DISTILLERIE DI MALTO

The one and only album from this very interesting Italian band with the very unusual name.

This is a crossover album as in a blend of many prog rock genres. Their base is in Rock Progressivo Italiano and I personally regard them as a Rock Progressivo Italiano band. I think the Rock Progressivo Italiano fans is missing out on something they would love by this classification.

Rant over. Forget the last two lines above. I continue with......

Distillerie Di Malta's music is a distilled product of Rock Progressivo Italiano, Gentle Giant's eclectic prog, Camel and their symphonic prog, Return To Forever and their fusion and King Crimson's world. The music is very melodic, majestic, pastoral and lingering. It is also mainly instrumental. It is based on guitars, tangents, bass, drums and some guest instruments like flute. The few vocals on this album is also great and Fabrizio Pellicciaro is a superb vocalist.

All songs here are great and in the bracket "all fans of Rock Progressivo Italiano wet dreams". The band gives King Crimson and Gentle Giant an Italian heritage and identity if you understand what I mean. I love this blend of eclectic and Rock Progressivo Italiano on this album. A perfect blend. A couple of killer tracks would had elevated this album to classic status. But it is a close call.

A truly great album which deserve a lot of attention.

4 stars

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Well, this is unusual album. It starts pretty weak - the opener (mostly instrumental) is nice (begins in a dark CRIMSO way, but later turns into great IQ-like 6/8 thing), but the following track ,despite rhythmical and groovy verse, has pointlessly long mid-part, which spoils the whole song. I guess somebody told them that any Prog album MUST have a pointless "Moonchild"-like instrumental meandering...so here they go. Besides vocals are in English (as I understood), weak and unsured. Another one, fully instrumental, has some pleasant melodies in GENESIS way,but having more Italic atmosphere this time. "Finally they sound good" I thought. Hell no! EVEN BETTER! "Aria e vento" is the best track here - it starts like a ballad, crushes into breath-taking climax somewhere in the middle and then turns into energetic GENESIS-like hit...amazing! The last track, also long and complex, has great main theme in CRIMSO/VDGG mood - very dark and non-Italian again, but great after all. A nice surprise for all Sympho-Prog lovers - DDM is a good and promising band, and their album, despite its low quality, is worth of checking. RECOMMENDED!!!

Distillerie Di Malto is a Italian five-piece band that includes two guitar players and a keyboardist, on the last track completed by a flute player. This debut-CD is dedicated to René Magritte, one of my favorite surrealistic/magic realistic painters. On the first track "Allegro Con Brio" (5.56) the climate is ominous and ambient, then a fluent rhythm featuring organ and guitar follows, this sounds very obvious as the lovely Seventies Italian Progrock Scene! Enjoy the dynamic music with fiery electric guitar and wonderful keyboardplay. The next song is "Phoebus" (9.24), first a bit experimental including xylophone, repetetive bass and electric guitar with ints from early King Crimson. Then the moods shifts from up-tempo with mellow organ, fiery electric guitar and flute to dreamy with classical guitar and flute and atmospheric with flute, hi-hats and piano, very alternating. In "Melodia Di Fine Autunno" (8.42) it starts with a compelling climate that gradually grows to more bombastic, interfered by more mellow pieces until a long and sumptuous finale, featuring lush keyboards, harder-edged guitar and a dynamic rhythm- section. The next composition is the longest one entitled "Aria E Vento" (13.24), again a very alternating track: compelling with twanging guitars and great keyboards like sparkling piano, moving with a wonderful guitar solo in the vein of Hackett/Latimer, bombastic with organ and even anl interlude with classical guitar and flute. The music often evokes early Genesis, wonderful! The final song "5/5/1555" (11.32) starts with xylophone (like the second track) and electric guitar, followed by some sensational, mid-Emerson inspired synthesizer soli and lots of varied climates featuring strong Italian vocals, howling electric guitar and dreamy flute. The 'grand finale' delivers a moving atmosphere with a splendid build-up guitar solo, supported by lush keyboards, prog heaven! This CD has hints from Genesis (twanging guitars and organ), Camel (guitarwork) and King Crimson (the more complex and experimental parts) and contains five elaborate and tasteful coloured compositions, AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT!

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