ODI ET AMO

Odi Et Amo is the third album by Italian five-piece formation Sfaratthons, 4 years after their previous effort Appunti Di Viaggio (2019, see review). Originally Sfaratthons is from the late Seventies, in the Eighties they disbanded but in 2011 were refounded, with a new line-up and guest musicians. The current Sfaratthons feature Luca Di Nunzio (keyboards, guitars and vocals), Cecilio Luciano (drums), Mario Di Nunzio (bass), Giovanni Casciato (guitars) and Giovanni Di Nunzio (vocals and guitar), guest musician is Geoff Warren on flute.

On the first two tracks Odi Et Amo and La Donna Amata the band delivers a typical Seventies symphonic rock sound, with flowing shifting moods, the focus is on Geoff Warren and his flute work, blended with vintage keyboards, and instruments like the harpsichord and vibraphone. The one moment it sounds like Camel featuring tender flute and piano, the next moment the music strongly evokes Jethro Tull with sparkling flute traverse, in a mid-tempo, or sumptuous outbursts with Mellotron choirs, Minimoog flights and Hammond runs.

But then Sfaratthons takes another musical direction: atmospheric, soundtrack-like music in Maddalena (embellished with female choir, spacey synthesizer, flute, piano, a beautiful cello sound, and Italian vocals, male and female) and Saffo (Mellotron violin layers, moving guitar, alfway more lush and finally bombastic with Mellotron violins, howling guitar and spacey synthesizer).

The dynamic epic composition Zarina (12:34) starts with dreamy flute, piano and romantic Italian vocals, halfway a break with rock guitar and sparkling flute (Hungarian Solaris come to my mind), followed by a freaky synthesizer solo, in the second part moving electric guitar runs, swirling flute work, and passionate native vocals.

Finally two short tracks: the bluesy and compelling Ti Dono Una Canzone (Hammond/flute interplay, sparkling flute, in a slow rhythm, with melancholical vocals) and the atmospheric, a bit experimental Odi Et Amo - Closing Session.

So if you are up to a blend of Seventies symphonic rock (Camel, Jethro Tull) and more atmospheric/experimental prog this is an interesting album to discover.

My rating: 3,5 star

This review was previously published on the website of Background Magazine, the oldest Dutch prog rock source.

"Odi et amo", the third album by the Sfaratthons, was self-released in 2023 with a consolidated line up featuring Luca Di Nunzio (piano, keyboards, guitar, vocals), Cecilio Luciano (drums), Mario Di Nunzio (bass), Giovanni Casciato (guitars) and Giovanni Di Nunzio (guitar, vocals) plus the guests Geoff Warren (flute), Sabatino Matteucci (sax) and Alessandra Iandimarino (vocals). The music is, as in their previous albums, an excellent mix of vintage influences, modern sounds and bright new ideas in the best tradition of Italian prog. This time for the lyrics they were helped by Donato Di Luca and (in only one track) Pietro Lugli while the colourful art cover was painted by their friend and former bandmate Luca Luciano...

The beautiful instrumental opener, "Odi et amo", begins with a dreamlike atmosphere but the delicate piano pattern and soaring flute notes are like the calm before the storm and the music goes on through many changes in mood and rhythm. The title is in Latin and refers to the incipit of a poem by the poet Catullus, "Carme LXXXV". According to the liner notes, the music tries to evoke a mix of contrasting feelings and emotions such as hate and love or joy and pain drawing inspiration from the immortal poetry of Catullus...

"La donna amata" (The beloved woman) is another wonderful piece where dynamic progressive rock parts alternate with baroque passages leading through dreamy atmospheres and darker moments. The lyrics celebrate the love of a woman capable of shaking and giving strength to her man like a summer storm where the rain pouring down on the thirsty land can heal the wounds in the arid soil. The beloved woman shines like a fresh crescent moon in the sunset and after the storm is like an omen of adventure and a fulfilment of love...

The melancholic, mystic "Maddalena" is sung in Abruzzese dialect and tells in music and words of the feelings of a woman that tries to rediscover in the church near her home where she goes to pray what an evil man has stolen from her: faith and love. Many times she thought about taking her own life jumping off the cliff under the church with her eyes closed because her life sometimes seems worse than hell, bitter and dark like ash. But hope never dies and keeps her alive. The narrative vocals (in Italian) of the guest Alessandra Iandimarino close the piece playing the role of the protagonist...

"Saffo" is dedicated to a woman best known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music, Sappho, an Archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Most of Sappho's poetry is now lost and little is known of her life but her myth is still a source of inspiration for many hearts. Here she looks at you enraptured and feels like a goddess, one after the other she drinks the words of love coming from your smile and directed to her eyes, the eyes of woman eternally in love...

The long, complex "Zarina" (Tsarina) is dedicated to Maria Alexandrovna, born Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (8 August 1824 ? 3 June 1880), Empress of Russia as the first wife of Emperor Alexander II. She married when she was still a teenager and her marriage was unhappy. She suffered from tuberculosis from 1863 onwards and spent long periods of time in southern Europe, in particular in the Italian town of Sanremo, to avoid the harsh Russian winters. The music and lyrics evoke the feelings of a fisherman watching the unfortunate tsarina walking on the sand of Sanremo beach. To his eyes she looks coming out from one of his dreams. He can't get closer to her because she's surrounded by the people of her circle and he's too unworthy for them. But he can see the sadness in her eyes and perceive her uncertain breathing. Soon she will be gone and what will be left of her presence is just an army of palms. In fact, grateful for the hospitality of the place, the empress donated the first palm trees to the Municipality of Sanremo which still today adorn the Passeggiata Imperatrice (Promenade of the Empress), on the Sanremo seafront...

"Ti dono una canzone" (I give you a song) was written and recorded in remote mode during the Covid 19 pandemic and is dedicated to all the healthcare personnel and to those who took care of the sick in that dramatic period, those who really gave their best to overcome the crisis caused by the spread of the virus. It's a song to listen to at night, made of tears and wind, weaved in style with a few notes for those who made of their job an act of love...

The instrumental "Odi et amo - Closing Session" is a short experimental track that closes the album with a disquieting atmosphere and a soft flute melody that seems almost to escape and take off from strange background noises, hidden chats and thoughts...

On the whole, an excellent work that deserves a place in every Italianprog collection!