MARCHESI SCAMORZA

The opener, "1348", today might sound almost like a gloomy prophecy. In fact, the title refers to the year of the Black Death, a terrible bubonic plague pandemic that stormed through Italy and created religious, social and economic upheavals. It starts by a drum roll and a threatening marching beat, then the music and lyrics depict apocalyptic visions. The Black Death dances and ruthlessly hits without distinction between the poor and the rich while the wind gathers words and carries them on the gallows. Only a far sound of bells tears apart the gloomy silence, the Black Death has a thousand ways to creep in, frightened courtiers cling to a prayer like wild beasts but nobody can escape...

The long, complex, "Il cammino delle luci erranti" (The path of the wandering lights) goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere as the hermetic lyrics conjure up strange images. A thousand stories vanish into time and stone faces carved in the clouds melt, swept away by the wind. Dark, heavy, pagan shadows lurk in the night while under a pale light, in an incense mist, lonely wandering souls float in the air. Grey thoughts fall dawn on a poet who has lost his inspiration and, as the wind, bangs against immovable things destined to disappear...

Next comes "Campi di Marte" (Fields of Mars) where the music and words invite you to set off for a kind psychedelic journey where you have to follow light trails under the rain without looking back, leaving behind tears and worries. The light carries you beyond greedy streets, towards deserts where words are worthless...

The title of the reflective "L'uomo dal fiore in bocca" (The man with the flower in his mouth) refers to a play of the same name written in 1922 by Luigi Pirandello telling of the meeting in a bar, late at night, between a man who is dying of a cancer (the flower in the mouth) and a businessman who has missed his train. The dialogue between the two characters marks the contrast between someone who intensely lives the little time left to him and someone who has plenty of time to spend, waiting for the morning and completely absorbed by trivial mishaps, taken by his daily grind. Imagine people without a goal who are waiting for their death, waiting for the end with no escape...

The oneiric "La via del sognatore" (The dreamer's way) ends the album. It's a long, complex piece divided into three parts. The first is subtitled "La notte" (The night) and depicts in music and words a devouring dark, a black space dotted with stars that laughingly melt into oblivion. Shadows thickens around you, the night is falling, tired limbs can rest as the mind can't switch off and overflows... The second part is subtitled "Il sogno" (The dream) and conjures up the realms of dream, an ever changing place where tears of opals cross the streets between high stone columns and the lights of a new life show the way while strange sounds surround you... Then the last part, "Il risveglio" (The awakening), describes the come back of day light. Reality is still fuzzy when dawn begins to snatch the dreams from the night to let them fade out in a silent world...

On the whole, a good work that is worth listening to.

Lively opener `1348' is a strident, confident tune with a skipping momentum to its regal symphonic snap, Enrico's coarse voice commanding as if a call to arms. `Il Cammino delle Luci Erranti' is the first of two longer epics, full of synth-driven symphonic sophistication and classically-flavoured darker elegance that the Italian groups in particular do so well throughout its near-fourteen minute running time. With Enrico Cazzola's ghostly piano and scratchy Mellotron aplenty, Paolo Brini's bass sweetly murmurs with wicked intent, Enrico's vocal leaps between weary purrs and biting unease, and drummer Alessandro Padovani expertly delivers subtle bursts to effortlessly move the piece up and down in tempo. The group finds time for dashing Premiata Forneria Marconi-like charges and even heavier frantic attacks with a dirtier guitar bite from Lorenzo Romani in the manner of the first Banco del Mutuo Soccorso album, leading to a glorious and grand finish. `Campi di Marte' then closes what could be the first side with surprising funkiness, regal sprinting P.F.M gallops mixing with wild guitar fire.

`L'uomo col Fiore in Bocca' initially smoulders with molten guitar grooves, but a tastefully reflective piano interlude with a gently wounded vocal in the second half proves to be one of the surprising highlights of the disc. Three-part thirteen-minute closer `La via del Sognatore' is truly the soundtrack to a swooning, romantic and playful gothic pantomime with lengthy instrumental passages of ravishing symphonic themes. Full of theatrical instrumental pomp and ravishing vocals, constant doomed piano creeps with a devilish mischievousness, guitars chime with mystery and drift through dreamy Pink Floyd-like shimmering interludes while announcing drums rumble with purpose and build. It showcases the band fully immersing themselves in the glorious traditions of the vintage Italian prog past and is easily the most cultured and involved piece the band have offered to date.

