SADAKO E LE MILLE GRU DI CARTA

One of the greatest challenges any artist must overcome lies in its ability to surpass a previous masterpiece, finding the narrow source of consistency in inspiration to constantly go beyond and come up with a new offering. Often, some artists decide to alter their sound or style and forge into new realms of creativity, with mixed results, some managing brilliantly and others faltering. Italian prog band LogoS reached widespread acclaim in 2014 with their third album , the sublime L'Enigma della Vita , which was universally lauded and applauded in the global prog community, a scintillating effort that had all the classic hallmarks of Italian Prog (RPI) whilst maintaining an original flavour all to its own. Everything about it was magical: sound, production, atmosphere, talent, songs with great instrumental prowess and truly excellent vocals. The artwork left no stone unturned, flush with melancholy and grandeur. 6 years later, the band comes out with its much awaited follow up, with all fans wondering if the new work will equal or surpass the previous release, or if that they had decided to go into another realm altogether. Let me reassure you all right away, there is no need for any concern, as 'Sadako e le Mille Gru di Carta' maintains and even exceeds expectations! Still helmed by the incredible Luca Zerman on lead vocals as well as keys, aided and abetted by fellow ivory man Claudio Antolini, as well as devilish bassman Fabio Gaspari, who doubles on guitar, mandolin and vocals and adding terrific drummer Alessandro Perbellini. The album has a theme focused on a Japanese legend, an artistic style known as Origami and combining that with history, namely Hiroshima, through the eyes of a little girl Sadako, victim of the radiation released by the A-bomb. The cover and artwork are once again highly evocative and drenched in artistic flair and melancholia.

The majestic synths open the proceedings with 'Origami in Sol', a bold fanfare that sets the tone, the dual keyboards cooking up quite the storm, ending with a lovely Japanese lament that lasts only a few seconds. The spellbinding 11 and a half minute 'Paesaggi di Insomnia' showcases the band's strengths, namely the concept of musical unpredictability as the rumbling bass guitar takes over, helped along by string synths, switching gears into the vocal section, laden with sorrow and grace , then a soaring synthesizer melody that secures the main theme in a typical RPI manner. Sorry, but I am hooked already after only 6 minutes into this recipe! In stupendous and wholly unexpected fashion, a delirious saxophone courtesy of guest Federica Zoccatelli makes its way into the arrangement, united with the twirling keys. Prog does not get much better than this!

How about another epic, back to back? Well, Luca and the ragazzi oblige with another nearly 11-minute whopper, and I find myself giggling nervously at their audacity! Their ability to combine the simple and gorgeous melodies with complex arrangements laden with twists and turns will excite progsters to no end. The first few moments of 'Un Lieto Inquietarsi' have a distinctive ELP flavour, swirling keys and a chugging organ, booming and nasty bass line, pushed along by precise killer drumming. A serene mid-section weaves a delicate path, a brief respite before diving once again into a sonic fray, this time fueled by dual vocals from Luca and Fabio, the mean bass shoving the melody to higher planes. Spectacular, vibrant and grandiose, Prog does not get much better than this!

'Il Sarto' is a shorter piece also featuring the vocals of guest Elisa Montaldo of Il Tempio delle Clessidre , very much in the Le Orme style which should come as no surprise as LogoS started out learning their chops as a Le Orme cover band. A beautiful ballad, pastoral and bright, the voices united in passion and hope, a typical Italian accordion sound to highlight their native folk roots, often present in RPI. Delightful interlude.

How about 2 more epics to seal the deal? Va bene, let's set up a 12 and half minute composition, 'Zaini di Elio', this time adorned with harpsichord-like effects (which I feel lags in prog but it's a difficult instrument to copy, according to my musician pals), still frantic and moody, folding in some interesting additions with choppy sections, bewildering synth solos and some manic drumming from signore Perbellini! The crisp, precise and ingenious instrumental display is simply outstanding, and the vocals maintain a dazzling level of expression, the massive final chorus being as spirit rousing as it gets, tubular bells in support. I am conquered! Prog does not get much better than this!

Can this go on? Well, the grand finale is the title track, and a 21minute and 20 second masterpiece it is, perhaps their crowning career achievement up to now. Five seconds in, the desolate piano notes hit one in the gut, dripping with sorrow and dejection, a melody of classic proportions. The synthesizer takes over boldly, still flavoured with the soft piano emanations, the crushing vocals invoke the quest for the end of war, indeed of all wars and to let peace finally rule forever more. A Japanese motif creeps in amid the electronic keyboard fray, showcasing a glittering array of tonal variations, balancing bombastic with elegance, a real tour de force. A guest cameo, former guitarist Massimo Maoli lets his electric guitar rip with subtle abandon. Every sound is highly melodic, well thought out, creative and inspired. At the 13-minute mark, the arrangement shifts into a more modern groove, an electronic chugging mood that orients towards the final vocal passage, in companion with a slippery synth solo and the lurking menace of a throbbing bass guitar. The finale ends in crescendo of sound and fury, the raging guitar slicing through the mushroom cloud, the voice exalted and despondent, the piano slowly ending its march along the black and white board. The cranes have been folded. Prog does not get much better than this!

As a bonus track, a mini 5-minute version of the title track, a radio edit, recaps the entire album perfectly. I am quite sure that previous fans and critics will love this opus, which I believe not only surpasses the previous gem but will be the 2020 album of the year for many. To think that this was completed during the Italian crisis of the pandemic, clearly shows the dedication and the courage of musicians of this calibre in overcoming odds to display their talent and to entertain us with their beautiful music.

5 Orizuru (paper cranes) but there is really 1000 of them!

Usually I need more listens before writing a review, and I'm not used to rate an album very high after just few listens, but this is the exception. First of all because I've listened to the whole three times in a row and while I'm writing the title track, a 21 minutes epic, is playing again.

First thing: this is RPI. If you have in mind the classic RPI, this is what you can expect from this album: keyboard driven epics of the kind that unfortunately bands like PFM today seem to have become unable to write. Second thing: it's a concept album based on a very moving true story with lyrics which deserve to be understood, and you can find them translated in several languages on the band's website, even if the poetry looses power with the translation. Third: it's skillfully played and produced. In some passages the keyboard sounds remind to the old Rick Wakeman, with the usual little touch of Genesis influence which is characteristic of the RPI, but the story is so dark that the music can't not be dramatic and intense.

