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EDERA

Rock Progressivo Italiano • Italy


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Edera biography
Edera is an Italian band from Milan that was formed in 1994 on the initiative of Valerio Valentini (vocals) and Matteo Catarisano (keyboards) but it's only in 1997 that the project really took off... They released two demos, in 2001 ("Edera") and 2002 (Apart") and then, in 2002 their first official recording "Setting For A Drama", featuring 13 chosen tracks from their early repertoire. The present line-up is formed by Valerio Valentini (Vocals), Matteo Catarisano (Keyboards), Andrea Ungaro (Guitar), Ryan Castana (Guitar), Alex Ferraris (Bass) and Theo Ungaro (Drums). Their last work "... And Mouth Disappears" was released in 2005. According to the band, their songs are conceived as "theatrical plays, where music is the scenographic part, and the words constitute the recitative acts. Each representation is actually a monologue, where the voice of the single actor gets mixed up with the musical backgrounds describing his emotional exasperation"...



Their main influences are Queen, Marillion, Genesis, Savatage, Queensryche, Rush, Bowie


Andrea Parentin

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EDERA discography


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EDERA top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.17 | 18 ratings
Settings For A Drama
2002
3.45 | 19 ratings
And Mouth Disappears
2005
3.88 | 16 ratings
Mindquake
2015

EDERA Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

EDERA Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

EDERA Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

EDERA Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
Apart
2002

EDERA Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 And Mouth Disappears by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.45 | 19 ratings

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And Mouth Disappears
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Gallifrey

3 stars Listening diary 6th August 2021: Edera - And Mouth Disappears (progressive rock, 2006)

Better than I was expecting - Italian symphonic prog in the 2000s didn't exactly give me high hopes, but I checked it out regardless. This is a little bit removed from the original Italian symphonic sound, with some Pink Floyd influences parts cropping up, and an impassioned vocalist who reminded me the most of Sylvan's Marco Glühmann. Some nice melodies crop up, but it is still too much in the mold of tired old progressive rock clichés to get a ringing endorsement from me.

5.8 (1st listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by maryes

2 stars This is a disks in that I have the clear sensation that the band would have potential to accomplish something better and more creative, mainly in what it concerns to the arrangements. In my opinion, this is the case of this first work of the Italian band EDERA "Settings is to Drama." Sincerely the music are "filled" of obvious rhythmic sequences that are easily found in the neo-prog, especially in those that present passages that "invoke" an approach with the prog-metal, which indicates a 'fall" in the temptation of use pre-established formats . Besides, there is a tendency of simulating with the keyboards a section of strings (violin ,cellos, etc..)...unlike of create another musical atmosphere that combines better with the already mentioned rhythms. Also as "sin", there is the fact of the English lyrics, , what harms Valerio Valentin's performance. But, it fits to emphasize, that the disk presents some beautiful moments of acoustic-piano, however it is not enough to "save" the disk. My rate is 2 stars.
 And Mouth Disappears by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.45 | 19 ratings

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And Mouth Disappears
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Italian band EDERA pick up where they left off on "Settings For The Drama" with some emotional and dark Neo / Symphonic. This is prpbably their strongest release as we get 51 plus minutes of music that feels like one long suite. It is divided into 19 tracks but many blend into one another.

There is a Gothic flavour at times and the vocals sometimes bring that out like on "At The Margins Of You" but usually the vocals sort of quiver and warble and are emotional. Lots of piano on this album and quite a bit of atmosphere too although there are some fairly heavy sections. I do think the vocals are the "make it or break it" issue for most people with EDERA's music. I don't mind them but if it was a vocalist I really liked i'm sure i'd be giving this 4 stars.

This is a good album regardless. 3.5 stars.

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars EDERA are from Milan Italy and this is their first official album after making some demos earlier in their careers. I like their sound,it's slightly dark with lots of piano, bass and drums standing out. The vocalist might make or break it for a lot of people. He's quite theatrical at times and his voice will quiver on occassion, but he can sing. I do get a little tired of his vocals after a while as they do dominate the sound often. By the way he does sing in English.

