MUSEO ROSENBACH

Museo rosenbach plays progressive rock with clear roots in the classic Italian prog tradition. On Barbarica, influences from their debut album are evident, but with a more modern sound. The music shifts between lighter and heavier sections, creating a dynamic whole. In some parts, one can sense similarities to Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, although these elements are limited, by and large, it's the band's own sound that dominates.

The instrumentation is varied and well-balanced, with the guitar taking a slightly more prominent role than the keyboard. The guitars deliver both heavy riffs and melodic elements, while the keyboards contribute atmosphere and complexity. Flute and acoustic guitar also appear, broadening the soundscape. The production is of good quality, with a relatively well-balanced mix between the instruments. The sound quality is clear and crisp, allowing the nuances in the arrangements to shine through. The modern production values are combined with a sound that recalls the band's earlier work, preserving their characteristic style.

The vocals are strong and expressive, and the singer sounds as if he hasn't aged at all. His voice still carries a majestic quality that fits well within the progressive context. The singing is both melodic and powerful, serving as a natural part of the whole.

The songwriting is consistently high in quality, and within the context of Museo Rosenbach's discography, Barbarica stands as a worthy successor. It's an album that offers familiarity while clearly aiming to bridge the old with the new. Highlights include the powerful opening track and the quality of the vocals. Overall, it's a strong album, though if one were to critique something, it would be that the last two songs have unclear structures and occasionally lack a clear thread, but this is a minor issue. The album shows that the band still has much to offer, and they do it very well here.

With the five sections of the enormous suite "Zarathustra" as a fundamental anchor, the band surprises for the maturity of its musical ensemble, with Pit Corradi's keyboard playing standing out, with the protagonic mellotrons that generate a persistent dramatic and dark atmosphere in "a. L'Ultimo Uomo" and "b. Il Re Di Ieri", Corradi's own Purplelian Hammonds accompanied by Enzo Merogno's guitar riffing on the aggressive "c. Al Di La Del Bene E Del Male", as well as in the intense and jazzy "d. Superuomo", backed by Giancarlo Golzi's lively drumming and Alberto Moreno's correct bass playing. The instrumental "e. Il Tempio Delle Clessidre", the only section that doesn't feature Stefano Galifi's dosed and rough singing, completes not only the suite, but one of the best expressions of Italian progressive rock.

And both the hard rock animosity of "Degli Uomini", the intricate and very progressive "Della Natura" with a superb instrumental display by the band, and the concluding "Degli Uomini" with Galifi's heartbreaking final vocal performance and the epic closing unleashed by Corradi's mellotron, maintain the high standard of the album.

"Zarathustra", although at the time an elusive commercial success that probably frustrated the continuity of Museo Rosenbach (only resumed 27 years later with "Exit"), gained recognition over the years and today is a cult work for the progressive genre.

4/4.5 stars

Furthermore, I have a "special connection" to the disc, mainly because I was reading Nietzsche's book when I first listened to it. Even tho I don't know Italian, I can understand part of the lyrics thanks to what I've read from Nietzsche, and I can tell for sure that I love the lyrics.

To sum up, this is one of my favourite albums at the moment and I hope this review will help more people discover and move it.

I really can't say it's very impressive. Sure, it has all the trademark "prog" elements. If you just want to listen to something that's characteristically prog, this could meet the requirements. But there's nothing unique or special about it. Nothing that stands out, and gives this a special taste or sound. It's just a rehash of other prog that was out there at the time this was recorded. I can't believe people are just falling in line, checking the boxes, and not listening and requiring for something worthy of the high praise.