The album starts with a two minutes instrumental with GOBLIN's like keys. It's followed by "Paesaggi d'Insonnia"(Insomnia Landscapes) whose lyrics are quite cryptic. I think to the Philip Dick's chronicles. Again, some sounds and passages bring to my mind No Earthly Connection, but without losing the strong RPI flavor. I hope that Luca Zerman won't be disappointed by being compared to Rick Wakeman. The central part of the track is very melodic and when it returns to the dark realms it features the sax of Federica Zoccatelli who drives the long instrumental coda.

"Un Lieto inquietarsi"(A happy unrest) has a cinematic flavor which is now closer to Keith Emerson than to Wakeman. I'm spending a lot of words about the keyboards, but the band has two keyboardists; Zerman and Antolini, and almost no guitar, with Alessandro Perbellini and Fabio Gaspari playing the role of Palmer and Lake respectively. It's an excellent truely progressive track.

"Il Sarto"(The Tailor) Is a little moment of relief in the sadness of the story. The vocal harmonies of Elisa Montaldo are remarkable. The song is "short and sweet".

"Zaini Di Elio"(Helium Backpacks) is opened by a Genesis like instrumental intro. This is RPI after all. The lyrics are linked to the Pandora's myth. I haven't written a single word about the concept up to now. Let's wait a bit more. This track could have been an excellent closer, but there's still the 21 minutes epic.

Now it's time to speak about the concept: it's an album about war and about the story of Sadako, a girl survived to the Hiroshima bomb when she was 2 years old, who died of leukemia at 11. In the hospital she was told a legend: if you are able to create 1,000 crane origamis you'll have a desire realized. She died after making 644.

The album, and this track in particular have very strong lyrics, written by Marco Zuffo. The band was told the story of Sadako by the paintress Marica Fasoli who realized also the album cover. The project was completed by the video director Elia Cristofoli (aka Solingo) as a multimedial opera, but I haven't seen the video yet.

Anyway, this is a moving album perfectly in line with what one can expect from something labeled RPI. This is not my favorite genre, so if it has had the poweer of keeping me stuck on it for more than 3 hours it surely deserves the 5 stars I'm going to give it as rate. I

This album has had such an early flurry of five star reviews, including no less than two by PA collaborators, that I had to give it a try. After a full listen on Bandcamp I decided to buy but as Bandcamp were offering the complete LogoS Bandcamp catalogue for not much more than the latest album, I opted for that as I had none of the band's earlier releases. That has proved to be a wise investment as I have enjoyed all four of the albums available on Bandcamp.

Sadako e le mille gru di carta is a fine album. The album has six tracks (Bandcamp has a seventh bonus track, a shorter version of the 21 minute epic title track which I assume has been released as a single). Four of the six tracks are over 10 minutes long. The music is complex, immediately listenable but requiring several listens before you fully appreciate its quality. Vocals are used sparingly and at times almost rock opera in style.

Having had the opportunity to listen to all four of LogoS' back catalogue the one thing that has struck me most is the extraordinary variety in the melodies as the tracks develop. The structural complexity of each track is remarkable as you rarely notice a return to a repeated theme. This is probably the reason for the long gap of several years between album releases because it takes time to write this volume of unique music. This is a credit to the band's compositional abilities but, for me, makes the albums less compelling than the great classic albums. Now, that view may change as I listen further to the albums (currently at around four listens of each) and I become more familiar with their structure.

My initial rating for Sadako e le mille gru di carta is a strong four stars, primarily because while I find myself returning to it for a re-listen, I am similarly returning to Asrava from 2001 and particularly to L'enigma Della Vita from 2014 which I am enjoying equally as much. So while I don't at this stage believe their latest is a classic requiring five stars, I strongly recommend LogoS and its fine back catalogue of albums which like so many of the albums of today's prog bands deserves greater recognition.

I'm not a huge fan of Rock Progressivo Italiano, although I consider PFM, one of the best and original bands in the 70's. Previous Logos' albums didn't spoke to me that much but this album, oh, I have no words... Musicianship is near perfection; this might be the best album of the decade, next to Wobbler's "From Silence To Somewhere" and should be easily the best album of 2020. The keyboards are out of this world. The concept and the lyrics are dramatic and impressive. Most of the vocal parts sounds almost awful (big sorry for this) but fortunately 80 percent of the album is instrumental. Paesaggi di insonnia (11:27), Un lieto inquietarsi (10:48), Zaini di elio (12:38) and Sadako e le mille gru di carta (21:20) are the outstanding highlights of the album. Highly recommended.

Italy's prog revivalists are back with another collection of songs that seem to pay homage to some of the great RPI albums of the 1970s. I hear frequent snippets of BIGLIETTO PER L'INFERNO, LE ORME, BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO, MAXOPHONE, PANNA FREDDA, and even GENESIS and RICK WAKEMAN in a lot of this music as well as very keyboard-dominated music.

1. "Origami in SOL-" (2:16) instrumental introduction. Sounds like JOURNEY, STARCASTLE, GOBLIN, and ELP. (4.5/5)

2. "Paesaggi di insonnia" (11:27) Organ-dominated RPI in the BANCO and LE ORME vein--though Luc Zerman keeps reminding me of vocalist PAOLO FARINA. So many dynamic stops and starts, shifts and twists, I can't help but feel a bit lost, or confused. Love the stripped down passage beginning in the fourth minute with its use of sax and its familiar melody line (from LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO's 2013 masterpiece, Sensitività). Saxophone emerges from its murky effect to become the dominant soloist (with, of course, the multiple keyboards) until the next shift at 8:30, a sparse vocal section which is eventually joined by a slowed down chunky bass-dominated motif until 9:40 when a whole-band chord progression begins chugging along, pre-empting a heavy VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR-like sax-led section at 9:40 to the finish. (18/20)

3. "Un lieto inquietarsi" (10:48) opens with some very melodic synth riffs being explored with start-and-stop accompaniment. After half a minute, the light is green and the band takes off in a fast, thick, forward motion. BANCO-like tangent in the third minute takes us on a left turn down a different street--kind of dream like in the BALLETTO DI BRONZO tradition. Return to previous theme before shifting back to opening motifs. Another dream shift at the end og he fourth minute leads into a brief mediæval passage in the fifth and sixth minutes--which I like--but why does it exist? Why is it here? What story & moods are they trying to convey? (This series of questions makes me believe that non-Italians should be banned from reviewing RPI music.) Why is it followed by the organ-dominated section? Why do the vocal melodies not fit with those being repeated by the keyboards? To me, this song is a mess of non-sequitur motifs strung together in a pattern that is as abstract to me as one of Charles Beaudelaire's fleurs du mal. (16.5/20)

