ECLISSI

A Piedi Nudi's third and final album finds them standing at the explosive pinnacle of their musical potency, with an emphasized tendency toward the dark and the gothic: at times this leads to the foundation of sinister layers of keyboard ambiences and guitar riffs, firmly sustained by a precise rhythm section. The overall mood of the repertoire comprised in "Eclissi" is quite creepy indeed. The obvious aggressiveness that is portrayed in the performances doesn't exactly make things easier for the listener - that same aggressiveness is a result of the band's inclination for the introduction of prog metal and early Black Sabbath elements in order to fuse them with a basic crimsonian dissonant strategy. The hard oriented progressive colours that had beautifully filled their previous effort are now replaced by the darkest clouds if an impenetrable mystery. The material is clearly designed to disturb the listener on an emotional level: a couple of cymbal gentle crashes and an initial wild guitar riff sets the machine going right from track 1. Among the rockiest numbers, 'Le Amanti', 'Temporale' and 'L'Infidele' are the most overtly complex. 'Reverendo' travels through the realms of density in a very dramatic manner: the recurrently languid rhythm pattern, the horror movie piano intro, the gothic keyboard/guitar interplays, and the stormy guitar distortions in the fade-out, all these elements are conjured in a combined way to create an oppressive sensation of being trapped in a nightmare. My fave tracks are the last two. 'Amici di Infanzia' contains the most varied set of musical motifs, using a clever contrast between the frontal and subtle moments. Immediately after, the closing namesake number starts with an exotic Middle East-like passage laid upon an almost-tribal rhythm pattern, then turns to an eerie instrumental interlude before arriving to the reprise of the most incendiary riff of 'Amici di Infanzia' headlong into the fade-out: this reprise maneuvers as a climatic litany that capitalizes on the massive oppression that has been conveyed in all previous tracks. The excellency of this recording is mostly based on the inventive use of clever arrangements and tight musicianship in order to create such a stimulating environment of gloom. I recommend it as an excellent addition to any prog collection from an abstract point of view, but perhaps it would be fair to state that this is not your typical "recommended" album: it's that kind of album that might take you a while (if not a long while) to appreciate it positively.