IL-LūDĕRE

The tradition of Rock Progressivo Italiano has been very vital in recent years. Numerous classic bands of the 70's have re-activated and released new music, and several new bands carry on in the retro style. Il Tempio delle Clessidre was formed in 2007 but it had a link to the classic era: the original vocalist Stefano Galifi sung on the milestone album Zarathustra (1973) by Museo Rosenbach. He was replaced by Francesco Ciapica already on the second Tempio album AlieNatura (2013). I'm not familiar with the preceding albums, so I can't say anything about the way the group may have matured or maintained/updated their style. But perhaps I could say that the recent output of Black Widow Records is very interesting and diverse, and against that background this album, for me, is not among the ones to write home about.

My early impression is that while the slightly heavy sound is pretty much what one expects from RPI (well, maybe not quite as keyboard oriented as with many other bands), the compositions have a bit too much emphasis on the vocals. The brief opener is basically an instrumental (featuring some distorted voice-over) but frankly it functions only as a prologue. If it manages to raise some expectations of a dynamic and epic album entity, they are not fulfilled. There's not a single proper instrumental which certainly would have done good. 'Dentro la mia mente' is over 7 minutes long and I hoped to get some more symphonic instrumental passages, but instead there are again spoken words. I'm not fond of Ciapica's low-ish voice.

I'd lie if I said there aren't a lot of dynamic playing within the tracks, even fine solos, without forgetting some acoustic, delicate moments amidst the powerful band sound. But in the end the songs (mostly 4-6 minutes long) fail to make a deeper impression on me. Perhaps the best one is the longest, 'La Spirale del Vento' (8:43). Yes it is, thanks to the instrumental, symphonically inspired final part. This is not a bad album. It's well produced, and doubtlessly it will please many friends of Italian prog scene, especially those who like also the heavier, less pastoral side of it (Il Balletto di Bronzo, Museo Rosenbach, ...). It just isn't MY ideal RPI album.

I was quite a fan of this Italian progressive rock band's previous album, 'alieNatura', which was released in 2013: this was their second release, but the first with singer Francesco Ciapic. Again, there has been a change in membership between albums, as drummer Paolo Tixi has been replaced by Mattias Olsson (Änglagård, White Willow, Necromonkey), while Anna Holmgren (also of Änglagård) adds her delicate flute to one number. This is a progressive rock album that is dominated by the vocals, and to my ears it works incredibly well. Musically this has a lot in common with the early Seventies progressive rock and hard rock scene, and the use of a strong singer in the hard rock style certainly provides this music with some additional edge. Which is sadly often missing from the progressive scene.

Too many bands seem to forget the "rock" section of "progressive rock", and they can concentrate too much on keyboards and delicacy, but here ITDC are using plenty of dynamics, with light and shade emphasising both areas. But, these guys are still first and foremost a progressive band, it's just that they are refusing to be bound by what many feel is the sort of music that should be coming out of the RPI scene. I really enjoy Francesco's singing style, as his vocals carry emotion and although he can sing higher when he wishes to, he generally stays in the lower registers and this allows emotion to really shine through.

My one regret is that I don't understand Italian, so have no idea at all what he is singing about, but feel that if this had been in English then it would have diminished it somewhat. Yet again this is an incredibly strong release from Black Widow, and well worth investigating.

Italy's Il Tempio delle Clessidre instantly made a grand entrance with 2010's self-titled disc, a confident debut fronted by vocalist Stefano `Lupo' Galifi of legendary Seventies RPI band Museo `Zarathustra' Rosenbach. Come the Museo reunion in 2013, Lupo was gone, with the young band giving the unenviable talk of replacing him to singer Francesco Ciapica, with them all delivering the worldly follow-up `Alienatura' also in '13. After the superb double DVD performance `Live in Seoul' (worth it alone for the way to band reinterpret the above-mentioned vintage Italian classic album) a year later, we now arrive in 2017 with their third and latest studio work, the classy `Il-Lūdĕre', and it might be their most subtle, dignified and deceptively complex work to date, even if it's perhaps more obviously song-based (but not commercial) than their first two studio discs.