4. "Il sarto" (6:00) opening with Procul Harem organ and pop-Italia strummed guitar, the song sounds and continues to sound as if it was lifted off of an album (or live outdoor concert performance) in the late 1970s. Nice pop song, nice vocals (grace á Il Tempio delle Clessidre's wonderful Elisa Montaldo) maybe even a hit, but, again, why/how does it fit into this theme? (Or, is this not a concept album?) (8.5/10)

5. "Zaini di elio" (12:38) opens with blatant Duke-era GENESIS opening before adding a harpsichord and Arp synth to cover switch to a BANCO sound. But then, whoops, we're back to a Wakeman-Duke-like coda before dropping into a slower, more MAXOPHONE-like section used to support the first vocals. The complex instrumental section that follows feels straight out of the LE ORME Felona album before reverting to the bombastic Duke-theme for some Wakeman-like soloing. The flow of this song is, at least, much more coherent and less jagged than the previous two epics. The romantic buildup to and in the tenth minute works really well until the melody-mirroring choral vocalise starts to shift (are they off key or just providing counterpoint?) and then weaken again with the key shift in the twelfth minute. Otherwise, this song works! (23/25)

6. "Sadako e le mille gru di carta" (21:20) simple MIDI-ed piano, synth organ, and children's playground noises (Ah! The pre-COVID days!) open the first two minutes of this true epic. When the full band kicks in in the third minute I am fully in a LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO song--but then everything drops away to allow solo MIDI-ed "warped" piano to have the full stage. Male vocals enter and sing powerfully, really telling this story in the way that the Italians do so well! LE ORME-like instrumental section takes over in the fifth minute. Nice. Easy on the ears, fully accessible. Then, in the sixth minute, a Japanese sound & riff enters to colour the story in a different way. Unfortunately, this diminishes the power of the vocals when they return. And then the PAT BENETAR motif filling the first half of the eighth minute is disappointing, but then some ELP flourishes and a Duke-era GENESIS-like passage restores some faith and hope as we enter the tenth minute in a pleasant, easy-on-the-mind way. At 10:10, we take another turn, using EMINEM's beat from "Lose Yourself" before the band turns back to finally expose the Sadako theme as used in artist Marica Fasoli's YouTube video (how I found out about this album). A MIKE OLDFIELD-like recapitulation of previous themes using different sounds then ensues before we return to vocals late in the fifteenth minute. The lead vocalist here again sounds so much (to me) like PAOLO FARINA (it makes we want to hear his 2014 masterpiece, "Fiori, frutti, farfalle"). More rehashings of previously revealed themes--except for the chunky bass, many having that LE ORME feel and sound (we are now in the dénouement--the rest of the song follows the same form and themes, just building upon them). Unfortunately, these last six minutes tramp on a little too ploddingy. Overall, the song is very accessible, especially melodically, but it's a little too cliché-bombastic and simple to be called "perfection." Wonderfully engineered, though! (35/40)

Total Time 64:28

Nothing really new or Earth-shattering here, just well-crafted, well-produced prog/RPI. I'm not sure if I like the simpler, more straightforward music of the opener, the title song, and "Il Sarto" or the complex game of Pac-Man that "Paesaggi di insonnia" and "Un lieto inquietarsi" take me on, but it's all good. Definitely an album that I'll want to return to--up there with the LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO and UNREAL CITY albums of the past decade.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a wonderful effort to resuscitate and pay homage to many of the sounds, themes, and styles of the old RPI masterpieces.

Probably the best album of 2020

This may very well be the best album that was released in the year 2020. I hoped, but didn't really expect, that Logos could top their fabulous album from 2014 named L'enigma della vita. But they do. What an album this is! There is one hour of great music on the album, completely without lowpoints. It starts on a high note, and goes out with on a high note. Their style and influences are well grounded in the proud and grand tradition of italian progressive rock. You will instantly hear influences from Le Orme and Banco del mutuo soccorso, although Logos is on the more rockier side of those two bands. The influences from Le Orme are present through the whole album, the song 'il sarto' could very well be a lost Le Orme song dating back from 1974. I cannot think of one weakness, the soundproduction is excellent, the singer (mostly instrumental stuff here) is great and the melodic driven songs just blows me away. Directly from the start with the 2-minute opener, I know this is good stuff. And what surprises me is that I enjoyed it the very first time I listened to it. I usually have to listen to an album about three times before I like it, but this one was an instant success. Now, I listened to it about seven times and it still holds up. Another thing that makes this album a hit is that the 21-minute song keeps me interested for the whole 21-minutes. Few bands have ever achieved that (Yes, Museo rosenbach). They also sing in italian, thank god, wich makes the album feel more genuine and authentic. Keyboard driven progressive rock with a ton of great melodic passages and plenty of complex interludes to keep my interest all the way. What an album this is! I can highly recommend it to anyone. This is how a five star album sounds like.

Logos is an Italian band that's been around since the 1990s, although the current incarnation features a totally different lineup aside from Luca Zerman. I am not familiar with anything this groups has done, aside from Sadako e le mille gru di carta. I'm under the impression after two albums in 1999 and 2001 the band broke up and then reappeared many years later. This is their second album from their return, and this is a concept album of a child that survived the Hiroshima bombing. Where there's a clear Japanese theme to the album, including the cover that depicts folding creases for origami. Despite that, don't expect any Japanese ethnic styles, no koto, shamisen or shakuhachi, what you get is straight up Italian prog, much like Banco or Le Orme. The vocals aren't as dramatic as Banco, but the band features tons of great keyboard work, including Moog, organ, and Mellotron (or possibly the M4000D). Some digital synths do rear their heads, though, but never intrusive. "Il Sarto" features guest female vocals from Elisa Montaldo of Il Tempio Delle Clessidre fame. Musically this is very much symphonic prog, Italian style and it's a rather nice album.

After the first two albums which had poor audio quality, LogoS released the impressive 5-stars album "L' Enigma Della Vita" and now, after a 6 years rest, we have an epic return with another five-stars album "Sadako e le mille gru di carta". Being a big fan of Rock Progressivo Italiano (PFM is one of my favourite bands), a new LogoS album is not something to be missed. This is a pure RPI release with great keyboard driven songs, impressive long instrumental passages and dark lyrics. "Paesaggi di insonnia", "Un lieto inquietarsi" and "Zaini di elio" are superb compositions but "Sadako e le mille gru di carta" might be the best prog epic of this century. Prog does not get much better than this!!! The best five stars album of this year.

