LETHE

Good prog news from Italy (as so many times in prog history).

In the early 90s I got a cassette named Il Salto Del Falco by Italian band Lethe to review for a Dutch prog magazine. And now, anno 2025, I got a CD named Il Cavaliere Inesistente by Italian band Lethe to review. In order to get sure this is the same Lethe I contacted the band on Facebook, and indeed it turned out to be the same Lethe. Unfortunately prime mover Stefano Fornaroli (vocals, flute and percussion) had died in September 1994, due to leukemia, only a few months after Lethe had released its first CD Nymphae (1994) on the Italian Mellow Records label. Now Lethe sees the realization of the dream of Lethe's founder, Stefano Fornaroli, to whom this new album (2024) is dedicated (featuring 4 original and 2 new members, and 2 guest musicians).

After a few listening sessions I am more and more pleased with this first Lethe album since 30 years. The music succeeded to keep my attention for the entire running time, due to their pleasant and varied sound, very harmonic and melodic. The 12 tracks are tastefully layered with flute, guitar and keyboards, a strong rhythm-section, and topped with inspired Italian vocals (male and female). I notice echoes from Peter Gabriel-Genesis, Marillion, Jethro Tull and Camel, and of course Classic Italian Prog, but Lethe also delivers a lot of fine own musical ideas to keep the band from too derivative. I am sure the late prime mover Stefano is delighted about this inspired and wonderful effort by Lethe, wherever he is ?.

My highlights.

Mura Di Fuoco (7:34) : Lots of flowing shifting moods, from a mid-tempo beat to bombastic, embellished with sound effects, sparkling flute, a moving guitar solo with howling runs and passionate Italian vocals (with theatrical tendencies). The music sounds accessible, melodic, harmonic, varied and tastefully arranged, this is trademark new Lethe.

Animali Cristiani (10:17) First dreamy guitars and keyboards, soon joined by pleasant vocals. Then the atmosphere changes to more dynamic and bombastic featuring flute, intense guitar leads and powerful vocals. Halfway a dreamy climate with inspired female vocals, a very convincing presence. Then a break with harder-edged guitar, and strong interplay, in a mid-tempo beat with a pulsating bass. After a fine flute solo the mood shifts to mellow with twanging guitars and pleasant male vocals.

Bradamante (3:36) : This short piece contains acoustic guitar and flute, what a wonderful classical atmosphere.

Nel Segno Della Croce (8:06) : Lots of dynamics and tension, between dreamy and bombastic, and a varied instrumentation, from varied work on the flute, tender Grand piano and bombastic organ to rock guitar and twanging classical guitars. The music is topped with passionate vocals (including vocal harmonies) and culminates in a beautiful grand finale.

Pagani (3:39) : This exciting instrumental piece starts mellow with classical guitar and flute. Then halfway a sensational break with rock guitar and flute, to me it sounds like my beloved Rock Andaluz, how compelling, and what a great interplay between rock guitar and sparkling classical flute work, wow!

L'Elmo D'Oro (6:27) : The final composition delivers a lot of variety and fine musical ideas. First delicate acoustic guitar overdubs, soon joined by warm vocals, slightly more theatrical, now blended with soft synthesizer flights. Then the sound of orchestral keyboards and howling electric guitar. Next a female choir sound, a wonderful short interlude. Next the music turns from a slow rhythm into a mid-tempo beat, topped with first spacey synthesizer runs and then rock guitar, in a bombastic climate, with powerful vocals, and finally vocal harmonies, flute and rock guitar, a strong goodbye.

What a wonderful and varied new effort after 30 years by Italian prog band Lethe, featuring pleasant work on flute, guitars and keyboards, and topped with passionate native vocals.

3,5 star.

Recent years have yielded an embarrassment of riches for fans of the many one-offs of European prog, as many have suddenly doubled their output after decades of silence. This is actually a simplistic take on the complex legacy of most such groups, who, during a 20-40 year "absence", even allowing for a lengthy dormancy may have devoted years out of their busy lives to a follow up. For example, Italy's FAVERAVOLA was set to work on a second album to follow their 2006 debut almost immediately only to be beset with one obstacle after another. The story of RPI maestros LETHE is that leader Stefano Fornaroli had a vision for the successor to the excellent "Nymphae" from 1993, but, since the musical version of Calvino's "Il Cavaliere Inesistente" is dedicated to him and he is absent from the production, he may be deceased or, at the least, incapacitated, hardly surprising given the march of days . What one might not expect is that, even with 4 returnees reporting from the "Nymphae" days, this is a musically disheartening affair.

