IO SONO NATO LIBERO

After two excellent albums in their debut and Darwin!, Banco come out with perhaps their best yet. Io Sono Nato Libero is dark, light, intense, relaxed; a lot of things could describe this album, as it is truly that eclectic.

The opening song is probably the highlight. It goes through a plethora of twists and turns in its 16-minutes of length. There are upbeat, happier parts with some fun counterpoint melodies that resemble Gentle Giant. Then there are some rather dark parts, especially the one in the middle, which give off a feeling of uneasiness. This is truly a testament to the songwriting ability of these guys.

The remaining songs are fine in their own right. 'Non Mi Rompete' is a song with a strong folk flavor, with wondering acoustic passages and some cheery, melodic vocals. 'La Sittia Sottile' and 'Dopo?' are your average Banco tunes with a mix of great melodies and intricacies, are filled with keyboard, and feature some aggressive, intense vocals.

Traccia is a nice contrast to the more aggressive nature of the previous song with its melodic keyboard parts, and is a great closer to the album with it's almost Anthem like approach. Overall, I believe Io Sono Nato Libero is a truly great album that portrays an effective combination of intense eclecticism, experimentalism and great melodies. This is a must-have for a true taste of Banco and the Italian prog scene in general.

8/10