A demo version of an exceptional album.

After 6 years LOGOS come back with an album which I would call much more pleasant than its predecessor. This time much catchier and a bit more compact, "Sadako e le mille gru di carta" delights proghead's ears with tons of familiar yet somewhat new sounds and in general seems to have landed quite with flying colors on prog community's grounds.

While decent, the album does not deserve more than 3.5 in my coordinate system. This is one of those albums when "less is more" principle keeps coming to mind, in the sense that they'd better have it made less ambitious but tighter and more coherent. Songwriting feels minimalistic and simple in its linearity. Abrupt stoppages in some "epics" are especially good examples of how you should not try to be too ambitious with long songs. What complex arrangements other reviewers are talking about I don't know. The album is heavily synth-based, with not much else except them inspiring any awe (it feels that non-synths could be replaced with more synths without loss), with the biggest issue probably being the monotonousness. Tempo is painfully constant; the music just slowly drags on and on. Come on, those melodies are not as outstanding as to be played like that. It's like "look, we play music and it's - well - quite pleasant". It makes for a good background kind music, and backgroundish is exactly the trait of this one. With an attentive listen this already feels boring. Finally, a more subjective complaint: I don't know how one can enjoy Italian singing.

I could recommend hits as "a handful of pleasant prog sounds". Usually when you have a ton of long songs it is either a work of genius or overblown material half of which is easily dispensable. Here it's closer to the second case. But for lovers of prog for prog's sake -- you are welcome to try this one out, it is very decent after all.

Greek for "word," "discourse" or "reason," the word LOGOS encompasses many meanings whether it refers to the pre-Socratic philosophy, the divine wisdom of Hellenistic Judaism or the Christian references to the creative word of God. It also makes a mighty fine and majestic sounding band name which has in fact been adopted by a few other musical acts including an Argentinian heavy metal band, an obscure psychedelic folk band from Kansas, a Belarusian power metal band (albeit in Cyrillic) and a cheesy new age act from France but it goes without saying that the BEST band to adopt this moniker and unleash some of the coolest Italian symphonic prog to rock on the planet since the 70s has come from this LOGOS that originates from Verona, Italy.

LOGOS began as far back as 1996 and released a couple early albums such as the self-titled debut in 1999 and the followup "Ásrava" two years later. While a little rough in the production department, LOGOS fronted by Luca Zerman and Fabio Gaspari nevertheless displayed a talent in crafting massive prog sprawlers that evoked the epic nature of 70s Italian prog from the greats such as Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Museo Rosenbach however something was clearly lacking from those early albums. With a lackluster production that sounded like a DIY tribute to the past, LOGOS slowly slipped into a coma and spent thirteen long years crafting an album worthy of standing in the shadows of the great Italian musical gems that preceded. "L'Enigma Della Vita" was released in 2014 to great fanfare which hit all the right notes for symphonic prog lovers and established LOGOS as one of the most memorable Italian prog bands of the 21st century.

"L'Enigma Della Vita" was an absolute treasure trove of Italian prog that mined heavily from the past but also included many aspects of the modern neo-prog word as well as interesting electronic supplementing not to mention a crystal clear production job that far exceeds most albums of not only the past but of the present as well. The pacing of the tracks was perfectly placed and while the album evoked the now traditional framework of Italian symphonic prog, the album managed to take you somewhere else entirely and still remains one of my favorite prog albums from the last 10 years. With a team of musicians so dedicated to perfection, we easily could've expected another decade to lapse before a followup would find the light of day but lo and behold the fourth album SEDAKO E LE MILLE GRU DE CARTA ( Sedako And The Thousand Paper Cranes ) has finally emerged in 2020 a mere six years after its predecessor and prog fans can giddily cheer that this band strikes again with another perfect mix of Italian prog of yore fortified with unexpected modernities.

SEDAKO E LE MILLE GRU DE CARTA does not deviate from the band's established sound. This album mines the past greats such as PFM and Banco for brash retro sounding Italian prog that includes plenty of knotty, sinewy classically infused prog rock with occasionally excursions into mellotron-fueled jazz. Complete with a conceptual narration of a small girl named Sedako who lived in Hiroshima during World War II and the tragedy of the day when a nuclear bomb dropped forever changed the entire world. With this microcosm of time and place in mind, LOGOS crafts a musical accompaniment that mixes lengthy instrumental passages, often quite dramatic along with more sensual vocal led song sections. Of course like any great Italian band, LOGOS exclusively uses the Italian language which IMHO is much more emotionally expressive than English in many ways.

While six years may be a long time to wait for the next album, LOGOS does not disappoint with SEDAKO E LE MILLE GRU DE CARTA. This album easily skirts past the 64 minute playing time and entertains with six satisfying tracks that begin with the organ heft intro of the all instrumental "Origami in SOL." With four of the six tracks exceeding the ten minute mark, this is serious prog with plenty of time for tracks to develop strong interconnected melodies, excursions into lengthy time signature rich improvisations and then like magic return at the drop of a hat to the main melodic theme. The tracks are exquisitely designed and showcase a maturity often reserved for the most serious classical composers or soundtrack geniuses. Because of the complexities involved, this is not an album to throw on and say you understand it in one sitting. This one will instantly appeal to one's prog sensibilities on a single listen but multiple spins will only reinforce a magnanimity that is on par with some of the greatest Italian prog releases of the past five decades.

The main musicians include Luca Zerman on lead vocals and keyboards, Fabio Gaspari on bass, guitars, mandolin and vocals, Claudio Antolini on additional keyboards and Alessandro Perbellini on drums however four guests contribute extra vocals, guitar, drums and saxophone. "Paesaggi di insonnia" and "Un lieto inquietarsi" generate the prog steam to hook even the most hardened progger but after the six minute "intermission" "Il Sarto" which is a melodic vocal rock ballad, the true prog workouts bedazzle the soul in the form of the near 13-minute "Zaini di Elio" and the sprawling title track which extends past the 21 minute mark. Now that's what i call PROG!!! While the concept of the album may be lost to non-Italian speakers, this album doesn't rely on any lyrical connection as the music is so divinely inspired that the melodies and motifs will give you goosebumps as they are so gorgeous.