It would be easy to place Marchesi Scamorza alongside numerous other low-key modern Italian bands that fly under the radar, but at the same time, `Hypnophonia' is the sound of what was an already promising band stepping up in a big way and delivering a superior work that easily eclipses their earlier effort, carefully showcasing their influences but also offering unexpected surprises. It boasts a fuller production, more confident vocals that aren't afraid to step back and let the thrilling instrumental passages take the focus, and gifted musicians playing with boundless enthusiasm and sharp skill. No doubt about it, `Hypnophonia' is simply a terrific symphonic album from a highly talented Italian band deserving of so much more attention!

Four stars.

The short opener "Intro" in some way sets the atmosphere with experimental sounds and words that remind us that Time is nothing but hope. It leads to "Sentieri di carta" (Paper paths), a ballad that starts with a strummed acoustic guitar pattern. The lyrics conjure up the ghost of a mysterious, proud knight without a mouth to breath. His words get lost under his steps, ancestral fears begin to rise while you think of flying free in the night. Dull eyes are burning but everyone has got his cross to carry along his way... "Words of lead, words of of flesh / Under the churches, under the soles...". The music is not bad but, to be honest, this track fails to strike a chord on me.

The following "Lo schiavo di Babilonia" (The slave of Babylon) is better. It begins by a delicate piano intro and features many changes in rhythm and mood. The lyrics draw powerful, poetical images of redemption and hope. Babylon here is a metaphor for a life of sin. What kind of sin? Maybe pride, adultery, blasphemy or perjury... But even a damned life can be redeemed by love! A soul that burns as paper, a lost path on the side of a huge golden tower, silent clocks inside a church... Images can speak more than a thousand words... "The balance is broken on the weight of the heart / Time is just a hope...".

"L'uomo dall'ombra lunga" (The man with a long shadow) is reflective and melancholic. It draws the imagine of a man lost in his thoughts, ready to challenge his fate at every crossroad, following his meaningless dreams while his life slides away and stretches out behind him like his shadow.

The following "Un passo ogni parola" (One step on every word) begins softly with a mysterious atmosphere, then the rhythm rises and every now and again reminds me of Premiata Forneria Marconi. The lyrics depict an imaginary dialogue between a man and a poet about pain and fear, shadows and lights, good and evil. It's getting dark and they're walking along a solitary road, carried away by their feelings... "Poet, do not cry / There's already someone who's crying for you... Step after step you'll see the sun again along with me...".

"Quelle volte" (Those times) is a simple, melodic track about hope and dreams. The lyrics invite you to never give up when you're feeling blue. When you're waiting in vain for a saviour, you have to open your heart and try to imagine a better world and follow your dreams... In my opinion this is the weakest track on the whole album.

"Il castello delle stagioni" (The castle of the seasons) is definitely better. It's a long, complex piece that begins with a nice acoustic guitar passage and the sound of a storm in the background. The lyrics tell about a young woman who lies in a castle where Time stands still and memories run free... "In a distant place lies a bride / Golden tears and dancing lights / Love thoughts of a thousand colours...". Just a beautiful, timeless dream!

"Nelle notti più lontane" (In the most distant nights) tells of another dream where you can see a white ship sailing across the ocean. It's a piano ballad that fades into the more complex final track "Autunno" (Autumn) forming a kind of beautiful suite... Very brightly did the moon shine on the night I answered the call, and I walked out over the waters to the White Ship on a bridge of moonbeams. The man who had beckoned now spoke a welcome to me in a soft language I seemed to know well, and the hours were filled with soft songs of the oarsmen as we glided away into a mysterious South, golden with the glow of that full, mellow moon... Well, I think that this quote from a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, The White Ship, in some way can help to describe the content of the last two pieces, a kind of fairy tale where you can find madness and fear, hope and dreams... "Who knows what's the light of the world / This purity that turns around us / Please, take me away with these Autumn leaves...".

On the whole this album is not flawless but features some really good tracks and it's worth listening to. In my opinion, this young band have a great potential and I'm looking forward to their next album.

This empathy for the RPI of the seventies clearly drives Marchesi Scamorza but while their list of influences reads like a who's who of Italian prog rock one might wonder if they can walk the walk themselves. Well, typical Italian eclecticism is a key principle in their music, as is spontaneous self-expression - vocalist Enrico Bernardini may not be to everyone's taste but he can't be faulted for his passion and his voice has a wistful quality that I find appealing; and he undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression, just ask the boys in the Den - but the combination of dynamism and changeability they so readily embrace can at times result in a disjointed rawness, a certain earthiness that nonetheless makes this every inch an RPI album. For sure there is scope for some improvement but no major surgery is required, just minor tinkering, because there's some great music packed away in here. And if these guys can sustain their current efforts they should have a very healthy prognosis.

