PRESA DI COSCIENZA

Legend goes that I Giullari Di Corte (The Court Jesters) were born on a stormy night in distant 2002. After many years of inactivity, they came together again in 2017. What a revelation to hear this album released on the eve of the COVID years. For when the trippy opening subsides and "Nautilus" leaps from your speakers, it feels like you're experiencing some vintage RPI from the dawn of the '70s. While it may be symphonic prog, this is old school RPI of the gritty, slightly garage variety delivered by just three men, Alessio De Angelis, Matteo "Divac" Ballestrazzi, and Paolo Zacchi. This is not highly refined, "pretty" bench RPI with soft pillowy background, violin, and angelic harmonies. This is sweaty jamming with a hearty appreciation for hard rock along with the symphonic swirl.

When drawing parallels to who these guys reminded me of, my brain first flashed to Exploit's very rare Crisi album (where an original vinyl will cost you thousands if you believe Discog). Like Exploit, this is three-piece that thrives on an inventive and workmanlike approach to jamming to get where they're going, although Exploit used no guitar and these guys do. Other sound comparisons could be Capitolo 6 and Osage Tribe. I saw someone mention Le Orme, but I feel that is a more distant comparison. Not too many albums these days will eschew the myriad modern influences of the last few decades such as prog-metal and PT-type stuff, but the largely vintage instrumental Presi di Coscienza took me on a mind-trip to the fall of 1970, imagining a couple of barefoot teens sitting in an upstairs room cranking out the latest metamorphosis of rock, drifting into what we now call RPI. This is a unique and special album that frankly easily exceeds what Exploit did even if it falls a bit short of the Orme tag some give it.

I love the melancholic lilt in the many melodic adventures they undertake, so many beautiful piano/keyboard runs backed by fiercely belted-out bass lines and lively drumming. Vocals are used sparingly but effectively throughout. It is the large middle section of this album (from "Sherlock Holmes" through "Il Messicano") that shines the most, a truly excellent run of music. I found the second track and the last two tracks somewhat less convincing, but that's just me. I appreciated the symphonic/keyboard-led material more than the hard rock/guitar-led stuff. In any case, there is great potential here. The production could be criticized I suppose as there are times I feel the sound is too thin, and yet the compositional creativity and obvious passion for authenticity surpass all concerns about sound. This album brings the sauce, and we shall blast it down the halls of the villa. Really in the 7/10 range for me, but a whisker shy of getting to 4 stars. A second album is in the works, so keep your ears to the ground for that one.

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