Some of the highlights for me include the short "...A Needle Fell" which sounds so good as it starts with piano and bass before guitar and drums join in. Man I wish they just ran with this sound but the vocals come in and the mood for me changes for the worse. "Walls" is good too as they contrast the more laid back sections with the more powerful emotional passages. The guitar to end it is excellent.

This may not be four stars for me but it's an enjoyable listen and an album that's well worth checking out.

 And Mouth Disappears by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.45 | 19 ratings

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And Mouth Disappears
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Very strong album by this italian band. Even if I found some moments to be a bit overdramatic - and it is only my opinion - the group is really good at handling a mix of symphonic rock, neo and operatic drama. Don´t expect the average italian symphonic sound from other great outfits of that country (they´re nothing like PFM, Le Orme, Banco, etc). In fact I though they were from England or France before I read in the credits on the CD´s booklet.

The well produced CD is like a long piece of music divided by small parts, with many changing moods and colours. Like a lot of concept albums this is more a vocally affair than an instrumental one. There are good guitar parts, and also some nice piano, but singer Valerio Valentini dominates the album. He has a strong voice and lots of personality. His way of delivering the message may not be everybody´s cup of tea, but he is good at what he does, no doubt about it.

Personally And Mouth Disappears did not enthralled me that much. I found the work a bit too dense and the instrumental breaks are very short. It would have worked wonders if there was more freedom for the musicians to enhance the sound with some solos and stronger arrangements. Certainly they have the chops and their brief appearances are the album´s highlights. As it is, they act mostly as a musical background for the words. Interesting, but not enough for me.

Conclusion: good CD, but hardly essential. The band has everything needed to become huge. They just have to hone their skills a bit more (especially their instrumental parts). Promising is a fitting word to describe their actual state. I´m looking forward to hear their next works.

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars EDERA are a band with no less than 15 years of history,despite being known for the last 5 or so years.Being formed in Milan in 1994,the band overpassed the numerous problems of line-up changes,performed live now and then and entered the new millenium having recorded two demos (''Edera'' and ''Apart'') and over 40 compositions.13 out of these tracks were chosen for their debut ''Settings for a drama'' from 2002.

From the very first to the last note,one band comes to mind listening to this album:SYLVAN...All compositions,mainly of short-length,are characterized by the theatrical vocals of Valerio Valentini,the dominant piano work and the sharp guitar riffs.Especially Valentini's voice is very close to Marco Gluhmann's from SYLVAN,with a wide range and a strong ability of delivering high emotions...superb English and non-accented vocals.The keyboard passages are grandiose and have a symphonic flavor,while the piano parts are even heavier and more intense,creating a beautiful atmosphere.As mentioned,the guitar work has a sharp edge,reminding more of melodic metal bands like SAVATAGE and QUEENSRYCHE,but do not expect to face any kind of a ''metal thing'' in here.''Settings for a drama'' is definitely a progressive/art rock album,which blends the grandiosity of keyboard/piano prog rock with theatrical vocal performances,resulting some very good moments for the listener.Recommended and highly enjoyable!

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Atkingani
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

3 stars After being amazed by their excellent 2006 release I went backwards to get other EDERA's albums and stumbled with that one: their debut named "Settings For A Drama"; and so we can testify the significant band evolution when we compare this work with their more recent. Even the accent of the Italian singer dealing with the English language evolved clearly; although his singing ability was noticeable then.

The atmosphere ever-present in "Settings For A Drama" fits almost perfectly the album title: it's really dramatic, nearly operatic sometimes but appreciable unless you're in a depressive mood 'cause it won't help you - the ambience stricken throughout this album is basically sad, sorrowful, somber. I also like things that way but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Also EDERA perform basically between the symphonic and the neo-progressive spectra, not venturing to other styles, a feature that made "And Mouth Disappears" so glorious.

But here one might find great moments, beginning with the powerful opening track, 'Left in the power of the storm', continuing with the meaningful 'Lain on wet grass' and finishing with the last three tracks, the similar and well-crafted 'Where you don't exist' and 'Paper world' and the soft 'In seeing hands', the album's closing act. All other songs are average and fairly audible and EDERA provide it with fine instrumentation and some interesting ideas, which are better perceived once you have the chance to hear their entire output.

