ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO
A Progressive Rock Sub-genre
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Rock Progressivo Italiano definition
aka "RPI""So it's an established fact that in Italy during the period between 1971-1974, a music movement existed where bands would challenge each other to see who could be the most imaginative, who could create the album for the ages. They were all painters and sculptors just as in Renaissance Italy." -Tom Hayes/Gnosis
1. The background
As the 60s drew to an end, Italy experienced a wave of new ideas and ideals which coincided with the new musical era being born. It would not be exaggeration to state that the 70s were a watershed period in the history of the country. Even though the 60s are generally remembered as the years of the 'economic boom', it was only in the following decade that Italy made the long, difficult change from a relatively poor, traditional country into a fully developed Western society. A look at any timeline for 70s Italy will show an incredible concentration of events that changed the fabric of Italian society irrevocably: laws and acts were passed which affected worker's rights, family and divorce law, and women's rights and reproductive health. In a country where the physical presence of the Catholic Church has always been impossible to overlook, not least because of its open intervention in the country's political affairs, the introduction of such radical changes was no small feat.
Most of those changes were made possible by the presence of a strong left-wing component in Italian political life, even if regarded with extreme suspicion by both the Church and Italy's main ally, the United States. Though the existence of a party that openly called itself Communist was not exclusive to Italy, at the time the PCI (Partito Comunista Italiano) was considered more of a danger than, for instance, its French equivalent - mainly due to Italy's strategic position in the Mediterranean area, as well as the party's obvious connection with the Soviet Union. Such a peculiar, potentially explosive situation sadly became a breeding ground for a number of extremist groups, who were responsible for the season of violence and unrest commonly known as the 'Anni di piombo' ('years of lead'), which lasted well into the first half of the Eighties. The number of casualties due to terror acts and rioting was quite high, involving people from all walks of life. However, the defining episode of the decade was the kidnapping and subsequent murder of well-known politician Aldo Moro (a left-leaning Christian Democrat) by the notorious Brigate Rosse ('Red Brigades') in the spring of 1978.
2. The birth of a movement
The turbulent times affected countless musicians looking for something new-some way to parallel the political climate through artistic media. Ranging from highly educated conservatory students to local singer-songwriters, this spirit managed to captivate an entire country within a few short years. Young people were restless, bursting with a burning desire to change the staid, suffocating atmosphere of Italian society starting with one of its symbols, its venerable musical tradition. Most musicians had more or less strong left-wing leanings (the prime example being Area), while the few examples of openly right-wing bands never managed to break out of obscurity, or gain more than a strictly cult following.
Without a strong rock tradition in the 60s Italy had mainly produced beat bands of varying quality, as well as singers well-versed in the long-standing canzone tradition of the country. As the tidal wave of counter-culture swept in, it brought revolution not only in the form of progressive rock, but also differing forms of heavier, continental rock which was establishing itself around the same time. Psychedelic influences and the incorporation of classical music may have been the same stepping stones used by most other progressive scenes around the globe during the same period, but even at this embryonic stage there was a whiff of something else in the air. In the late 60s when the beat scene was already heading towards a decline, a number of bands formed, some of them releasing singles (or even albums) that bridged the gap between beat, conventional Italian easy listening music (musica leggera), and the new ideas coming from Great Britain - among them, New Trolls, Le Orme, Panna Fredda, I Quelli (later to become Premiata Forneria Marconi), Il Mucchio, and Fabio Celi e gli Infermieri.
"We wanted to put some improvisations between the singing parts and we had to make up our minds about the style to follow... After having been to the Isle of Wight festival, it was clear to all of us that we couldn't keep on playing the usual songs with verses and refrains." -Toni Pagliuca, Le Orme
3. The golden years
The beginning of the new decade saw the rise of a countless number of bands and artists, some of whom would go on to become successful acts. PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Osanna, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Quella Vecchia Locanda belong to this group, with all but the latter being still active at the time of writing. Some others only managed to release one album (or even just a handful of singles) before they disbanded. The prog-rock bug became so widespread in Italy that some experts say every artist and band in Italy produced at least one progressive album during this time. A number of well-known mainstream artists started their career with a prog album, like singer-songwriters Riccardo Cocciante (with Mu) and Ivano Fossati (with the first Delirium album, Dolce acqua). Or, like Lucio Battisti or Fabrizio De André, they released strongly prog-influenced albums when the movement was at its height.
