PASSO DOPO PASSO

After the succesful first official album of the band,''Sono io il signore delle terre a nord'' from 1992,which sold over 3000 copies,Beppe Corvella of Vinyl Magic insisted on an immediate second album by IL CASTELLO DI ATLANTE. Material wasn't ready so the members decided to collect some of their old tapes, recorded both live and in studio between 1974 and 1984, and release them as a tribute to their early years under the title ''Passo dopo passo''.

Dropping an eye on the band's past (this record) and future (the first official release),I can't detect any significant changes to their delicate musical approach over the years.''Passo dopo passo'' runs at over 70 minutes with 12 tasteful compositions,where IL CASTELO DI ATLANTE insist on playing melodic Symphonic Rock with some Italian Ethnic tendenciies,maybe a liitle bit more complicated and adventuruous compared to their debut.Vocals are very warm with a romantic feeling,guitars continue on the previous album's sensitive lines and the moog synth passages is met all along the album.Some melodies in here are definitely of first class,showing the band's talent in songwriting,while a fair amount of acoustic guitars makes this an even more interesting experience...and CASTELLO's big weapon,the driving violins are in here too,though a bit less used than on ''Io sono il signore...''. Negative points:Certainly the bad sound quality,as most of the compositions seem to be headed for demo tapes and not for a professional recording,along with the somewhat weak mix of the instrumental parts.

However the excellent quality of the compositions will satisfy every sympho-maniac out there,waiting for some old and good Italian Prog.3.5stars,followed by a strong recommendation!