Being "Settings For A Drama" slightly above the average line; a nice deed if you consider it's their debut, the rating option is a clear and honest good, but non-essential.

 And Mouth Disappears by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.45 | 19 ratings

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And Mouth Disappears
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by Atkingani
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars Thanks Goodness I knew nothing about this album and very few about EDERA when "And Mouth Disappears" hit my player. it was a jaw-breaking experience! These neat and glorious little surprises uplift my day among so many sorrowful news we have to face every time.

What do we have here? An exceptional band presenting a conceptual album well inside the best progressive vein. But instead of long tracks, so common for conceptual albums, this product is composed by a series of short tracks, all linked in a manner that the whole flows splendidly. Everything is nicely decorated by poignant and impressive vocals, completed by majestic instrumentation where guitars play the major role.

The basic tunes that permeate the album are vigorous and ambitious, sometimes weird, sometimes pompous, sometimes delicate and the listener knows what to expect since the first chords of the opening track, 'Emptiness'. En suite, the following songs carry us through a diverse atmosphere ranging from gorgeous dreams to obscure and dark landscapes - and we travel for the 50' plus to reach unattainable worlds and impossible grounds. That's the matter that shapes the prog-rock universe, folks!

'Bumps', 'Grains' and 'Cut' are per se wonderful tracks but it's hard to separate them from the entire work, it's more than valuable to check this album as a real plain and flat song. Also noticeable are the almost accentless vocalist singing in English and the overall adequate production; and so many moments and parts to remember: the choir, the keyboards, the solos (voice and guitar). Brilliant!

I shall refrain myself to label "And Mouth Disappears" as a masterpiece - time will say if it'll last; for now, a more than excellent and recommended addition to any prog music collection.

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by pirkka

5 stars A masterpiece of modern prog!

This is one of those albums that astonish you immediately as you start listening to it. Why have you not heard of this band before? The music is great! The first thing that you notice is the singer. His voice is personal, it has lots of nuances, it really goes deep inside the listener. You might not like it but if you do you will find some superb singing. Secondly the music it self. It is completely mature. Artistic, dramatic, musical sinfonic prog. Yes it is a bit intellectual but it has strong feelings too. And it also has a little hunch of metall in it. But this time used just as it should in prog! I listened to Score today and I say that Edera rules 6-0! This is a great album.

If you like to hear guitar cry, like great keyboard playing, like emotional singing, enjoy interesting arrangements, enjoy music that lets you hear all details, has air between passages. If you like music that is simultaniously svinging, emotional and intellectual then this album is for you!

 Settings For A Drama by EDERA album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.17 | 18 ratings

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Settings For A Drama
Edera Rock Progressivo Italiano

Review by progaeopteryx
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Edera is an interesting combination of Italian symphonic prog and neo prog where the musical focus is on pianos and guitars. Their sound is similar to Arena (but with much less emphasis on synthesizers) and Tale Cue (but with much shorter songs and better recording). Singer Valerio Valentini sounds similar to Arena's second vocalist, Paul Wrightson, but with more tremolo, not quite as clear, and having a slight accent (vocals are in English) with the occasional mispronunciation. The mix and production are very well done, though not perfect.

Most of the songs fit this description and for the most part I found them good, but average for this style. The piano playing is exceptional and beautiful on most songs and somewhat subdued on others. Occasionally the guitar work is heavy and somewhat gothic. The ending of Walls has an excellent guitar solo. The best song on the whole disc is Lain on Wet Grass, having a strong symphonic prog feel, and similar to Arena, but with the piano replacing the keyboards.

Overall, this is a great debut for Edera and I hope they continue releasing new music in the future as I expect they will improve with time. For me, they're between good and excellent and although I would love to rate this with four stars, the "averageness" of much of the material has me leaning to three stars (3.5 would be nice). Good, but not quite essential. Still, an enjoyable listen.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition.

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