During the peak years of the RPI movement in the early 70s, countless bands showcased their talent in the many pop festivals organized throughout Italy. The festivals were often free of charge and boasted a level artistic freedom and competition seldom seen in popular music. Fans witnessed bands rise from obscurity to compete on the same stage as the heavy hitters. This musical competition created something of an upward spiral; everyone tried to outdo each other, producing unique sounds and incorporating disparate influences into their music. The variety of the music went through the roof, with every band sharing the same aspirations, though seldom the same sound. It must also be made clear that despite the beliefs of those who write off Italian prog as simply a British counterfeit, many of these bands were creating music that was phenomenally original, experimental, free-spirited, and creatively successful. While bands from abroad helped influence and inspire Italian bands, Italy's young bands quickly took the ball and ran with it. It is ludicrous to suggest the scene a mere imitation. The upward spiral also meant an over saturated market, in which many bands only managed to put out one or two releases with minimal budget and intense recording. Some of the best, most genuine and treasured albums of Rock Progressivo Italiano can be found in this group: Semiramis' "Dedicato a Frazz", Pholas Dactylus' "Concerto delle menti", Raccomandata Ricevuta di Ritorno's "Per un mondo di cristallo", Museo Rosenbach's "Zarathustra", and Balletto di Bronzo's "Ys" to name just a few.
"We had to tackle this tradition, we had to fight against the conventions and refuse to be integrated. The New Sounds hadn't arrived yet, there was no music for the young people, there was nothing, you had to invent and build up your space. Perhaps this was the mainspring that unchained such a creative strength." -Gianni Leone
With time some of the biggest bands achieved international success, with PFM as the best-known example. Lyricist Peter Sinfield, known from his work with giants like King Crimson and ELP, even wrote for the band, while Peter Hammill provided English lyrics for Le Orme's "Felona e Sorona". Ironically this success often meant a detour from the roots of the RPI sounds, making these albums more aligned to the British scene than the bulk of the artists and albums in the archives. Look beneath the surface in order to discover hidden (or not so hidden) gems. While the oft-mentioned big 3 of Italian prog (PFM, Banco, and Le Orme) are conveniently considered the peak by those casually mentioning this scene, RPI enthusiasts know the river runs so much deeper, and many of our personal favourites are found outside of these popular groups. Those who search beyond the surface will discover that the most daring and provocative works were often made by more obscure groups who released one fantastic album and then vanished into thin air. This common syndrome of Italian "one-shot" bands became the bane of many RPI fans.
Since so many different musicians experimented with the progressive format, you will also find a broad musical scope within RPI, something which has kept the subgenre fresh and vital over time. Examples include Franco Battiato (still a very successful artist in Italy), Picchio dal Pozzo, Opus Avantra, Stormy Six and Area, who each in their own individual way, show a more cosmopolitan flavour and range of influences than most other acts.
After its explosive development in the early 70s, the movement followed the same path as other progressive musical movements around the world as the 80s approached. Some influential artists continued to release new albums though never with the same success as in the halcyon days. Others changed with the times and became highly successful mainstream artists both in Italy and internationally. As elsewhere in the prog universe the quantity and quality of RPI began to dry up a bit in the late 70s and early 80s, although there were some quality releases from that period. These titles tended to be more melodic and less brashly avant-garde than the classic period but were respectable nonetheless. To name but a few there were Locanda Delle Fate, Stefano Testa, Pierpaolo Bibbo, and L'Estate de San Martino. Area, Stormy Six, and PFM had a good title or two left in them as well.
4. Musical features of RPI
Italian symphonic prog is notable for the prominence of classical influences, often providing the driving force behind the music. The new listener will discover that this particular branch of RPI feels more like classical music in a rock setting as opposed to occasional classical influences on top of the rock format. Furthermore, the rich, diverse musical traditions of Italy permeate the albums, creating a strong national and even regional character. The "textbook" RPI groups can usually be identified by a pervasive sense of romantic melancholy and earthy flair, sometimes enhanced by baroque elements, sometimes by more ethnic ones. Other distinctive features include overt opera and operetta influences, wild and uncontrolled storytelling, and as a general rule, bold and highly emotional vocals. There is extroverted, operatic gallantry and panache or mellow balladry; exciting use of all sorts of keyboards, with sounds heard nowhere else but in this particular scene; exotic instruments such as aggeggi, ottavino, mandoloncello, clavicembalo- names that tickle the imagination and leave their distinct mark on the music. There is a uniquely magical marriage of the traditional to the modern, of the warm to the wild. The combination of flute, piano and violin is often encountered, and the interplay between the first two instruments in particular supplies the subgenre with a fair share of its identity and flavour.
