ALPHATAURUS

There is plenty of tantalizing material on Alphataurus--more than enough to get me thinking wistfully as to what might have been had they released a few more progressive albums. I could definitely picture a Banco-type of evolution, perhaps peaking with a prog masterpiece around the third album.

Oh well, if we only get one from Alphataurus, we had better appreciate the good stuff to be found in their self-titled debut. And with a cover like that, we certainly have a powerful lasting image of the band!

If you like your Italian prog a little on the raw side, then this will be more up your alley, with a gritty lead vocal style by Bavaro and plenty of heavy organ. Many of the jams can drift into somewhat generic let's-all-bang-together psychadelic rock--some solos would be nice--but the parts in between certainly have a uniqueness to them that keeps my attention.

Highlights: Peccato, La Mente. Peccato manages to successfully merge the psychadelia with some interesting prog (particularly the intro/closing theme) in a way that Ombra Muta could have imitated a bit better. Of course, the highlight is La Mente, which is what really tempts us as to what else Alphataurus might have been capable of. I would also like to see this live, because I think if the tempo was pushed a bit, this piece would really come out and grab me by the balls.

Given the creative bits, and the fact that this is a debut, I'll round up to four stars. Solid throughout, but only exceptional sporadically.