Ubi Maior

UBI MAIOR — Nostos

To me this new Italian five-piece band sounded as the most convincing one on the BIGLIETTO PER L’INFERNO-tribute DVD (also featuring members from LE ORME, BANCO and AREA). So I was very pleased to discover this debut-CD from Ubi Maior, it will be one of my Top 3 albums in 2005!

Vendetta (9.21): After an intro with twanging guitars and sensitive piano, a fluent rhythm follows delivering a Procol Harum-like Hammond organ sound and an adventurous rhythm-section. Then the music turns into the best progrock of new Italian bands I have heard since many years: heavy guitar-riffs, majestic choir-Mellotron, powerful and moving Italian vocals (a bit theatrical), howling electric guitars, SPLENDID!

Terra Madre (6.38): This track sounds as the Italian version of ELP their single success Lucky Man: the same dreamy, a bit melancholical climate, acoustic guitar and those sensational Moog flights.

Livia (3.12): Another dreamy piece with halfway a bombastic eruption. The piano play is wonderful.

Messia (9.36): A very strong composition with tasteful arrangements and subtle musical ideas. Lots of compelling parts featuring sumptuous Hammond organ, inspired vocals and fiery electric guitar. The flashy synthesizer runs bring early Marillion to my mind. This is a very dynamic song, especiallly in the final part delivering heavy guitar-riffs.

Oltre Il Vetro (3.45) : A mellow song featuring warm vocals, sensitive acoustic guitar (including a short solo) and soaring violin-Mellotron

Nostos (23.06) : The titletrack is the 'magnum opus' on this CD, it starts with twanging guitars, soaring keyboards and warm vocals, followed by a fragile Hammond solo, very tasteful. Then lots of flowing shifting moods, from dreamy to bombastic. Halfway a great build-up with a huge tension featuring propulsive guitar-riffs, powerful, a bit theatrical vocals, howling electric guitar runs, impressive choir-Mellotron and a grand finale delivering swirling organ and fat guitar licks, GREAT!

La Tua Casa Comoda (5.22) : The final song is a compelling and captivating one with pleasant work on the keyboards: sparkling piano, fine Mellotron and mellow organ. The final part contains a biting, wah-wah drenched electric guitar solo and floods of Hammond organ.

THIS CD DESERVES WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION, WHAT A WARM, INSPIRED AND STRONG PROGROCK SOUND!!

Posted Friday, December 30, 2005, 17:14 EST | Permanent link

UBI MAIOR — Nostos

Ubi Maior is a new group formed last year in Milan Italy with the warm regards of many masters of the classic Italian prog that we all love. In listening to this, Ubi Maior's debut, it serves notice they were not just masters of making great music, but possessing a keen eye in recognizing a budding talent. Nostos is the debut album recorded over a period of three months over the spring and summer of 2005. The album was released in October 2005 and was immediately hailed as a great debut album and a group worthy of watching.

The album itself is a wonderful listen full of great keyboard work by Gabriele Manzini, Mario Moi's strong and somewhat theatrical vocals, varied and most important to me.. tasteful guitar work by Stefano Mancarella, the rhythm section of Gualtiero Gorreri on bass and Alessnadro Di Caprio never fail to provide a solid foundation on which the music was built. Being a bit of a bassist myself I found myself listening quite closely to Gorreri and found his bass was tastefully played and enjoyed his tone.

As to the album itself: The album kicks off with Vendetta. The song spotlights the wonderful keyboard palate of Manzini and the nice contasting guitar tones of Mancarella who makes good use of dreamy reverb drenched, and the crunchy guitars so commen in todays rock. Moi's vocals in this one remind me strongly of Christian DeCamp of Ange in it's rather theatrical style and would add that Moi does have a more pleasant voice to boot. Very nice album opener.

The second track Terra Madre is not much of a challenging listen almost popish in sound in feel but oh is it worth a listen for the confirmed prog-head, especially those Moog fans. Wonderful Moog like synth tones remind me of another 'popish' song, ELP's Lucky Man, that some great Moog playing can take to a place that even the most die-hard of prog firebrands can enjoy.

The third track: Livia is where I really started to fall for the album. A very nice piano-synth-Hammond ascending intro which once the drums and guitars fall in builds into a nice bombastic section. After it's crest the track calms a soft repeated guitar and key section,which then appears to seque into the fourth track Messia.

Messia starts with some spacey sound effects that start just at the end of Livia under the sound effects is some rather nice electric piano. A very nice aggressive rhythm driven by Mancarella's guitar. Here again he alternated between lovely reverb guitar during Moi's vocal turns to fiery guitar runs. Great playing my favorite by him on the album. Great contrasts between light and heavy in this track.

The fifth track Oltre il Vetro has a wonderful percussion intro by guest Mauro Gnecchi. Love the bass on this.. could be wrong but sounds like a fretless and sounds wonderfully placed in the song. The song has a wonderful vocal melody. The song has a vibe that exudes warmth and invitation. Another song that I really enjoy putting on the just kicking back. Well played and Moi's vocals match the musical tone here.. very warm and invitiing.