Though the symphonic element is indeed the most common in RPI, the genre would be better characterized as eclectic. Jazz-fusion, folk, hard rock riffing à la Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, intense drama a la Van der Graaf Generator (whose albums were revered in Italy), singer-songwriter, proto-metal, blues, avant tendencies, pop, psych, dark/occult, electronic-the list goes on. Even more amazing, these differences in style can often be found to varying degrees on one album, and still feel natural in the distinct stylistic framework mentioned above.
No overview of RPI would be complete without mentioning the use of the Italian language, by many considered one of the most musical languages in the world. It could be safely stated that the use of Italian is inherent to the soul of RPI, a critical component to the full appreciation of the subgenre. In fact, even if some key RPI albums were translated into English in an attempt to gain international recognition, most of them fail to impress. They feel as if one of the basic ingredients of what makes RPI such a successful concoction is missing. While most serious RPI fans consider Italian vocals essential to their listening experience, it is fair to say that some believe English lyrics are not so detrimental-even if in most cases the odd phrasing, incorrect emphasis, and heavy Italian accent of the singers detract significantly from an authentic overall effect. While some prog fans can find the gregarious Italian vocal style challenging at first, newbies are encouraged to simply stick with it for a while. With only a modest effort any RPI newbie will soon find they cannot imagine this music without traditional Italian vocals-they truly are the icing on the cake.
One common misconception that must be addressed is the belief that any prog band from Italy is an RPI band. There are bands from Italy more appropriate for other genres. As an example, a pure and obvious post-rock band who just happen to be from Rome are going to be in the post-rock sub, not RPI. A pure jazz-fusion band with no RPI characteristics to their sound could be easily placed in the Jazz/Fusion subgenre. The RPI team will work hard to evaluate bands that fit the characteristics and the feel of the subgenre, and those whose primary sound is more suited for another sub are recommended to them.
"Progressive is basically a blending of three elements: the song, the improvisation inspired by jazz and the composition in classical style. This cocktail is interpreted in different ways in every country: in England, for instance, Celtic, rock and blues influences prevail. In Italy we have to cope with our classical tradition: the melodramma, Respighi, Puccini, Mascagni but also all the contemporary classical composers. It's in this legacy, in my opinion, that the specificity of the Italian Progressive Rock is concealed." -Franco Mussida, PFM
5. RPI in the new century
As recently as the 90s and early 2000s RPI again proved its longevity to the prog community. Scores of the classic albums were re-pressed in Japan, then specialized independent labels such as BTF, Mellow and Black Widow (the latter responsible for rescuing the likes of Jacula and Antonius Rex from oblivion) started to re-issue many of the classic albums. As a consequence RPI has not only reached a new generation of fans, but the increased interest and appreciation have led to new material being released. Artists whose recordings have never been in circulation, bands that are as new to our ears as they are to many of those who were there when it happened, now have a new-found audience creating an ironic worm-hole effect: brand new music straight from prog's golden years.
With the revival clearly under way the 90s produced some stellar Italian albums and the beginning of CD reissue fever. In the 2000s the trend has continued to a much more successful degree. RPI is back and fan interest has exploded for both the classic period and the new bands of today like Il Bacio Della Medusa, Pandora, Lagartija, Conqueror, Il Ruscello, Senza Nome, Coral Caves, J'Accuse, Ubi Maior, and the projects of Fabio Zuffanti to name just a few. Italian progressive rock today covers a wide range of styles and influences, but many of the bands ground a portion of their sound in the RPI tradition. Moreover, this first decade of the 21st century has seen a new round of publications (both in print and in electronic format) covering various aspects of Italian prog, as well as the creation of a number of excellent websites dedicated to the subgenre, which are extremely influential as regards the promotion of new bands and artists.
