LAVORI IN CORSO

Angelo Santo Lombardi and guitarist/bassist Gabriele Paganoni soon decided to come up with a name around their project and this was meant to be ''Gan Eden-Il Giardino delle Delizie''.Under this name,Angelo and Gabriele worked on their sophomore album ''Lavori in Corso'',which was released three years after their debut, at the time the duo had signed a contract with BTF.

This is a nice example of contemprary keyboard-based prog rock with certain influences from the past.I would easily compare Lombardi's work with efforts presented by (mainly) LA TORRE DEL'ALCHIMISTA,CONQUEROR or even TAPROBAN.Arrangements are centered under the symphonic and sometimes virtuosic work of Lombardi on keys.Interesting synth loops,classic piano passages and grandiose organ parts are more than attractive.Paganoni is not just a simple collaborator.Often he shines with his inspired solos and deep bass work,not to mention he is responsible for the careful work on the drum programming.The album is not instrumental as some of you would possibly believe,though it contains a series of long instrumental parts.Vocals are decent and also handled by Lombardi,who's voice has a crystalline touch mixed with the expression offered by the harmonic echoes the Italian language,though the man is not a professional by any means.''Lavori in corso'' reminds me also of some good old Italian prog bands like LE ORME,METAMORFOSI or CORTE DEI MIRACOLI to name a few.

The album is quite far from an original sound,but all compositions are well-crafted,balanced and arranged and they have always some interesting moments to offer.This will never be your starting point to the prog world but it's a good addition to any prog collection,while devoted fans of keyboard-based prog should simply purchase it.