MUSEO ROSENBACH

Forget about the bombastic, heavy and complex sound of the old Museo Rosenbach.''Exit'' is basically a melodic Italian Rock album with a beautiful lyrical approach and occasional progressive vibes at moments, the focus though remains an atmospheric song-based style with limited yet interesting instrumental parts.New singer Biancheri has a nice, sensational voice, offering rare emotions, and the music seems to have been built around his warm vocals.Music is quite laid-back with a deep sense of melody, based on synths and guitars, following the new Art Rock trend.Some parts of the album have a good orchestral sound among the more accesible themes, while here and there the listener faces the old side of the group through some carefully-placed organ and Mellotron washes.However the sound actually never escapes the easy path of melodic and atmospheric Rock, so you shouldn't expect any kind of intricate interplays or complicated instrumental lines from ''Exit''.

If you reach this album as an old Museo Rosenbach fan, then the game is lost.For what it is, ''Exit'' is a great album full of emotional moments and great melodies.Recommended, but be sure to listen to this new formation as a totally new entry with no comparisons to the vintage years of the group.

The latest in a trend of classic RPI bands reuniting for one more round, Museo Rosenbach join the ranks of Alphataurus, Locanda Delle Fate, and Garybaldi with new releases in the last year. Of those, only Alphataurus has offered a new studio recording, which Barbarica easily tops in both originality and authenticity. Original Museo members "Lupo" Galifi, Giancarlo Golzi, and Alberto Moreno are again joined by guitarists Sandro Libra and Max Borelli, bassist Andy Senis, and keyboard player Fabio Meggetto as on the Zarathustra Live in Studio album. These new recruits are able to achieve the rarely possible task of breathing new life into an old band while maintaining that group's original sensibility. Barbarica actually sounds like Museo Rosenbach, which is amazing considering the amount of time passed and changes in the musical landscape. A leaner, more aggressive band has emerged and while this suits the lyrical theme of war-torn civilization, it may rub some Museo stalwarts the wrong way. Heavy Prog has morphed into a hybrid Symphonic Metal genre that Museo Rosenbach seems to embrace, and this stylistic choice prevents the album from becoming a four-star affair in my book. Still, Barbarica is one of the better contemporary Italian Prog albums I've heard this year.

The album's centerpiece of course is the 14-minute "Il Respiro Del Pianeta" which hearkens immediately to the sound of 1973's classic Zarathustra. Though Barbarica never approaches the genius of that album, it keeps an eye to the past while trying new ideas. At times however, this new Museo relies a little too much on its own legacy and uses some of the same stylistic changes and mood shifts that so define the band's classic sound: In the first four minutes alone, no fewer than six distinct sections introduce "Il Respiro Del Pianeta," which borders on excess in my opinion. This Economy of Scale approach belies the individual members' contributions, and almost seems like too many cooks are stirring the broth. Though the sheer amount of compositional concepts is impressive, the transitions between them can feel forced in some cases. For instance, the pause at 5:30 as the song shifts from romantic balladry to testosterone-laden Hammond Rock...perhaps this respite was intentional but it seems like the band just couldn't find a way to get from point A to point B without simply stopping in between.

The remaining four tracks do a better job of progressing the identity of the band without being nostalgic. Lupo leads a determined bunch on "La Coda Del Diavolo," which reminds me a lot of his work with Il Tempo Delle Clessidre. "Abbandonati" reflects the album's cover art with its African themes and tribal chanting. "Fiore Di Vendetta" is the most modern sounding track here, and doesn't impress. "Il Re Del Circo" has a much darker tone and does the best job of blending the classic Museo sound with a new twist. Barbarica is a must-have for Contemporary Italian Prog fans; RPI collectors will no doubt be intrigued by its appeal, and even adventurous Heavy Prog listeners may find something to take away. The average Prog fan though will probably want to pass on Barbarica for now, and come back to it when a taste for foreign-language music has developed. Three really strong stars.

"Dell'Eterno Ritorno" is prefaced with a newly-penned "Intro" section - I hear some middle- eastern influences and don't quite understand the connection but the song proper begins soon enough. I was taken aback immediately by the crisp, modern production; I expected Live in Studio to sound good, just not this good. For a live album, the performances are spot-on and maybe even a little too perfect. Lupo sounds like he hasn't aged a day and his voice is in incredible shape. Golzi and Moreno also provide impressive contributions, doubly so for Moreno who also serves as bandleader and artistic director. "Degli Uomini" and its immediately recognizable Mellotron intro take things up a notch in the energy department. The keyboard sounds are actually pretty authentic for software synths - of course I would prefer the genuine article, but from a logistical standpoint they make more sense. "Della Natura" is an accurate portrayal of the original, though some liberties are taken here and there. The palm-muted guitar technique is overdone at times, but the general spirit of the song is never lost.

The 22-minute "Zarathustra" suite and its five movements are faithfully reproduced, though the new band members are permitted to leave their stamp and make it their own. Andy Senis in particular does a great job re-imagining some of the bass lines, in many cases improving upon the original. Again the keyboards are tasteful for the most part and Golzi is just a beast on the drums. Live in Studio is well done if somewhat unnecessary. I would much rather hear some new material or have a DVD of the performance instead. As a contemporary release it is still miles better than 90 percent of music today, and the timelessness of the original is fully vindicated and celebrated. And it's a lot of fun.