In the music saturated world where artists come and go, i never really put any faith that any given band will follow up with any album much less one that matches the magnificence of a prior masterpiece but LOGOS has many tricks up its sleeves and proves without a doubt on SEDAKO E LE MILLE GRU DE CARTA that this act is one to be reckoned with and worthy of being grouped into the big boys club of all the greats that have come and gone. This album is satisfying on all levels. It excels with beautiful melodies that adopt classical hooks along with local Italian flavors but dedicates much of the album's real estate to hefty proggy workouts that will leave you gasping for air! All in all, LOGOS delivered a huge surprise with my top pick for best prog album for 2020. Like many other artists of recent years such as Wobbler and All Traps On Earth, LOGOS has crafted some satisfying retro prog that brings the classic sounds up to date without missing a beat. This album is really addictive. It didn't hit me as the masterpiece it is until about the fifth listen. Do yourself a favor. Listen to this album! If you love classic Italian prog then this is certainly a mandatory listening experience.

LogoS formed in Verona in 1996 as an Italian progressive rock cover band of the 70s, presenting songs from legendary Le Orme and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso. In 1999 LogoS released its debut album entitled Logos, followed by Asrava in 2001 (more close to Nineties King Crimson, aggressive and dark). Then it took many years (in 2010 the band opened for the known Biglietto Per L'Inferno at an Italian festival) before LogoS released the successor in 2014, the concept album L'Enigma Della Vita (CD and vinyl), on the Andromeda Relix label. LogoS got international acclaim and performed at several foreign festivals, like the Dutch ProgFrog and the French Rock Au Chateau (along Ars Nova from Japan, and Pendragon). In 2016 LogoS met Marica Fasoli at one of her exhibitions where the artist presented the first works of the successful series dedicated to origami. The painter tells the band the story of little Sadako; the group is fascinated by it and immediately involves Marco Zuffo, young author of the lyrics of the album that the Logos are writing in those days. Within a few hours the group and Marco come to the decision to write a song about Sadako, immediately involving Marica in the project. In the summer of 2020, 75 years after the bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima , the Andromeda Relix label released the album with Pick Up Records distribution. On this new album LogoS features the original band members Luca Zerman on keyboards and lead vocals, Fabio Gaspari on bass, and Alessandro Perbellini on drums, along Claudio Antolini on keyboards who joined LogoS in 2004. Guitar player Massimo Maoli has turned into one of the guest musicians.

This is my first musical encounter with LogoS, and I am very pleased with the melodic and harmonic keyboard driven prog. The two keyboard players deliver lots of exciting work on Hammond and synthesizers, like in the spectacular short opener Origami in SOL, Un Lieto Inquietarsi and Zaini Di Elio, often ELP comes to my mind. But also Le Orme and Banco, and the Japanese bands Ars Nova and Gerard, due to the lush and sumptuous keyboard sound, and the classically trained background is obvious. The track Paesaggi Di Insonnia is coloured with powerful saxophone work, along majestic Mellotron choirs and dazzling synthesizer flights. And Il Sarto is a wonderful ballad, embellished with churchy Hammond (in the vein of Procol Harum), inspired Italian vocals (evoking Angelo Branduardi), acoustic rhythm guitar, and in the end a beautiful accordeon sound, with tubular bells. What a contrast with the many sumptuous parts on this album!

My highlight is the alternating epic titletrack, starting and ending with tender piano play, but in between cascades of dynamic changing atmospheres, from mellow and mid-tempo to bombastic. The keyboard work is awesome, the slow and bombastic synthesizer flights reminds me of Toshio Egawa from Japanese Gerard, along strong echoes from Rick Wakeman solo (Minimoog and Mellotron choirs). Halfway Massimo Maoli delivers fiery guitar runs, a tasteful addition to the omnipresent keyboards. The band succeeds to keep my full attention during the entire running time, close to 22 minutes, this is LogoS at its compositional peak, elaborate, dynamic and varied!

How to rate this music? I am delighted about my first musical encounter with LogoS, but two tracks feature mediocre vocals (the other singer does a way better job) and the sound is pretty derivative so four solid stars. Nonetheless, highly recommended, this album 'is a wet dream for keyboard driven prog aficionados'!

This review was previously published (in a slightly different version) on the website of Background Magazine, the oldest Dutch progrock source.

This is the best album I've heard in years. LogoS formed in 1999. I was absolutely blown away. The melody's are perfect. The keyboards on every track are all fantastic as well. It is hard to choose a favorite song since they are so great. But my favorite would have to be the epic of the album called Sadako e Le Mille Gru. The concept of the album is also spectacular. It is hard to explain and describe why this album is so fantastic so I would highly recommend this album to everyone. After you listen you'll understand why it's so great! You won't be disappointed.

[Originally published at The Progressive Aspect]

Even if I did not already have great interest in a new LogoS album, the title and artwork would have settled it for me. Without knowing Italian, it's clear enough that this is an album that references Sasaki Sadako and the one thousand origami cranes she folded before her death. It's a story I learnt at primary school, and one of very few memories I have from those school days. We learnt of the symbolism of the origami crane (orizuru), and additional symbolism when 1,000 are strung together (senbazuru). We attempted to fold 1,000 as a class. I can't remember if we did, but it was a good way of showing just what an achievement it was for Sadako, particularly when she was literally on her deathbed. I've never forgotten her story, so to hear it played out in music was an attractive prospect. My only worry was that LogoS might fall prey to attempting to integrate Japanese instruments or instrumentation into their lush RPI sound, something I'm not sure could work terribly well, and far too easily be tokenism at best, and appropriation at worst. I need not have worried.

The album begins with the short instrumental piece, Origami in SOL-, providing a powerful and intense opening. It's quite incredible, and far too short. I could definitely have done with this track carrying on a little longer. Paesaggi di Insonnia, which follows, is even more frantic ? tossing and turning as one with insomnia might. (I admit I've not attempted to find the translations of the titles, but 'Insonnia' looks enough like insomnia to me?). If it were not already obvious with Origami in SOL-, Paesaggi di Insonnia makes it clear that this album, like the one that preceded it, is beautifully produced and mixed. The sound is perfect and crystal clear. There's no muddiness, every instrument has its space. And just to add to the already wonderful mix, an additional instrument is brought into the mix, thanks to the saxophone of Federica Zoccatelli.