After an eerie floating ambient intro with pulsing electronics and fragments of voices, the forceful mid-tempo electric `Sentieri di Carta' kicks in. Listen to it's skillful mix of the Symphonic and Neo Prog genres made even more interesting by the addition of typical fiery RPI acoustic guitars and call-to-arms heartfelt Italian vocals. It moves through grand Genesis-like majesty with ghostly Mellotron, racing acoustic playing and charismatic vocals while maintaining classical Italian grandiosity.

The highly dramatic `Lo Schiavo di Babilonia' is even better, with plenty of Banco-like tension ingrained throughout. The piece constantly snaps at the listener, speeding up and slowing down throughout. The gentle gothic fairytale elements that permeates a lot of the album starts to show up here. First it's present in the somber piano that darts around much of the piece, then it really hits home in the striking middle section with a very Fish-era Marillion influenced guitar solo from Lorenzo Romani that tears through the bombastic classical majesty. It's quite a schizophrenic piece that has hints of that aggressive energy and recklessness that all great Italian progressive rock bands should have.

`L'uomo Dall'ombra Lunga' opens and ends with achingly beautiful electrical guitar work that sounds just like the hazy psychedelic tones of early 70's Pink Floyd/David Gilmour and nicely romantic vocals. The middle throws in an obtrusive Neo-prog styled harsh organ run with wailing guitar soloing that kind of detracts from all the dreamy atmosphere set up in the beginning. Shame the band didn't restrain themselves on this one, it was fine just the way it was!

What a fascinating mess `Un Passo Ogni Parola' is! A odd mix of racing IQ-styled keyboard/bass/drum snappy sections, spacey keyboards, wild acoustic/piano moments, crooned vocals and a surprisingly upbeat and joyous chorus that's really catchy! It doesn't hold together too well, but all the individual ideas are really rather good.

Here the album hits a run of more purely RPI pieces, although Neo/Symphonic fans will find much more for them a little nearer the end again! The strident `Quelle Volte' reminds me a lot of RPI band Il Cerchio D'oro, and it works really well for not diverting in a dozen directions. Uplifting guitar soloing, commanding synths and a memorable melody overall make for a very pleasant track that serves as a break from all the complex pieces. More of this cohesion and simplicity would be greatly appreciated on their next album!

What a stunner bombastic classical `Il Castello Delle Stagioni' is! It's got everything - A moody acoustic guitar/Mellotron flute intro, whirring synths, dazzling piano, background noise/sound effects all set to a manic Banco-like aggression. There's a heavy gothic unease all the way through, with nasty brooding guitar soloing and singer Enrico Bernardini sounding better than ever. Overall the band shows so much much talent and conviction on this one, and they really earn their RPI stripes for it. They should really look to this track to see what worked so well and focus on that for future releases. Top stuff.

The gothic drama carries on into the restrained `Nelle Notti Piu Lontane', a sad and haunting classical piano/vocal piece with. Again the relative simplicity works exceedingly well here, and it's a deeply moving and reflective pause from the longer epics.

`Autumno' is a schizophrenic conclusion for a great album, once again we're reminded of Banco with alternating crooned/boisterous lead vocals, swirling keyboards and wild guitar/church organ passages with an odd quirkiness that comes of nowhere every now and then too. The very final passage is a Neo/Genesis styled galloping keyboard melody with plenty of showing off from bass player Paolo Brini - mix him even louder next time, fellas! This last section really ends the album in a very positive and upbeat manner that's appreciated.

The album is far from perfect. In some spots there's probably too many vocal sections, and Bernardini occasionally has a monotonous and flat range. Sometimes he nails it, other times he's a bit strained, but it shows a refreshing honesty and says a lot about how the band support eachother. I have no doubt he will keep improving, because on his best tracks here he's extremely effective. Some listeners will find the mix of different genres a bit frustrating, but most likely their next release will hopefully focus a little more on one particular style and really offer us more on an idea where they're headed. But I also have a feeling some will really love the diversity and range the band has shown here and greatly enjoy the album.

To my ears (and despite being part of the Prog Archives RPI team, this is coming from a purely unbiased opinion), the album and band achieve far better results in their RPI stylings than the Neo/Symphonic sections, and it's here they sound most at home and convincing. But for now, this is a very worthy and impressive release that shows a band with plenty of charisma and talent to make them one to keep an eye on.

By the way, take a look at that beautiful album cover - pure prog rock surreal beauty. Marchesi guys, please put this one out on vinyl!

Three and a half stars for a great new band and album - but the four star rating makes it look better!