ZARATHUSTRA

Everyone on this site knows about this album and it's status as a masterpiece of RPI. So, there isn't really much that I can say about it that hasn't been said. I guess I'll just say it all over again...

But wow, what an epic journey this album turned out to be. I've recently decided to check out all the one-shot Italian prog bands from the '70s, and though I've known about this one for a while now, I decided to save it for a rainy day.

The album starts off with the epic track, "Zarathustra", compiled of 5 different parts that all flow as one. One thing that came to mind is that this sounds like a very rich mix of Larks' Tongues in Aspic/Red era King Crimson and the symphonic qualities of what sounds like an improved version of Genesis. This epic is very powerful indeed, and the mood changes throughout run fluidly and flawlessly. Galifi's vocals are passionate, like in most RPI vocalists, and maintain a very manly feel. It's hard for me to pick out any standout moment from the epic because it all flows like I stated earlier, but "Superuomo" is the most elaborate portion and it is very rock-heavy with some guitar lines that really stick.

After the epic title track, the remaining tracks sound just as epic but are only shorter in length. More of the same fantastic music that was present on side A. More fluid changes, heavy guitar, beautiful keys and soaring vocals. Even out of these individual tracks it's hard for me to pick a standout, but they all stand out! This is definitely one of those albums where skipping tracks doesn't cross the mind at all.

If you ever get a chance, you should definitely jump at the opportunity to listen to this masterpiece of Italian progressive rock.