"Zarathustra", the aforementioned epic title track (purportedly inspired by Nietsche's Superman), begins with "L'ultimo Uomo" ("The Last Man"), out of the gate at first booming, yet melancholic. Vocalist Lupo Galifi has a softness to his voice that really warms us in this frigid mood; big fan of his later rough timbre, too. In an instance, the track crescendos with a whirlwind, like a contemporary passage from Hackett-era Genesis, mostly thanks to the Mellotron. Fade to the weary piano track "Il Re Di Ieri" ("The King of Yesterday"), the Mellotron matched with a warbling keyboard, eventually warming and brightening with fuzzy chimes. A huge return occurs with a truly symphonic orchestration from this [otherwise standard] Rock ensemble. Impressive and triumphant, it's even now a fairly unique delivery (of the subgenre). Hammond organ angrily changes hands with fuzzy, beefy guitar on "Al Di La Del Bene E" ("Beyond the Good E(?)"), out in front of a wild gallop from the drums. At their heaviest, earlier King Crimson may be an appropriate comparison. This is a killer section, lasting a perfect sub-3 minutes. Just as heavy is the continuation at the start of "Superuomo" ("Superman"). It falls away and returns with a brutal rage. If I haven't made it clear, which I don't think I have, I am loving the synth sounds from Pit Corradi especially. Sort of that Keith Emerson level of sonic choice (at the start, the wildness reminded me also of Dave Stewart's work in Egg and Khan). The guitar is quite strong in this category as well, even when the fidelity causes it to break and distort. This is delicious Prog, changing at every turn to some other form, yet continuing wonderfully in its purpose and clear theme. I decided to listen through this section twice haha. After all the assault and heaviness of the last, finally "Zarathustra" comes to a close with the swooping and wonderfully full "Il Tempio Delle Cles" ("The Temple of Cles"). Slow fade to black for Side 1. [An overall track-specific rating of 4.75/5.00]

We have a delightful return to the festivities on "Degli Uomini" ("Some Men"), with soaring guitar and huge keyboards, once again with the drums just blazing away. Another moment that feels like Genesis, here in the middle section, it feels like a glowing Tony Banks homage; however likely that is I don't know. Up next is "Della Natura" ("Of Nature"), featuring some of my favorite hallmarks of this era of Symphonic Prog. Another triumph which gives way to a soft, emotional passage. Then we return to wildness. This one is a lot haha. Definitely look forward to the section starting around minute 3; it has a cool sort of jazziness, I guess, which I just love. If anything, the wordless vocals in this section may be a little corny, but it sounded like they were having a damn good time. The bass at the end was certainly notable, when comparing to tracks preceding. The theme here is very classic and I would think would have pretty wide appeal. We get a now surprisingly eerie intro on "Dell'eterno Ritorno" ("Of the Eternal Return"), which funny enough turns into this really sweet beauty, with what I thought was flute (but now I'm genuinely unsure haha). This track is another which, seemingly throwing all caution to the wind, jumps wildly from thought and section to the next. The softer passages are really wonderful, especially approaching minute 3. Everything is just so well balanced and it gets you ready for the victory to come; even when it's brief, we get our reward. For me, this is up there with the title track in a way that the two that preceded did not (though they were far darker, as it was). What a fun and interesting song! Great closer to a well-rated album.

True Rate: 4.75/5.00

Everything really began when a group, initially named Inaugurazione Museo Rosenbach, was created around 1971 from the fusion of two late 60's bands from Sanremo, La Quinta Strada and Il Sistema. Their first line up included the future Celeste's member Leonardo Lagorio on sax and flute, and the future guitarist of Museo Rosenbach, Enzo Merogno.

La Quinta Strada and Il Sistema had played mostly songs by some other popular artists at the time like Jimi Hendrix and rock groups such as The Kinks, The Animals and Steppenwolf and by Rhythm & Blues stars like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Somehow, towards the end of the 60's, the Sanremo's groups, La Quinta Strada and Il Sistema, were two of the first Italian rock bands to spread progressive rock in Italy, even though they had never recorded a single album.

Everytime that the name of Museo Rosenbach is pronounced, you can see a sparkle in the eyes of every European truly progressive rock fan. Their album "Zarathustra" is usually considered as one of the best examples of the genre to come from outside England. However, the band wasn't successful at the time. They were accused of right-wing inclinations for the Mussolini image in the front cover collage on an all-black background and because Nietzsche inspired the lyrics. Both things contributed to limiting the diffusion of their name and their album. It's not strange that Museo Rosenbach had a short life, splitting soon after their album "Zarathustra" and some good live concerts in the summer of 1973.

"Zarathustra" is, undoubtedly, one of the most impressive Italian prog rock albums ever, with an astonishing blend of hard and symphonic progressive rock. It's still a perfect example of the Italian powerful idiosyncratic musical creativity. It's not hard to understand why this is regarded as one of the main albums of Italian prog rock. This is symphonic progressive rock with a rough edge, but without becoming too much heavy progressive. The arrangements are heavily loaded with Mellotron, organ, piano, aggressive guitar and furious drumming. Everything is amazingly played. The compositions are flawless. It's a complex album with many time changes which is something that happens all the time.

