ALDER

After Il Castello di Atlante,Consorzio Acqua Potabile and Il Cerchio d'Oro,here is another case of a band,who performed in 70's Italy without releasing an official album.L'ESTATE DI SAN MARTINO came from Perugia and started as an acoustic/theatrical band under the name ''Alete''.In summer 1978 they represented the region of Umbria at a national music contest,held in Capri,and managed to release a promo single on RCA with the track ''Il bimbo e l'eroe'' (the second side belonged to another group called ''Gli Urbevetus'').From this time their sound became richer with the addition of keys and electric instruments,leading to a great concept work around a ffisherman,named Alder,performed live in 15 and 16 of December 1983 in Perugia.These recordings were collected and released in 2006 by BTF.

...and definitely they represent the band's most mature phase.The sound quality is great without any weaknesses.Despite the year of the recordings,this concept is heavily rooted in the Italian Symphonic Prog tradition.Mellow,pastoral and melodic progressive rock with light interplays and romantic vocals,a sound which I can't get enough of.Most of the tracks open with warm,gentle flute work in the vein of PFM or early-GENESIS,before developing into melodic Symphonic Rock with splendid acoustic guitars and nice synth/piano work.Mauro Formica,the bass player,seems to be a very important piece of the puzzle,as his bass lines lead the way in a heavy amount of instrumental passages in here.L'ESTATE DI SAN MARTINO offer also a good dose of dramatic instrumental work with a tight rhythm section battling with atmospheric synths and the flutes and this is what Italian Prog is all about.Vocals are great most of the time,without being too lyrical or expressive.Obvious comparisons are CELESTE,ERRATA CORRIGE,REALE ACADEMIA DI MUSICA or any other Italian soft Symph/folk-tinged prog band comes to your mind.

Without being a bit excessive or too complicated,''Alder'' manages to hold the listener's interest from the start to the very end and this is something difficult for a 70 min. album nowadays.Anyone into good,well-crafted progressive rock should purchase...not to mention that this is almost a must-have for Italian Classic Prog fans!

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