With twelve tracks absconding with 1.2 hours, I am going to give LETHE the benefit of the doubt that they imparted the lyrical and thematic message of the original fantasy novel, but musically this is an unfocused dud. It's inferiority to the exalted "Nymphae" is stark, with not a single standout track or theme upon which to hang the frayed ambitions. They do not try to emulate that long ago classic, but settle for a parody of BANCO and LOCANDA DELLA FATE among others, no small thanks to Giacomo Balzarotti's raspy vocals comparing unfavorably to those of Fornaroli. Even instrumentally the numbers lack the commitment to complete what they started, or start what they ultimately send off, It's LETHE by the numbers and, if the best passages were culled from 8 or 9 of these tracks, it wouldn't look too bad as a long single or very short EP.

The opener is one of the stronger pieces, playing like the one that didn't quite make the cut 30 years ago. The ERIS PLUVIA like title cut offers promise, but tries to run with a second idea that doesn't work nearly as well. "Pagani" is probably the highlight, the closest to being fully realized, though also well under 4 minutes in length, and entirely instrumental.

I have tended to be lenient with many of these long anticipated gifts, but I can only infer that Stephan Fornaroli was the sort of guide who had to be there to inspire, no knock against him, and sadly there is no knight in existence who would bother saving what's here.

This is a very pleasant album that definitely slots into the mellower side of Italian symphonic prog. It features fine acoustic textures provided on guitar, piano and flute, long developed songs reminiscent of PFM and Celeste, but thoroughly updated at the same time, with just enough compatible vocals to pull it off.

For me, Nymphae picks up about halfway through the opener, "Caccia alle streghe", and wavers a bit in the final long piece, but not enough to dock a star, because the broad middle of the disk is so appealing. In particular, "Il Sentiero" is an understated jewel , while "Hey Sid" at first seems more of a Tull tribute than one to Mr Barrett of Pink Floyd infamy, given the flute style. Still, it rides a clever electric guitar riff and some what more aggressive vocals until it shifts into more of a sing song mode reminiscent of French 1970s group Orion. But eventually a Floydian solo begins, before we return to earlier themes. In a way the excellent instrumental, "La Villa della seta", is more like Floyd by virtue of its space rock leanings, but it is probably the most original piece on the album, with the guitar itself sounding atmospheric before the flute and distorted guitar have their way again.

Shame that this was a one-shot, but I'm glad I bought it on a whim, and recommend it if you can find it and like modern Italian symphonic with woodwinds....and who doesn't?

Dear Prog Fellows (by adding another half star at least,if you hear some collectors...) it's difficult to rate my first debut album: as you know I'm the keyboardist from Lethe and - for the reason that I have been invited to talk about my old debut album for several times (thanks to some friends they collaborate with various prog links all over the world), I will try to be honest and finally review this "Nymphae", like in a personal specific retrospective. Actually it's not a personal tribute, but I should rather say a "remembrance" to be dedicated to an unforgettable friend and the original founder too of the original ensemble Lethe, Stefano Fornaroli...the recording was a bit disturbed by the original 4 track Fostex Recorder, and for sure it should have been better -in my opinion- to insert an anticipation of the next concept album or to record this album once again, by means of the modern technology, in order to show our strong improvement.Anyway, coming back to my work and proceeding by order, "Caccia alle Streghe" was the first track entirely composed by Stefano (a very old mini-suite), whose main section had been already composed a few years before,together with the first co-founder of the band: I was asked to complete the epic symphonic intro and the final harmonization of such guitar solo, every three notes of the digital keyboard, during the interplay, and the output was good!! The text by Stefano was very intelligent, as it concerns the modern "Inquisition" (typically of the 17th Century) in opposition to the common sense of the wice men against the stream, they also nowadays can be regarded as guilty aprioristically,as if they were heretics (people sometimes are stupid!!).Instead the second track was often compared by the critics to "Dolcissima Maria" by PFM, cause of the sweet intro at the piano and the crescendo of flute in the main themes as well, regarded as a delicious break through; and moreover you can get an inkling of our work in progress...then you can listen to the following song "Hey Syd ", that was dedicated to Syd Barrett and perfectly coupled to "Sintesi", the long last suite: a kind of gift, for the lovers of the old Romantic 70's atmosphere it was (which were both a tribute to that magical period..); and you can find also our best mini-suite before the already mentioned last suite,even though what a pity for the recording of such "La Via della Seta"!!Probably it represented the strongest episode of the album and a must have exotic instrumental too- in the course of some important concerts in the early nineties- but never mind... this album was the perfect platform of launch towards our work of maturity, the concept album "Il Cavaliere Inesistente" inspired by Calvino's novel... I hope that this latter won't be represented by another unrealised dream!!