The commercial success of RPI has always been modest compared to the big bands from other countries. However, the quality of the music past and present, from its unique compositions to fiercely independent spirit, has earned the RPI subgenre some of prog's most loyal followers.
By:
Raffaella Berry
Michael Berry
Ryan Olsen
Jim Russell
Linus Wikström
Todd Dudley
For the Mick.
29 July 2009
Current RPI Team
Todd
Aussie-Byrd-Brother (Michael)
rdtprog (Louis)
Additional information:
Italian Prog - A dedicated RPI site
http://www.italianprog.com
Italian Prog Map - A superb blog by RPI writer Andrea Parentin
http://italianprogmap.blogspot.com/
Andrea Parentin's history of RPI (essential reading)
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33377&PID=2345095#2345095
Andrea Parentin's contemporary Italian prog (newer bands)
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=62150&FID=58
Movimenti Prog
http://www.movimentiprog.net
Centro Studi per il Progressive Italiano
http://www.centrostudiprogitaliano.it
John's Classic RPI blog - Another good blog on the "classic" era
http://classikrock.blogspot.com/
Arlequins - A prog rock webzine with much RPI content
http://www.arlequins.it/gb/index.asp
Where to buy Italian prog
Syn-phonic (USA) - http://www.synphonicmusic.com
Doug Larson (USA) - http://www.douglarsonimports.com
Kinesis (USA) - http://www.kinesiscd.com/index.html
Wayside (USA) - http://www.waysidemusic.com/
Mellow Records (Italy) - http://www.mellowrecords.com
BTF (Italy) - http://www.btf.it
Black Widow Records (Italy) - http://www.blackwidow.it
Camelot Music Store (Italy) - http://www.semanticweb.it/camelotstore/
Discogs - www.discogs.com
Rock Progressivo Italiano Top Albums
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Rock Progressivo Italiano overlooked and obscure gems albums
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CAMPO DI MARTECampo Di Marte |
LA DIVINA COMMEDIA Giro Strano, Il |
DIARIO DI VIAGGIO DELLA FESTA MOBILEFesta Mobile |
OPERA PRIMARustichelli & Bordini |
Latest Rock Progressivo Italiano Music Reviews
Apoteosi Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
siLLy puPPy
Collaborator PSIKE, JR/F/Canterbury & Eclectic Teams
APOTEOSI was one of the many Italian prog bands that emerged toward the tail end of the scene, managed to release a single
album and then disbanded never to be heard from again. This band emerged from Palmi in the Calabria region of Southern Italy
and was built around the nucleus of three siblings: Silvana, Massimo and Federico Idà. The band was notorious for being quite
young as the majority were teens at the time, however they had all been playing together for quite some time before finally getting
to this one and only eponymously titled album. This project was a family affair in every way possible since the father Salvatore Idà even got in on the action and released the album on his Said Records, however release didn't translate into any fame or fortune due to horrible distribution and even less than adequate exposure through marketing. This was basically a homegrown affair that has remained so until modern day when interest in the album has picked up due to the popular interest that has developed in everything 70s prog.
APOTEOSI is an awkward sounding album that seems to meander unpredictably. The main sources of reference seem to belong to the greats of the Italian era such as PFM and Banco but missing are the outstanding full-band instrumental interplay, the sizzling poetic prose and interestingly arranged composiitons that offer a a ceaseless parade of good old fashioned Italian prog passion. In fact the album seems to rely on the atmospheric meanderings through different keyboard sections that allow the weak vocal style of Silvana to play peek-a-boo every once in a while without any satisfying resolve.
Perhaps the most satisfying aspects of APOTEOSI are the excellent bass, guitar and keyboard interaction that do indeed crank out some seriously technically infused chops but they seem to get lost when the atmospheric parts find Silvana delivering some of the weakest lyrical deliveries on any progressive Italian album i've ever encountered. So woefully weak are her parts that it pretty much derails any possibly enjoyment for this album as a listening experience for no matter how graceful are the transitions, no matter how flirtatious are the flutes or jarringly brilliant are the rest of the band's roles, this one key ingredient falls flat.
One could scour the 70s of hundreds of examples of Italian prog and only come away with the fact that there was a glut of extremely competent examples of progressive rock that mixed and melded with every other musical style under the sun with some of the greatest vocalists ever to have appeared on recordings to follow suit. It almost seems that it's literally impossible for an Italian band to crank out a substandard album but i've found that APOTEOSI managed to create a substandard flop that rubs me the wrong way in about every way possible.