Though the music is generally dark and heavy, it still manages to remain very melodic and fluid. The traditional rock ensemble of electric guitar, bass and drums has plenty to offer, with the Mellotron and Hammond organ capable of taking on both lead and supporting roles. The continually captivating interplay is a result of wicked distorted electric guitar, varied and beautifully arranged keyboards, a versatile rhythm section and strong expressive Italian vocals. Stefano Lupo Galifi's singing is bold and passionate, elevating the rest of the music to a higher level. It all comes together in a constant tension, topped by the majestic outbursts of Mellotron, which is the main hallmark of the album.

In the original vinyl version, side A was entirely occupied by the long "Zarathustra" suite, consisting of five tracks with the duration of about twenty minutes. "L'Ultimo Uomo" is the segment that opens the album between solemn and emphatic sounds and King Crimson's solutions. Hammond, piano and Mellotron introduce "Il Re Di Ieri", the second chapter of "Zarathustra" in which Museum Rosenbach manages to blend the symphony of the early King Crimson with the darker sounds of the Italian prog. "Al Di Là Del Bene E Del Male", is a song that deepens and expands the prog demands of the band. "Superuomo" is the most changeable episode of the all "Zarathustra" suite. The fifth and final chapter, "Il Tempio Delle Clessidre", returns to the final theme of "L'Ultimo Uomo", a pompous and grand instrumental. The three other tracks on the album maintain the same high standard. "Degli Uomini" opens the B side of the vinyl. The initial Mellotron foreshadows the violent attack by Merogno's riffs, who contend for the scene at Corradi's Hammond and Golzi's battery pyrotechnics. "Della Natura" moves to a more jazz rock territory, with Hammond, Mellotron and guitar always in evidence with the rhythmic section, with Moreno's pulsating and nervous bass to underline the frenetic drumming of Golzi and where Galifi softens the atmosphere for a few moments before the usual jazz rock assaults. The equally beautiful "Dell'Eterno Ritorno" closes the album, an eclectic prog track with the typical Mediterranean sound.

Conclusion: There are so many outstanding melodies and themes on this album that it's not without reason that "Zarathustra" is considered one of the milestones on the Italian prog rock scene in the 70's. The band dedicated itself to the powerful and rocking version of symphonic rock music, where they managed the balancing act from rough, hard rock to more intellectually shaped, complex rock with flying colours. In fact, it's almost a definitive example. Here you have the big keyboards, organ and Mellotron, a passionate and strong vocalist, a drummer who's clearly a jazzier and compositions that are both dramatic and rocking at once. Hardly any other work can develop such a harmony between hard guitar riffs and soft Mellotron carpets. Wrap it up in one of the finest covers of the era and you have a perfect package. "Zarathustra" is, undoubtedly, one of the universally recognized masterpieces of the Italian prog rock scene.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The sound quality is absolutely good, thanks to the help of recording engineer Sinpachiro Kawade and live recording producer Masa Matsuzaki, and allows you to experience all the energy of a band perfectly fit and up to the task, musicians that play with great precision and passion giving new life to the old pieces and presenting the new ones with the right feeling.

The first CD offers a live version of Zarathustra performed in front of an enthusiastic and respectful public that galvanizes the musicians. The order of the tracks is the same of 2012 Zarathustra Live In Studio. The second CD presents all the tracks from Barbarica, although "Fiore di vendetta" is included only as a bonus track and was recorded during a rehearsal in Italy at Rosenhouse Studio on February 10, 2013. "La coda del diavolo", "Abandonati", "Il respiro del pianeta" and "Il re del circo" are all worth listening to, as their studio versions...

On the whole, an excellent document of a great performance.

The opener "Il respiro del pianeta" (The breathing of the planet) is a brand new suite that deals with environmental issues and takes over the baton from Zarathustra trying to describe the difficult relationship between man and nature. There are many changes in rhythm and atmosphere as the music and lyrics evoke with powerful, colourful images the spirit of the Earth and its smothered, pulsing beating. Crows and eagles flying over the horizon show paths, currents and rituals to admire the uncontaminated face of the planet while the shades of a thick, impenetrable forest hide the words that bring the storm in its deepest secrets...

