PALEPOLI

Osanna have been one of my last discoverings in prog scene. I must confess, I've always been a little skeptical forward italian prog (even though I'm from Italy) because I've always searched prog directly from origines...UK! So I bought this album without expecting too much from it, or at least, so much! Since the first listening and more and more next times, I found Osanna and Palepoli's style completely different from the rest of italian progressive rock. It was something new, in music conception, that make me considered Palepoli an album to be "copied" and not the opposite, as it happened most of times compairing to british bands. The album is built in two parts, with a short track in the middle which reprises the opening theme from the first one: "Oro Caldo" is absolutely sensational, full of incredible energy, of course inspired to prog british giants like King Crimson and Van der Graaf (long sax parts on the background are quite striking) but even Black Sabbath for guitars evil riffs...but always indipendent and sometimes looking to traditional rhythms from Napoli city: never heard something similar! "Animale senza Respiro" sounds a little bit easier and sometimes less inspired, but it doesn't mean anything in a global album's evaluation: again running sounds, with an extraordinary mix of energy and visionary atmospheres. "Palepoli" realized in my opinion the only and unique way to match prog and metal together respecting both of natures: this is real five stars prog-metal!