Firstly the drum parts are obnoxiously loud and sound canned. The mix is painful and the musical flow seems rather haphazard with the ultimate weaknesses coming from both the female and male vocal performances. This would've been a much better album if it was completely instrumental but even the compositional prowess isn't up to snuff, made especially more irrelevant considering this was unleashed as late as 1975. Yeah, there are some brilliant instrumental workouts here and there but overall this is one of the most unsatisfying Italian prog albums i've ever heard and i've heard and awful lot. Back in the vaults with this one.
Ancient Veil Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by TenYearsAfter
The roots of this release are in the early Nineties when Italian prog formation Eris Pluvia released its debut album entitled Rings
Of Earthly Light, 1991 to be more specific. Two band members decided to leave Eris Pluvia after this release: Alessandro Serri
(vocals, guitars and flute) and Edmondo Romano (wind instruments), soon they formed a new band named Ancient Veil. In 1995
this band released their eponymous debut album, then it took more than two decades before Anceit Veil produced the
successor entitled I Am Changing, in 2017. And one year later the live CD Rings Of Earthly Live, recorded in Teatro della Tosse in
Genoa (between May and November 2017), it contains music from the Eris Pluvia and Ancient Veil albums.The 12 tastefully arranged compositions on this live album sound very melodic and harmonic with a pleasant colouring by a wide range of instruments (especially saxophones and clarinet). The atmospheres shift flowing from dreamy to slow rhythms and bombastic eruptions. The one moment dreamy with tender piano, folky flutes or twanging acoustic guitar (like in the wonderful In The Rising Mist). The other moment a cheerful climate or a catchy beat with harder-edged electric guitar work and bombastic organ. The male vocals sound decent, often with a warm undertone.
My highlight is the epic Rings Of Earthly Light (17 minutes suite in 5 parts): lots of changing climates, breaks and accellarations and strong soli, from swinging piano to fiery electric guitar and screamy saxophone. The guest musician Valeria Caucino does a splendid job, what a beautiful voice!
For those who are into the more 'pastoral prog' (mellow folky atmospheres, with hints from Celeste and early PFM), blended with more dynamic and bombastic parts, this is a wonderful album to discover.
My rating: 3,5 star.
This review was recently published on the Dutch progrock website Background Magazine.
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
The Crow
Prog Reviewer
Plain and simple, I can say that Storia Di Un Minuto is one of my favorite prog-rock albums of the 70's!A marvelous record almost from beginning to end with some influences from Genesis, but with an incredible romantic Italian flavor which makes the hearing of Storia Di Un Minuto an unique and unforgettable experience.
I especially like the masterful work in keyboards, the splendid acoustic sections, the beautiful singing of Franco Mussida, the orchestral elements and the good rhythmus that this album has which makes this disc truly enjoyable, despite some forgettable moments like the overlong jazz ending of Dove?Quando? Part 2 and the bit disjointed La Carroza di Hans.
However, the albums is short, addictive and very well written!
Best Tracks: Impressioni di Settembre (a very good example of the music of this band), E Festa (funny and with great keyboards) and Dove?Quando? Part 1 (just incredibly delicate)
Conclusion: Storia Di Un Minuto is an almost flawless example of the best 70's prog-rock. It has some influences of similar acts like Genesis and Yes, but just like the Spanish band Triana they were able to mix these elements with other sounds of their own country like folk, medieval and romantic Italian music to create something unique, beautiful and truly remarkable.
A much-recommended piece of true progressive music!
My rating: ****
Panda Fight Club Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
Panda Fight Club come from Meda, a town located in an area called Brianza, not far from Milan. The band came to life
in 2009 and immediately started to work on a concept album telling the story of the last panda, an animal of rare
beauty condemned to extinction by the ruthless laws of natural selection, a bit like progressive rock. The musical
palette of Panda Fight Club mainly draw on seventies influences and bands such as Premiata Forneria Marconi,
Biglietto per l'Inferno or De De Lind, but they're not stuck in the past and you can hear in their sound also elements of
metal and hard rock mixed with a good deal of irony and freshness. The current line up features Christian Colombo
(drums), Dario Errigo (keyboards, Moog), Federico Nespoli (guitar), Lorenzo Nespoli (bass) and Simone Pagani (vocals).