The Mellotron takes over on the next track 'Degli uomini' that is at first instrumental. It has a smooth texture of organ and heavy guitar with percussion blasts. It changes in mood as the piece develops. The lead guitar is a dominant feature, and it has some grinding organ sounding like Procol Harum in places or Focus. Vocals finally join the sound just before it all goes quiet.

'Della natura' is a faster piece with odd meters and frenetic organ shimmers. The vocals are again Italian and rather gentle coming in when the music dies down. A great polyrhythmic meter locks in as Mellotron bellows out over powerhouse drumming and bass motifs. The rhythms increase in pace and break away as more vocals blaze away, and then chiming vibes are heard on organ, sounding like Manzarek's style of The Doors. It is a dramatic song in every respect, with lots of twists and turns and definitely one of the highlights.

The last track is 'Dell'eterno ritorno', a heavy guitar driven rocker, with some chaotic figures on keyboards, bass and percussion. It is a grand way to end such a classic album, going out with a bang not a whimper. It settles into a dreamy section and the vocals are multi tracked and emotional. Eventually it returns to the spasmodic fractured melody and then a striking percussive march over an organ phrase.

This one really lives up to its massive reputation as yet another one shot album that blows the doors off conventional musicianship. It is up there with Dun's "Eros", Anglagard's "Hybris", Bubu's "Anabelas" and Yezda Urfa's self titled debut. Check it out even if you are not into jazz, as this album has a lot going on and is well worth the effort.

I acquired ZARATHUSTRA in a glut of Italian prog about 2-3 years ago, and it frankly didn't leave much of an impression on me. I've recently been going through those albums one by one with much deeper listens. While a few albums have worn down with repeated careful scrutiny, this one keeps getting better. After several days of triple end over end playing time, I've been pleasantly rewarded by Museo Rosenbach in the classic manner of good prog.

In general, ZARATHUSTRA incorporates much more classic hard rock guitar than most Italian prog. While many RPI bands use some guitar soloing a la Steve Hackett, Museo Rosenbach's Enzo Merogno gets in plenty of energetic riffage as well. Others have made comparisons to Deep Purple but the lines here are so much more complex. Alternating between unison, harmony, and counterpoint with the also wonderful keys, the guitar lines are much more composed parts of the music than solo spots.

The introductory epic title track is a big chunk to bite off, especially at first, and this is probably why my first impression was not as strong as my current opinion. While this album does have sections of typical romantic Italian sentiment, it also has monstrously rocking passages where the whole band is simply humming. "Della Natura" has some deliciously intense work that looks ahead to modern bands like Anglagard. As a matter of fact, after making this connection, I am hearing connections to the 90's Swedes all over this record. In contrast, however, vocalist Stefano Lupo Galifi is featured prominently, and his rough baritone contrasts sharply with Anglagard's occasional wispy ornamentation. He simultaneously achieves a rocker's ability to be convincingly aggressive and the sense of Italian melodicism, and is perhaps my favorite of the RPI vocalists.

While the compositions on this album are very good, this is not a virtuosic album. No single player takes a spot simply to show his skills. There are no big solo spots. The most impressive sections are instead when everyone is playing full bore in delightfully interconnected parts. This is not to say the players are weak. In fact, all nail their parts well. But this is a music about the song, about the big picture.

I'm not ready to place this in the essential category, but without a doubt, this is an excellent addition to any prog collection.

The sound of Zarathustra is kind of hard to put into words, at least for me. Sure, there are some traces of the progressive Uriah Heep but also glimpses of Genesis or maybe even better, VDGG. It's certainly Italian and it's certainly symphonic but with that heavy edge which brings to it a raw feel, which I like alot. The music floats from one spectrum to the other. Hard, soft, melancholic, complex and everything in between. I've fallen in love with this album. It's utter pleasure.

One of the reasons I like this album is its strong melody that sounds so particular Italian -- even though I know very little the local culture. Combined with the local language it sends great piece of music -- something that really stirs my emotion as I listen to the album from the opening track right through to the end. There is a very big component of symphonic music throughout the album with excellent performance when the musicians deliver their performance. There are great combination of musical silences with symphonic music. It sometimes change dramatically into faster tempo music like I can experience on the second track where the music blasts off suddenly into faster tempo. It's really nice.

I would not comment on track by track basis as there have been so many reviews -- good ones -- about this excellent album. Some of music lovers consider this as classic and legendary. For me, I am happy having been associated with this site so that I finally know this wonderful album that is an excellent addition of the progressive music collection. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Let me first of all add that I have no gripes with the band or their members whatsoever. This review is by no means a review of this band and should not tarnish their reputation. That is my hope.

But their name has already been tarnished by the release of this live album. Or let's call it what it really is: A bootleg. The sound quality is positive worse than a half decent bootleg. When you can hear the sound of the audience around the sound recorder, you know it is a real bad bootleg. The band is hardly audible too. The choice of songs are also very dubious. Forget their best songs. This bootleg does not have any of the great Museo Rosenbach songs. Instead, you get some half baked songs which is hardly audiable and a [&*!#]ty drum solo which too is hardly audiable.

In short; this album is a rip off. Even the collectors should give this album a miss.

0.1 points

Still, the cover art is the only significant flaw to this album - what you get here is a delicious mix of progressive influences, most of which are typical of RPI from the period (hello, early Genesis), but which also includes a more aggressive keyboard approach reminiscent of classic Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. I wouldn't elevate it to the top rank of RPI albums from this period, but I certainly think it deserves consideration for anyone exploring the genre beyond the obvious classics.