"La coda del diavolo" (The devil's tail) is another brand new track that deals with the consequences of war. It's a complex piece that begins softly, by a reflective part where the vocals play the role of a man escaping from the horror of war, in search for peace and harmony. The protagonist has lost his friends and if he opens his heart there's no one left to listen to him. His voice soars like a heartfelt prayer. Then an aggressive electric guitar breaks in, the rhythm rises, the atmosphere becomes heavier as the music and vocals describe with visionary poetical force a valley thundering with bombs where harmony is torn apart by weapons. Blind hatred, desperation and a senseless fury lightens the smile of a merciless stone giant...

"Abbandonati" (Abandoned) is a new version of piece from Museo Rosenbach's second studio album, Exit. The music and lyrics depict with their visionary force a country ravaged by war, starving children desperately trying to escape from a divided nation, scared eyes behind the barbed wires, forgotten heroes dead in vain. The new version, in my opinion, is far better than the previous one. The first part of this piece on Exit, "Tuareg", was cut off and the second part developed with a different, convincing arrangement, evoking the silent pain of the refugees who are desperately trying to find a better way of life...

The epic "Fiore di vendetta" (Revenge flower) is an excellent new version of a piece originally released on the 2003 Colossus Musea themed album Kalevala. It tells of a dramatic story of war and vengeance. A beautiful girl is one of the few survivors of her people, annihilated by the enemy that made of her a slave. The girl bides her time while the seed of revenge grows in her soul, ready to blossom like a terrible flower...

"Il re del circo" (The king of the circus) is another piece that was originally released on Exit and that finds here a new life with the great interpretation of Stefano "Lupo" Galifi in the role of a crazy, merciless sniper shooting at the civilians in the streets of Sarajevo during the war in the ex Yugoslavia and a more aggressive arrangement that emphasizes the surreal horror of a rain of tears and bullets...

On the whole, an excellent work!

The track list follows a different order from the original album. A brand new section opens the first track, 'Intro - Dell'eterno ritorno' (the 1973 closer) and from the very first notes you can perceive that the interaction between old and new members is perfect and the sound quality brilliant. 'Degli uomini', 'Della natura' and the long suite 'Zarathustra' follow without weak moments and everything works. The new line up worked hard to find the right balance re-arranging the old material with the due respect but without a philological approach. The final result is excellent and I think that this album can be considered a wonderful calling card for the new incarnation of the band.

The 20-minute, 5-part opening suite Zarathustra occupies the entire first side of the disc, and by far the most entertaining and powerful side of the album. Everything about this piece is wonderful: the lyrics and their transcendental meaning, the conjunction of the instruments, the growing euphoria provided by the thrusts of the drums and the keyboards... The only poor thing about the album is the production, but in the face of such majestic compositions, it really doesn't matter. In fact, it's likely that the sonic unevenness and over-equalisation (cave sound) were deliberate.

Side 2 is a state of grandeur just like side 1. It begins peacefully with "Degli Uomini", a light and airy song in comparison to Zarathustra, with a passing mellotron and a sound closer to classic rock.

"Della Natura" works perfectly as an intermediary between "Degli Uomini" and "Dell'Eterno Ritorno" (the next song and the one that closes the album). This song is twice as long as the previous one and maintains the frenzy with a lot of power and rage. Let's not forget that the lyrics are a very important aspect of this album. All this instrumental vehemence (especially from the organ) is in constant growth during the beginning and middle of the song until then it all dies down and the vocals play a deep and sentimental role.

The last song "Dell'Eterno Ritorno" is, for me, the highlight of side 2. The album closes as it has to close! An instrumental blast with a lot of British flair (I'd say 30%). There's not a second where that euphoria is lost. The closing is subtle and at the same time very correctly powerful.

In short, it's an album to listen to dozens of times and squeeze all its genius out of it until you don't want to listen to it any more (although I doubt that will happen to you). When in less than 40 minutes there are hundreds of ideas implemented with such intelligence, it means that it is a musical work worthy of great respect. Straight into a top 3 of italian prog albums!