The next track up is Nostros. The epic of the album clocking in at over 23 minutes. It begins with atmospheric keyboards over reverb guitar. The vocals fall in under this musical canopy before long and continue for several verses. I like the soft Hammond solo break, very tasteful. The second vocal turn by Moi is driven by an interesting bass and drum rhythm for several verses before a bombastic key. This pattern of vocal sections with bombastic breaks, with a couple fiery guitars solos serving a breaks as well, continues for a bit. The rhythm and tempo slightly different each time culminating between halfway betwen the 8 and 9 minute more with a frenetic rhythm layed down by Gorreri and Di Caprio. A pretty guitar and vocal section allows you a moment to catch your breath. The rest of the track is punctuated by great guitar and keyboard playing and great threatrical singing by Moi. Love this song.

The last track is a nice homage to Gianni Leone of Il Balletto di Bronzo. A cover of La Tua Casa Comoda. The song recorded by Il Balletto di Bronzo after their landmark YS album. Very well done and a nice way to end the album.

I'd like to thank a very special friend of mine for turning me on to this album. You have not only opened my eyes to some great wonderful music, but to a great deal more in life. For that I will always... forever be your debt. I could say a lot more.. but this isn't the place for it.

The album itself. 5 stars across the board. For personal enjoyment I found little to nothing that I didn't enjoy in it. For the site... I will go as far as to say this album along with Maldoror's L' Arbre-Cimietre are the best new symphonic releases I've heard recently. Highly recommended as proof that not only symphonic prog but Italian prog is alive and well.

Michael (aka Micky)

Posted Monday, September 04, 2006, 09:17 EST | Permanent link

UBI MAIOR — Nostos

Νοστος (Nostos) – Return

The debut album of the italian contemporary prog band Ubi Maior reveals an unespected passion for ancient poems and literature. In this case the band alternates a famous latin expression (Ubi Maior...Minor Cessat) to an ancient greek word that means, as I said above, “return” from the greek verb νοστέω (nostéo). The album's title is intriguing for a prog album and certainly catched my attention and my deep interest, since I studied ancient greek and latin at school. So, not only passion for music, but also a personal need for my brain to re-live the past glories of all those hard (but satisying) translating-day's-nights.

Epic literature, in particular, comes to my mind. Odisseus (Ulisses) and Argonauts, in particular. Nostos/Return had a particular meaning for ancient and classic greek people. It also has the meaning of “fruitful”. Every famous “return” has been fruitful and godblessed, 'cause it was when the hoeroes could return back home to familiar loves.

And so Ubi Maior sing and play as they were a nouvelle hero who has to pass through unspeakable adversities, horrible wars and apparently endless fights, before he reach the warm light of home. It's not a case that the last track is “La Tua Casa Comoda” (Your Own Comfortable Home) a cover of the same-titled track of IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO.

The album is builded by seven strong compositions and opens with the wonderful “Vendetta” which is melancholic and soft for the first two minutes until it explodes in an exciting traditional italian symphonic prog plus some fiery electric guitar play and “nocturnal” lyrics: “I'm sharpening the blade in the night..:”. “Terra Madre” (Motherland) is a more soft tune and, to be honest seems built upon a non-prog structure enriched by remarkable job on synthesizers a la ELP's “Lucky Man”. Very pleasant listening.

“Livia” is an enjoyable short piano and synth gem. Great sensibility on drums. “Messia” is probably the most favourite of mine here, musically speaking, at least. It's the stronger one with faster tempo and explaining well the ancient greek word “PATHOS. The only remark is about lyrics that appears a little bit unispired even if about a science fiction story starting in the 2141 year when, according to Ubi Maior, (evil) men from Neptun will land on earth and they will try to destroy us and our planet. Fortunately a “Messia” will finally come, after so many troubles and atrocities.

“Oltre il Vento” (Beyond the Wind) is another shorter tune about 3,45 minutes played faultless with an appreciable delicacy. A tasteful introduction to “Nostos” epic (over 23 mns!!). This adventurous track has some memorable moments, indeed, but it's somehow weaker, in my opinion, than the other six. Pointless sometimes, but, fortunately the second half appears more varied and intriguing. A very good one, though!

What I could say more? Even not a pure masterpiece, Nostos is one of the most exciting records ever released in Italy in the last years. Highly recommended. It's destined to become a classic!!!

4.50 and all my congratulations to the band for such an opus! Let's hope Ubi Maior will not disappear as many other their colleagues...

Posted Monday, January 22, 2007, 16:53 EST | Permanent link

UBI MAIOR — Nostos

Very good an album. Old italian progressive style with strong hammond, piano and guitar oriented tracks. Good vocals. With italian singin, Nostos brings back the memory to the old italian school but it also bring some news. "Livia" is a strong isntrumental which reminds of terror movie like Balletto di bronzo, Terra Madre has a strong middle eight in 7/8 which is a mix between IQ and Genesis' Cinema Show. The keyboard player Gabriele Manzini played in The Watch, Genesis-like band from 2001 till 2004, so the influence is clear. Not bad at all! Get it! Nostos is a long suite based on Odissey. Strong lirycs, very filological. Also the cover of LA tua casa comoda of Balletto di bronzo is worth the price. One of the best italian prog albums of the last year. You can find it on www.btf.it

Posted Wednesday, November 09, 2005, 12:00 EST | Permanent link