Their debut album, entitled Ultimo (The last one), was digitally self-released in 2015 while the physical copy on CD
followed in 2016. In my opinion it's an amazing work and it's really worth listening to. The beautiful instrumental opener "Heihe 2058 (Overture)" sets the atmosphere and takes us in the dreamy world portrayed by the beautiful art cover painted by keyboardist Dario Errigo. There's an excellent interaction between guitar and keyboards perfectly backed by a brilliant rhythm section... Let's go! China, year 2058. In a forest on the mountains still lives a Panda, the last one...
With a sudden change of scenery "Fame senza fine" (Endless hunger) takes us in the middle of a banquet. The theatrical, almost operatic vocals play the role of the master of the house: a powerful, unscrupulous, voracious tycoon whose richness and haughtiness seem to have no limit. His greediness and gluttony are enormous, Pantagruel or Gargantua if compared with him were just picky people without appetite, he can have everything but he wants more, something particularly rare and precious... For his next banquet, the main course has to be the last panda on Earth!
Back to our hero! "Ultimo" (The last one) begins by an electric guitar arpeggio, then soaring vocals come in to play the role of the solitary panda wandering in a forest with no borders. The atmosphere is tense and melancholic, the mood of the protagonist is blue while the forest is compared to a cage without bars nor locks. Desperate, downhearted, sole survivor of a species on the brink of extinction... Ultimo is the name they gave to him, a name that sounds as a sentence to death.
The sarcastic "Animalisti" (Animal activists) marks another change of scenery and introduce us to another kind of danger that threatens the poor animal. The music here every now and again recalls Area and Magma while the frenzied vocals play the role of some intransigent, crazy animal activists speaking up for animals rights. They want to capture Ultimo to compel him in some way to breed and extract from him some blood and DNA samples to clone him and preserve in this way his species...
The aggressive "Caccia nuova" (New Hunt) describes another threat for the panda, a merciless hunter. Here the vocals play the role of the human predator and try to express the feelings of the hunting man and the reasons that push him set off on and adventurous journey just for the pleasure of killing his prey. The predator comes to life where the prey dies, a new hunting trip begins...
Back to our panda! "Braccato" (Chased) is a frenzied piece that describes the last moments of freedom of Ultimo and his breathtaking efforts to run away and escape from all the people who want to capture him. Eventually, who is the winner? We don't know. The track ends by the sound of a shot...
The psychedelic, almost mystical "Sogno alla chetamina" (Ketamine dream) tell us that the gun used to shoot at the panda was loaded with a powerful narcotic. In fact, ketamine is a medication mainly used for starting and maintaining anaesthesia that provokes a trance-like state while providing pain relief, sedation, and memory loss. Now the poor animal is dreaming, and in his dream he changes into a blue mammoth with the wheels, a bus, a dodo, he's falling down in a deep abyss... You can hear also some voices speaking around him, speaking to him. There are some doctors who try to wake him up...
The surreal "Il risveglio" (Awakening) ends the album with a coup de théatre. Slowly the silence is broken by the rain, the fog clears, the protagonist emerges from his state of unconsciousness and... Surprise! The panda is not a panda but a man who can see the light of a new, brighter day. He's not alone any more but just a man among other men. Anyway the relief last a while since he still feels as a sole survivor in his heart...
On the whole, a very good album with a curious storyline!
Il Rumore Bianco Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
After the first promising EP, Il Rumore Bianco worked hard on their compositions for their first full length album
entitled "Antropocene" (Anthropocene) that was recorded at the Sotto il Mare Recording Studios in Verona, released in
late 2016 on Altrock/Fading Records and distributed by Ma.Ra.Cash Records. It features a renewed line up with
Alessandro Zara (lead vocals), Michele Zanotti (guitars, sax), Giacomo Banali (guitars), Thomas Pessina (keyboards,
piano, organ, synth) and Alessandro Danzi (bass). During the recording sessions they were helped by some former
members of Side C and Il Rumore Bianco such as Andrea Sbrogiò (drums), Umberto Sartori (drums), Federico Lonardi
(electric guitar) and Eddy Fiorio (synth) while Carlo Cappiotti is credited as a guest backing vocalist on one track. The
title of this work refers to a proposed epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on the
Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change (definition taken from
wikipedia) and the art cover by Davide Zuanazzi gives an idea of the musical and lyrical content of the album...The nervous opener "Al crepuscolo dell'anima" (At the dusk of soul) tells about the contrast between the tendence of humanity to self-destruction by means of wars and violence and men's need of love and self-respect. The piece ends with the noise of a shot after a quote from a speech by J.F. Kennedy (Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961). Confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent...