Paesaggi di Insonnia is a thoroughly enjoyable and unpredictable romp through many moods, with the always excellent Luca Zerman, who may well be my favourite Italian vocalist (I love his tone and expression), with Claudio Antolini on keyboards kicking up a storm (why have one keyboard player, when you can have two?), and the vibrant and strong rhythm section of Fabio Gaspari on bass (and also occasionally guitar, mandolin and vocals) and Alessandro Perbellini on drums, definitely not hiding in the background. I'm really happy Perbellini is now a member of the band (he drummed on only one track on the previous album), as his powerful presence on this album provides much enjoyment.

Indeed, if anything, the rhythm section are right out in front for the following Un Lieto Inquietarsi. This comes across as quite an evil piece of music. It may not be intended to be, but it just sounds mean and nasty to me. Well, for the first half, at least. After a remarkably serene mid-section, the second half of the song has a far more optimistic air. But even more serene is Il Sarto, which is a quite beautiful ballad. The sort I would probably hate if it were sung in English, but which Italian vocals just seem perfect for ? full of emotion and expression that sounds genuine and rich, rather than corny and cheesy. Another guest, Elisa Montaldo, sings on this track and she really adds to the magic. It's a pastoral gem, rich in the classic RPI sound of the '70s, yet still sounding completely modern. This is what LogoS do so well, time and time again.

Zaini di Elio is a rousing return to the more manic music of the first few tracks, with some wonderfully choppy and changing passages, and an absolute star turn from Perbellini on the drums. Definitely my favourite drumming on the album. Most RPI bands at one point or another get compared to ELP. I guess it's because I've never really liked ELP, but I've never heard that. In fact, I'm more likely to be reminded of Genesis, and this song is one where I could make that comparison. As for the keys, these are as often reminiscent of Wakeman as they are of Emerson, but the swirling and twirling of the two keyboard players is distinctly their own. Any of these comparisons do a disservice, too, for they give an impression that this music might sound (out)dated and stale. This is not retro music. It doesn't sound like it's trying to emulate the sounds of the '70s as so many modern bands seem to be doing. Rather, it's using those sounds as a template for a modern album, in the same way Quel Che Disse Il Tuono did earlier this year. These two bands have not just released the best RPI albums of the year, but of the last few years ? taking sounds of RPI somewhere new, rather than merely reflecting on the past.

The band save the best for last, with the title track. Sasaki Sadako was two years old when the bomb fell on Hiroshima. The effects of the radiation were not immediately apparent. She was hospitalised in February 1955, and started folding paper planes, hoping that she might achieve her wish to get well. By August Sadako had completed her senbazuru and, not getting any better, began folding more. By the time she died in October of that year (aged twelve), she had folded approximately 1,300 to 1,400 orizuru (the exact number is unknown). A novel based on her life changed the story to suggest she did not complete a senbazuru, so her friends and family kept folding for her, so that she might have 1,000. It might make a nice story, but somehow knowing that she folded them all herself, and kept going, is more impressive to me. And impressive is what this approximately 20 minute song is. A fitting end to a wonderful album. Anyone who loved the previous LogoS album, 2014's L'Enigma della Vita, and was worried that the band might struggle to follow it up with something as good need not worry. Anyone who doesn't yet know the band is simply in for a treat.

Logos, a band from Verona with 10 years of experience and 4 interesting albums in which each new release is better than the previous one. In this case, their latest work "Sadako e le mile gru di carta" is, in my opinion, their best album and a truly outstanding creation. It is a work very sustained in the extensive use of keyboards that create rich textures, in long instrumental developments and especially in really moving melodies, as only Italians know how to create. The album is conceived as a concept album based on "Sadako and the thousand paper cranes" that tells the story of a girl who survived the Hiroshima bomb. The development of the music really fits the story perfectly and this makes this album even more special.

I first encountered Logos with their previous album, "L'enigma della vita" which was a top-rated album on this web site for that year. I was slow to get into it, but after a few listens I really enjoyed it. One thing I appreciated was a more modern style of Italian prog. I felt there were newer sounds and ideas in the music that distinguished the album from classic Italian prog.

"Sadako e le mille gru di carta" is based on the story of Sadako, a girl who was a victim of the atomic bomb and dying of cancer. She thought that she could beat the cancer if she made 1,000 origami cranes. Sadly, she never reached her goal. The album opens with a big Italian prog boom that reminds me a lot of Le Orme's "Felona e Serona". There are certain chord or note combinations that just seem so indicative of Italian prog, and the first couple of tracks here are loaded with them! It fact, this album strikes me as being very different from "L'enigma della vita", so much so that I would hardly have guessed it's the same band.

The keyboards make up a big driving force in the music, another reason for the Le Orme semblance. Guitars are either used sparingly or they just don't come to the forefront very often, unless I'm getting so wrapped up in the heady keyboards that I rarely notice the guitars.

The album plays out with much texture and excitement to the music. There are subtler moments and beautiful moments, but there is a lot of action going on as well. It's very easy to just hitch a ride with the music and enjoy the scenery. There are vocals though the instrumental parts seem to be where the real show is at. Female vocals appear as well which adds a nice touch.

I see that other reviewers have offered detailed descriptions of the music and the tracks, so I will not delve in deep in my review. However, I will say that this is an album that impresses right from the first listen and it continues to produce new delights in the music with subsequent listens. I am sure I will take me a few more spins before I can become truly acquainted with this music. But there is no doubt about the creativity and talent that has gone into making this album. I'd actually give this 4 and a half stars if I could. Maybe I might even want to give it five stars later on. It is surely an album of prog lover's delight!

Review Nº 432

As happened with some of my colleagues on Progarchives, I was contacted by Logos to review their last work, "Sadako E Le Mille Gru Di Carta". But, when I was contacted I was a bit busy, at the moment, preparing some other reviews planned before. So, it only now was possible for me to check and review this album. So, here they are my public apologies to the band. Though, I knew the band already through their previous studio work "L'Enigma Della Vita", which was actually one of the albums I was preparing to review. Actually, it was the object of my previous review here.

Logos was formed in 1996 only by three people in a Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Le Orme and The Nice line up base, (bass, drums and keyboards). At the time, they played mainly songs of Le Orme, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco Dell Mutuo Soccorso. When a guitarist came in the band, they started to compose own songs and recorded their first album "Logos" in 1999. "Logos" and their second album "Asrava" were written with the same line up. But, their last two albums "L'Enigma Della Vita" in 2014 and this one were released after a long hiatus of time. During those years Logos had seen a lot of line up changes, but a pool of different experiences worked well towards the same project and vision.

