FIORE DI METALLO

"Fiore di Metallo" is a respectable rock album from the classic Italian scene. It is somewhat uneven and the band is not among the first tier bands of the genre. That said, there are some nice proggy moments mixed throughout that make it worth investigation for Italian fans. You will find decent vocals, hard rocking guitar, vintage keyboards, competent rhythm section, and some nice touches of acoustic guitar here and there. You will also find several songs that are just dated hard rock and not all that interesting.

The first two tracks would fall into that category of being rather plain bluesy riff-rock. Same with "A Piedi Scalzi" and "Col Vento Nei Capelli" with its annoying sound effect loop. "Felicita" is better, a folksy romantic little number that is nice but certainly not challenging prog. "Madre Domani" is OK too and reminds me of Yes's "A Venture."

Highlights include "Alleluia Gente" with its acoustic guitar and trippy keyboards. "Various" is an instrumental with organs, synths, and piano running rampant with tight percussion, quite good. "Campane" is a wonderful closer and if the whole album were like this song we'd have a real winner on our hands. Another instrumental track, we are treated to nicely layered synths in a somewhat dark sounding environment created by the brooding bass and very structured drumming. Only the lilting piano in the background breaks the tension.

Califfi is recommended to Italian fans who already have a deep collection, it is NOT the place to start for newbies to the genre. There are many many great Italian albums to check out before Califfi. It may also be of interest to fans of vintage keyboards and fans of 70s hard rock in the vein of Free, T Rex, or Deep Purple. There is a Japanese gatefold mini-LP sleeve reissue that features lyrics, three good band photos, and respectable sound quality.