song demonstrates the versatility of the band and that despite the absence of Francesco Di Giacomo's beautiful new voice, the group has plenty of creativity and virtuosity to bring to the surface.

"Né Più Di Un Albero Non Meno Di Una Stella" has a piano-only opener that brings back memories of Renaissance and their early albums with Annie Haslam. A rather interesting transition is achieved for what the album aspires to. Halfway through the song the piano takes a back seat and the flute seizes its moment and glides sweetly through the humble instrumentation that accompanies it. The saxophone also has its little lapses of sensuality.

"Nei Suoni E Nei Silenzi" is practically more of the same with some flashes that give the song a little fun. Quite tedious. This is the moment where the album falls down.

And then we achieve "Di Terra", the closer. The orchestra again has a bit of fun to close the album in a way that doesn't upset the listener. Moments of breezy energy and Rodolfo Maltese's electric guitar and his brief plucking. Violins, pianos and other instruments come together to create a beautiful and thrilling ending (and at odds with how badly it was all ending). The most beautiful moment of the album is the final 2 minutes!

I expected more from this album, but here you can start to glimpse the downfall of BMS and their move to a more commercial and popular sound and less genuine and progressive.