So, "Sadako E Le Mille Gru Di Carta" is the fourth studio album of Logos that was released in 2020. The line up on the album is Luca Zerman (lead vocals and keyboards), Claudio Antolini (keyboards), Fabio Gaspari (vocals, guitars, bass and mandolin) and Alessandro Perbellini (drums). The album had also the participation of Elisa Montaldo (vocals), Massimo Maoli (guitars), Federica Zoccatelli (saxophone) and Simone Chiampan (drums).

"Sadako E Le Mille Gru Di Carta" is a conceptual album based on the events lived by a Japanese child, Sadako Sasaki, who survived to the Hiroshima's nuclear attack for 10 years at the age of 2. Sadako was luckier than the thousands of people who lost their lives in those interminable moments. However, she died ten years later of leukemia. But, during her years in the hospital, Sadako accomplished a feat that raised it as a symbol of peace. She made a thousand origami cranes to could make the wish of peace in the world. She became a symbol of the innocent victims of the nuclear war.

Musically, we have six pieces with different references to the classic prog rock that had so many fortunes especially in the 70's, a decade of great experimentation and creativity. The album is a state of the art set of performances. This is rock progresivo Italiano at its best. The band was able to deliver a masterfully crafted keyboard work throughout the album supported by a solid and creative rhythm section. The keyboards provide majestic orchestrations, memorable solos and epic progressions too. The impressive, lush style recalls the great masters like Banco Dell Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme and Genesis as well as Rick Wakeman, classical music and the symphonic rock in general. The vocals in Italian, a traditional characteristic of almost all Italian prog bands are great as well, rich in nuance, emotion and drama.

The album begins with a short instrumental piece, "Origami In SOL". It opens with keyboards in evidence providing a powerful and intense opening. It sounds is prog, wide, emphatic and catchy, a mix between the past and present. It certainly pleases the admirers. "Paesaggi Di Insonnia" is an enjoyable and unpredictable piece with many moods. It's supported by a great rhythm in the same vein of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso expressed in its instrumental moments. These are eleven minutes of elegant, dynamic and well arranged music. "Un Lieto Inquietarsi" is a lenghty track. Logos prefer to perform in long pieces. It's a great instrumental fugue and music for the mind to follow. This is quite an evil piece of music, at least the first half. The second half has a more optimistic feel. "Il Sarto" is a beautiful ballad. It's full of emotion and sounds genuine and rich. This is a suite embellished by the voice of the guest Elisa Montaldo. It's a pastoral track, rich in the classic RPI sound of the 70's, but sounding modern. "Zaini Di Elio" is a returning to the first tracks. This isn't retro music. Logos doesn't sound like it's trying to emulate the sounds of the 70's as so many modern bands seem to do. Rather, they use those sounds as a template for modern prog music. "Sadako E Le mille Gru Di Carta" is the main piece, the real suite on the album. It concludes the album in a high way. These are almost twenty two minutes of great music with the sadness of the death with notes that bring to us the sound of the nostalgia and chills.

Conclusion: "Sadako E Le Mille Gru Di Carta" is a great sucessor of Logos previous work "L'Enigma Della Vita". This is RPI at its best. If you have in mind the classic RPI, this is what you can expect from this album. This is a conceptual album based on a very moving true story. The album is skillfully played and produced. In some passages the keyboard sounds remind me of the old Rick Wakeman, with the usual little touch of Genesis influence which is a characteristic of the RPI sound, but the story is so dark that the music must be dramatic and intense too. This is a gentle and muscular, multifaceted, imaginative and profound progressive rock album. So, it's an album very recommended to all RPI lovers.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review #12 Here it is again! One of those albums that won't let you go after hearing it for the first time. An album, with such intensity that you can't get enough of it. We are talking about the Italian prog band "LogoS", who have created something magical on their album "Sadako e le mille gru di carta". Admittedly: This is my first contact with Italian-language prog, which is why this album brings an additional component that generally excites me. But hovering over all this is the band's talent for implementing fantastic melodies in their songs, whether sung or played. In the end, that should always be the goal, no matter what kind of music you play. But especially in prog, it's always nice to hear catchy melody lines built into complex arrangements. Luca Zerman's voice transports a lot of energy and emotion within these melodies, so it's always a pleasure to hear his vocals. But also apart from the vocals the band has a lot to offer instrumentally. Starting with the many innovative ideas to present the songs, sometimes tidy, sometimes playful and sometimes complex, "LogoS" manages to present a tremendous variety. The interplay between keyboards (what great sounds!) and drums can absolutely convince.

One of many highlights for me is the second track "Paesaggi di insonnia", which not only contains the already mentioned wonderful melody line, but is also characterized by the playing of saxophonist Federica Zoccatelli. This is immortal prog - simply beautiful.

For me, this album is a masterpiece in many ways, because it touches, inspires, surprises and never gets boring. Every prog fan should get to know this album and enjoy this music. I am absolutely thrilled.

LOGOS released their first two studio albums in 1999 and 2001 only to disband but then return to the action in 2014 with "L'Enigma Della Vita" an album that made me an instant fan. Symphonic with Italian male vocals and very much a synth dominated record this the followup some six years later continues in that style. All the information in the liner notes is in Italian but there is a lot of stuff in there. You can actually purchase the cover art and in different colours. I like it a lot actually, the blue origami paper. And yes a concept album(although I know not what he's singing) about a Japanese girl who made a thousand origami's while sick with radiation from the atomic bomb dropped on them back in WWII. I haven't read her story yet.

I do prefer the 2014 release but that one did surprise me while I had expectations here. LOGOS are one of my favourite modern RPI bands along with LA BOCCA DELLA VERITA and INGRANAGGI DELLA VALLE although I prefer NODO GORDIANO and D.A.A.L. as far as the style of music goes. Oh we get several guests including IL TEMPIO DELLE CLESSIDRE's own Elisa Montaldo a keyboardist and singer she adds her vocals to one track. Some guest sax, guitar and drums as well all on one track each. The main band is a four piece and keyboards rule the day.

That track Elisa sings on is a duet basically and it's called "Il Sarto". A beautiful song with mellotron too. The fragile male vocals early reminded me that no one does fragile vocals like the italians. One of my favourites on here is the song that we get the guest sax on called "Paesaggi Di Insonnia". Some moving stuff on this one. The 2 minute intro track is a great warmup piece as we get some powerful instrumental music. As far as huge bass lines and nasty keyboards check out "Un Lieto Inquietarsi". Another favourite is "Zaini Di Elio" for it's power and contrasts along with tempo changes. The majestic sound after 9 1/2 minutes is a nice touch. The closer and title track is all over the place and at over 21 minutes it is epic to say the least. The sounds of children playing early on and that cool sounding percussion 13 1/2 minutes in before it turns epic then majestic and everything almost in between. A great way to end the album.