If you're a listener who prizes sumptuous arrangements that hold tightly written tunes, delivered by a dynamic vocalist backed by the precise playing of skilled musicians, then Il Tempio delle Clessidre once again deliver the goods here. After an amusing voice-over introduction, `La Parola Magica' arrives with all the theatrical bombast, heavier energy and ravishing vocal prowess expected of the Italian prog bands, yet still wrapped in a punchy tune. Italian prog's divine First Lady Elisa Montaldo's peppy keyboards and sparkling electric piano dart rapidly, Fabio Gremo's murmuring bass and Giulio Canepa's attacking guitars race with fire, Francesco Ciapica's charismatic voice purrs with raspy flare, and Swedish musician, ex-Anglagard and White Willow drummer Mattias Olsson's drums, filling in for the departed Paolo Tixi, rumble with expertly controlled power.

It might not be the greatest moment of the album, but `Come Nelle Favole' grows more hair on its chest for a tougher hard- rocking snarl, while the spiralling keyboard outro may remind some of young British prog-poppers Muse. `Dentro La Mia Mente' is a slinking poppier melodic rocker with a smoother vocal and smart catchy chorus, but darker edges hide within. There's a sprightly playful energy with dancing keyboard interplay around nicely drawn-out and urgent runaway guitar soloing from Giulio before the piece culminates in a dreamy spoken-word montage. Elisa then outdoes herself on `Spettro Del Palco', a purer RPI spectral pantomime that oozes sophistication and an eerie atmosphere. A ghostly army of keyboard goodness haunts the malevolently creeping vocal piece, be it veils of Mellotron sheen or pristine piano tiptoes, and classical guitar fancy rings throughout.

Despite being book-ended with warm acoustics, soaring guitar runs smoulder throughout `Prospettive' bringing plenty of raging symphonic bursts here and there. `Manitou' is an album highlight, a stark ballad with Francesco's voice full of wounded dignity bringing a real `hair standing on end' soulful honesty, and some gorgeous weeping guitar strains in the middle that call to mind Pink Floyd pierce straight to the heart.`Nuova Alchimia' holds fleeting moments of infernal heaviness and shadowy symphonic touches amongst its whirring keyboards and catchy huffing chorus, and album closer `La Spirale Del Vento' effortlessly darts back and forth in tempo with some nicely wilder and dangerous touches peppered throughout, as well as some tasty jazzy touches. The band twist through manic eclectic little soloing fills, and the final minutes sweep beautifully with the grandest of themes to ensure the album closes in as elegant and uplifting a manner as possible.

There are minor issues that might perhaps restrict the album for a large majority of listeners. This more song-based album would admittedly be even stronger if it offered a few additional extended instrumental breaks here and there or even one or two voice-free pieces, as it is quite vocal heavy the majority of the time, even if Francesco's range is stronger and more varied than ever. There's also a richness to the lyrics that will absolutely resonate more with Italian speaking listeners in this particular instance that can sometimes be overlooked on more instrumental-heavy Italian works for people who don't speak the language. There's also an uncompromising defiance to this work that might mean `Il-Lūdĕre' will more impress long-time fans of the group as opposed to being a suitable introduction to newcomers (who should probably explore the debut album to start off with).

But considering many of the Black Widow releases are very retro-flavoured or overtly heavy, `Il-Lūdĕre' proves to be one of the most dense yet subtle works to appear on the label. There's plenty of flashier, more obvious Italian prog groups around at the moment, and no doubt the band could deliver paint-by-numbers material that darts off into endless frantic keyboard soloing at every opportunity. But instead Il Tempio delle Clessidre have crafted a work of highly intelligent, weightier and more challenging material here that demands constant time and multiple re-listens to grasp the subtlety and intricate details, which is far more satisfying than instant thrills that don't maintain over time. It ultimately means that `Il-Lūdĕre' is another first-class effort from one of the shining stars of modern Italian progressive rock in Il Tempio delle Clessidre.

