RITUALE ALIENO

I didn't know what to expect going into this album; just knowing that I've loved this band via their Mathematical Mother (2016), one of the ultimate modern Zeuhl masterpieces. But that was 17 years after this! Well, I was definitely in for a treat.

Rituale Alieno opens up with the beautiful, heavenly "Pane Astrale" ("Astral Bread"). Classical vocals crown piano and soft strings.

This is followed by "Saturno"; heavy and dark yet reserved. Strikes me as un-lame Neo-Prog (ha! sorry). And revving into things around the 3:00 mark, I'm pleased to see they wasted no time. The underlying guitar work of Giuseppe Saiani is reminiscent of Robert FRIPP, and this is matched with the soloing prowess of Marco Mauro who has a balanced performance (soaring sustain and shred). This soloing is also paired with, at one point, some airy synth (gimme more of that next time). Very nice. One step away from Prog Metal (thankfully). This track, the longest at nearly 22 minutes, is a tad longwinded, but it is bookended nicely.

And you're to tell me that that's not mallets on "Il Viaggio Di Elric" ("Elric's Journey")?! This is, right off the bat, the most exciting thing so far. Great rhythm (the faux-vibes reminiscent of GONG, a la Pierre MOERLEN). This all falls away after 2 intense minutes to something ethereal and ominous (tabla, keys, vocals) only to return to this excitement for about a minute, including a pretty riveting guitar solo to match. Viola and harpsicord enter with classical guitar stylings around 5:00. It just doesn't stop. This section softly then boldly builds upon itself with a male vocal (and then female) choral section. Building continues to a climax around 8:00, with full-on Romantic leanings. It's queer hearing this exciting, almost Latin Jazz paired with a men's choir. But man, I really like it. It's pretty darn unique. What you'll think is the song's finale, with epic GENESIS-esque vamp, is quickly replaced with an Industrial (electronic) chant. So interesting. So surprising. So good.

The tabla returns clear on "Ipernatura Del Tempo Centrale" ("Central Time Hypernature"?...), then falling away to some cool Jazz. So unique. Like minimalist post-Bop with DEJOHNETTE-esque drumming and weird male vox. This ramps up to a wicked swing with a stellar guitar solo (I thought "La Villa Strangiato" was the one--wonder what 12 year old me would have thought of all this). This has to be the highlight, right? It can't get better than this, right (it didn't)?

"Anticihi Occhi Ciechi" ("Ancient Blind Eyes") follows in the most ominous, weird way possible. The use of keys is, I feel, pretty timeless. This song is definitely worth hearing. Hard to exactly explain. The ending reminds me of OZRIC TENTACLES, really. Otherwise, madness ensues lol.

Finally we have the closer, "Meccanica Superiore". Honestly, one of the weaker tracks on the album. Just so much heft and uniqeness in the middle of this album. The latter half is definitely strongest, as you would hope. The rhythm section holds it all up, in this case.

Overall, the album is left largely untarnished. Truly, an "excellent addition to any prog rock music collection". Really, some great Zeuhl on here.