A very solid 4 stars and an album rated in the top three here for 2020 by both the overall ratings and the collaborators picks for that year.

"Sadako e le mille gru di carta" is the first Logos album I've listened to, and I've been very pleasantly surprised.

It is true that the group does not have a very original sound. In my opinion they are a mixture between IQ-style neo- prog, and a more classic symphonic prog in the vein of Genesis and some classical Italian prog acts like Premiata Forneria Marconi.

But their ability to create evocative melodies is absolutely intoxicating, making the album a joy to listen to from start to finish, and leaving you wanting to come back.

Too bad the quality of the voices is below the rest of the album musically! With proper singer, I might even have thought of giving it five stars. But Luca Zerman not only does not have a remarkable voice, but almost always sounds out of tune. What a pity!

In any case, four well-deserved stars, and one of the best albums of 2020!

Best Tracks: the album goes from less to more, and my favorite songs are the last three, highlighting in my opinion Zaini di elio with his enormous work on the keyboards, and the suite that gives the album its title. Pure beauty!

My Rating: ****

"Sadako e le mille gru di carta" is the fourth studio album by Logos, an Italian prog band from Verona whose roots date back to the nineties. It was released in 2020 on the independent Andromeda Relix label with a renewed line up featuring Luca Zerman (vocals, Hammond, synth), Fabio Gaspari (vocals, bass, guitar, mandolin), Claudio Antolini (piano, synth) and Alessandro Perbellini (drums) plus some special guests such as Elisa Montaldo (vocals - from Il Tempio delle Clessidre), Massimo Maoli (guitar), Simone Chiampan (drums) and Federico Zoccatelli (sax). It's a wonderful conceptual work inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who died because of the consequences of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the American Air Forces during World War II. As you can read in the liner notes, a Japanese legend tells that anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes will see his wishes come true. Sadako unfortunately didn't complete her task and stopped at 644... The beautiful artwork by Marica Fasoli reflects the subject matter.

The short instrumental opener "Origami in Sol-" (Origami in G-) sets the atmosphere with its strong symphonic flavour and solemn pace. It leads to the disquieting "Paesaggi d'insonnia" (Insomnia landscapes) that starts by a frenzied rhythm and a stormy atmosphere. The music and lyrics depict apocalyptic sceneries where you can see asbestos flowing into a creek and deer with amaranth fleeces, deformed lanterns in fire slowly moving in a strange bronze ballet between mad chants and litanies, there's anguish and fear all around... Then the rhythm slackens and soaring sax lines drive you through sad expectations and dark omens. As the nightmare fades away you're exhausted but lying in bed in not enough to sleep...

"Un lieto inquietarsi" (A happy way to get worried) is another long, complex track evoking troubling visions and nightmarish atmospheres. As the music goes through many changes in rhythm and mood, the hermetic lyrics evoke a pain that lies somewhere below the sounds, beyond the frontier between obsession and vice, among half crumbled skyscrapers and gloomy thoughts, collective hysteria and dull ignorance. There's people who need just a room to pray while others need a church or an altar. Then, there are those who can imagine a merry countryside and meadows in bloom behind origami paper figures and colours in the chemical warmth of desire...

"Il sarto" (The tailor) is an amazing, dreamy acoustic ballad, enriched by the charming vocals of the guest Elisa Montaldo, that conjures up with passionate sounds and extraordinary poetical force the image of a fantastic, merciful guardian. It's the image of a tailor who creates magical clothes for a little girl by weaving bits of sky and sea waves, sun rays and fabrics stolen from the fairies, stars and dreams. All in the desperate effort to keep her close and not let her go. But in the end there's nothing to do, silence falls down, tomorrow there will be someone else who will have to provide her with a new dress of musical notes...

The joyful "Zaini di elio" (Backpacks of helium), depicts in music and words the release from pain by a surreal ascension to the sky. The little girl, thanks to a backpack loaded with helium and without ballast, takes off through the smoke of burning trees and plunges into the sky over the icy top of her dreams, crossing rivers of feelings and sensations, gliding over memories and regrets, towards shining suns and soft streets. Her heart is light and she's ready to fly higher and higher, over and over...

The long epic "Sadako e le mille gru di carta" (Sadako and the one thousand origami cranes) ends the story with a message of hope and a warning. The music and words depict Sadako looking down while flying across the sky, hanging on one thousand origami paper cranes held together by strings. She can see from above stories of war and ravaged nature that have been unfolding for thousands of years on Earth. There are many people who try to express their grief over a dying little girl, her story moved them. Now she sleeps near a bomb and becomes a symbol. In heaven Sadako can listen to the sound of death rising from below and gets angry because war never stops and so famine, greediness, lust for power. How many years will it take to get rid of hatred and selfishness? One thousand origami cranes get wet and fall down from the sky while a light little girl finds her grave hugging a bomb. But a new war is raging and it's even worse than those before, hidden behind TV screens, smoothed by the fake news riding on social media. It seems far away, from our safe place we can see only a few glimpses of what's happening but we've better wondering how many more innocent victims are still in danger or suffering because of a brand new shining bomb that's going to blast...

On The CD there's still room for a Radio Edit Version of the title track and you can look for the video the band shot for it.

On the whole, a wonderful work!

This 2020 album by Logos is certainly compelling, presenting a style of Italian prog informed by the greats of that scene but with a big injection of other influences. The more aggressive moments of IQ come to mind at points, and the keyboard and synths of Luca Zerman also play a prominent role.

As with their preceding album, I find that Luca's vocals don't do much for me; I wouldn't call him a bad vocalist, but I wouldn't call him a great vocalist either; his performance is just kind of there, present for the sake of including vocals on a track but not really adding an enormous amount from a musical perspective. This could have been an instrumental and I suspect nobody would have been especially put off - if you're this into prog-for-prog's-sake stuff, chances are you don't mind instrumentals.

With enough force and bombast to give the listener a concussion, the overall effect is rather heavy-handed; that may be no bad thing if you're especially keen on what Logos is offering, but if you're more on the fence (as I am) then it can make it hard to get into.