Four stars.

"Il-ludere", the third album by Genoese band Il Tempio delle Clessidre, was released in 2017 on the independent label Black Widow Records with a renewed line up featuring Elisa Montaldo (keyboards, vocals), Fabio Gremo (bass, classical guitar, backing vocals), Giulio Canepa (electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Mattias Olsson (drums, percussion, keyboards) and Francesco Ciapica (vocals). It confirms all the good qualities of the band's previous works delivering an excellent brew of vintage sounds, crisp melodies and freshness. The title is a kind of calambour, a pun mixing the words illusion and play that gives an idea of the musical content while the enigmatic art cover by Elisa Montaldo adds a touch of mystery and surprise...

The short opener "Le regole del gioco" (The rules of the game) sets the atmosphere by a sound of footsteps in the background, then you can hear a voice giving instructions in English to set up your stereo to get the maximum enjoyment from your listening experience... It leads to "La parola magica" (The magic word), a beautiful piece that evokes the memories of children fascinated with words in a time when "words were things of beauty, each like a magical powder or potion that could be combined with other words to create powerful spells, not frustrating, annoyingly elusive clusters of letters...". Well, this short quote from "Lightning", a novel by Dean Koontz, can give you an idea of the subject matter while the music and lyrics try to take you back in time, in a purer world where dreams can come true and you can believe in magic...

"Come nelle favole" (Like in the fairy tales) is another track full of positive energy that evokes the power of fantasy to overcome the frustrations of daily grind and find new harmony and new strength. Then it's the turn of the dreamy "Dentro la mia mente" (Inside my mind) that tells about words, lyrics and how the inspiration can come like a lightning out of the blue if you really look for it inside your mind...

"Spettro del palco" (Spectre of the stage) is darker and tells in a operatic, theatrical way a story of passion, jealousy, betrayal, murder and remorse. On a virtual stage inside his mind, the protagonist relives again and again the tragic moment when he stabbed to death his woman and failed to kill her lover... Then, the melancholic "Prospettive" (Perspectives) depicts in vivid colours a misty night spent walking under the city lights trying to escape from a raw, smothering reality.

The title of the following "Manitou" refers to the spiritual and fundamental life force in the Native American theology and here the music and lyrics evoke the breath of freedom, the call of the wind and a timeless quest for truth and astral balance... Next comes "Nuova alchimia" (New alchemy) that depicts apocalyptic sceneries and warns about the risks of a future where men feel like gods and are free to manipulate life. Here technology becomes a dangerous, transcendental art...

"La spirale del vento" (The spiral of the wind) starts by a dreamy piano solo pattern, then the music and lyrics unfold between illusion and reality alternating reflective passages and heavier sections, taking risky spiritual paths towards dark horizons... Then a bonus track closes the album. "Gnaffè" features the guest Andrea Montaldo on percussion and comes from the 2016 Colossus-Musea themed compilation album "Decameron - Ten Days In 100 Novellas (Part III)". It's a track with a very theatrical approach that tells in music words the story of a prank...

On the whole, an excellent album and a real must for every Italianprog lover.

Review Nº 574

Il Tempio Delle Clessidre is an Italian prog rock band founded in 2006 in Genoa. The name of the band refers to a song inserted in the suite "Zarathustra", the title track of the album released by the famous Italian prog rock band of the 70's Museo Rosenbach in 1973. The band was born thanks to a meeting between Elisa Montaldo, keyboardist and composer passionate about prog rock and the vocalist of the Museo Rosenbach, Stefano "Lupo" Galifi. In an experimentation phase, the band performed live the entire album "Zarathustra" and later they released in 2010 their first self-titled debut studio album where we can see British influences such as King Crimson, Genesis and Gentle Giant but also local ones such as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and Museo Rosenbach. The album obtained a great feedback in the prog rock field. In 2013 and 2017 the band released their second and third studio albums, "AlieNatura" and "Il-Ludere", respectively.

So, "Il-Ludere" is the third studio album of Il Tempio Delle Clessidre that was released in 2017. The line up on the album is Francesco Ciapica (vocals), Giulio Canepa (backing vocals and electric and classical guitars), Elisa Montaldo (backing vocals and keyboards), Fabio Gremo (backing vocals, bass guitar and classical guitar) and Mattias Olsson from Anglagard (drums and percussion, keyboards and processed sounds). "Il-Ludere" had also the presence of Anna Holmgren also from Anglagard (flute) and Andrea Montaldo (percussion), both as guest artists.

If its predecessor "AlieNatura" was more focused on the epic and longer track formats, "Il-Ludere" has almost all their tracks in the shorter range of four to six minutes long. It has only one track with more than 8 minutes. Nevertheless, they have remained completely true to their retro-prog roots. The basic trademarks of their music can all be found here again, the languishing and theatrical singing of the southern Europe performed by Francesco Ciapica, a lot of analog keyboard arsenal in the field of tension between symphonic and classical, as well as a slight hard rock influence of the guitarist Giulio Canepa. The rhythm section with Mattias Olsson and Fabio Gremo also does its work with the usual aplomb. What has also remained is a likeable, slightly classic style of playing, which has its origins clearly in the 70's.

"Le Regole Del Gioco" is a very short track. It's a funny instrumental piece, an instruction to the listener how the best way to enjoy the stereo music effect. "La Parole Magica" is an upbeat jazzy track where the first hints at a different sound can be detected. It has jazzy guitars and keyboards and passionate sung vocals by singer Ciapica. It seems to be influenced by the Canterbury scene. "Come Nelle Favole" is like a heavy rock track and Ciapica even pulls off a high register vocal in the style of metal. Here we can see that the sound of the band is more rock oriented then on their previous albums. Probably this will be a new live favourite track of the band. "Dentro La Mia Mente" is a more lengthy and complex track. One of the most interesting things here is the voice of Ciapica who experiments a double voice effect. It has also a nice guitar work by Canepa. In the end, there's a cheerful and playful energy all over the track. "Spettro Del Palco" is a very beautiful track with its nice vocal melodies and lovely keyboard orchestrations. It has a dramatic theatrical style with its acoustic guitar and ethnic folk dance vibe that turns electric and proggy in the middle. "Prospettive" is one of the stands out tracks on the album. The melodies and passionate vocals are great, particularly it showcase's Elisa's superb keyboards, played alongside Canepa's sensitive and lyrical guitar. It's one of my favourites. "Manitou" shows some of the most beautiful vocal melodies on the album. We can see that the gothic elements of their previous works remain. Ciapica shines on this track. But one of the most beautiful moments is Canepa's guitar work. "Nuova Alchimia" with its Mellotron and analog synths is very different from the rest of the music, as well as anything the band has done to date. It has many rock elements but you can find here great keyboard strings and synth parts. "La Spirale Del Vento" is the lengthiest track on the album and one of my favourites too, which drives us to a fittingly breathless finale. The track develops perfectly well and where we can find some excellent drumming, delicate and soaring electric guitar parts, diverse keyboard work and passionate sung vocals. This is a great way to close the album.

Conclusion: With "Il-Ludere" the band presents a heavier rock feel, but never at the expense of the musicianship. This is a very beautifully crafted set that deserves a wide audience. The album lasts a little less than an hour, and even an untrained listener will not be tired, as the musicians present their ideas in a relatively compact and engaging way. The final result is a set of songs and instrumentals showcasing the compositional talents of the entire band. The album is less gothic and more rock oriented, and probably a bit more accessible than their previous two albums. If you like your progressive rock with a competent reflection on the past, a certain theatricality, but also honest, with a Mediterranean passion and occasionally interspersed folk elements, this Il Tempio Delle Clessidre album is again another right work.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)