The caustic, abrasive "Mediocrazia" (Mediocracy) depict the loss of the sense of identity of a man who feels lost among other people and reflects about how difficult is to get rid of the sense of mediocrity that rules in the modern society and emerge from the mass.
The jazz-rock "Il capitale umano" (The human capital) every now and again could recall Area and tries to convey a strong criticism against consumerism and all the behaviours that can transform a man into a member of a herd without personality. Programmed obsolescence of creation, dictatorship of money and selfishness, structural classism, drugs and tobacco addiction... Like a broken compass men get lost in a place where time stands still.
The following "Tempio pallido" (Pale temple) starts by a delicate piano passage and features a dreamy atmosphere. It depicts a kind of transcendental experience in a parallel world where you can feel really free, where there's nothing to touch, there's no time nor dimension, no boss nor money, no temple nor gates. Your soul can wander everywhere without limits, resting in peace for the eternity...
The dark, jazzy "Tephlon (Club)" is an inspired instrumental track that leads to the long, complex "Il giudice e il bugiardo" (The judge and the liar) that depicts in a surreal way the trial of a man who passed away, drowned in his silence. The music starts by a slow pace, the atmosphere is filled with mystery and jazzy touches. Hanged on a rope and dragged into oblivion, now the protagonist is sitting on a chair in a judgement room crowded by abstract characters, in touch with the worst part of himself, trying to reanimate what he's not any more... Then rhythm and tension rise. The protagonist observes the scene from the outside like a fake man who observes a liar to eradicate worn out emotions, looking for hidden truths smothered by endless lies... Always trying to wake up what he is no more!
The title track ends the album. "Antropocene" (Anthropocene) is divided into two parts. The first one starts by delicate piano chords and dreamy vocals. A man with a bitter-sweet smile who is coming to the end of his journey takes a sit beside your opaque thoughts? The second part is more aggressive and theatrical vocals begin asking questions about ethic and morality, common sense and social networks. The tone becomes accusatory when touching issues as egocentrism and hypocrisy to stir your conscience, hoping to wake you up from your guilty numbness, sooner or later... A very good conclusion!
On the whole, a very nice album that needs many listening and a good comprehension of the lyrics to be fully appreciated.
Il Rumore Bianco Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
From the ashes of Side C and on the initiative of Thomas Pessina, Michele Zanotti and Alessandro Danzi, in 2012 came to life a new band named Il Rumore Bianco that by the end of 2013 self-released an interesting EP entitled "Mediocrazia" with a line up featuring Eddy Fiorio (vocals, synth), Michele Zanotti (guitars, sax), Federico Lonardi (guitars), Thomas Pessina (keyboards, synth, vocals), Alessandro Danzi (bass) and Umberto Sartori (drums). According to their Facebook page, although the main source of inspiration is certainly progressive rock, Il Rumore Bianco (the name means White Noise) tried to shape a particular and personal style drawing also on jazz, electronic, ambient and post-rock and in my opinion the result is really good... "Mediocrazia" is a kind of mini concept album dealing with social and introspective themes that starts with "Tutto un sogno (Parte I)" (All A Dream, Part I), a track describing in music and words the crises of a man crushed by the daily grind, unsatisfied and downhearted, who tries to find an escape in alcohol and pills and wishes to go through his looking-glass, a bit like Alice in Wonderland, to see what lies beyond his nightmares...
Next comes the melancholic "Il vestito buono" (The Sunday dress) that tells about the efforts of the protagonist to write a letter to his ex-girlfriend who left him in the middle of his personal crises, leaving him alone, prisoner of his doubts and of his lack of self-esteem...
The introspective, nervous "Il primo attore" (The first actor) describes in words and music the reflections of the protagonist who slowly becomes aware of his condition and feels the need to change. He realizes that he lost the right way and got trapped in the perverted logic of false myths and conformism. Now he feels like a baby who wakes up to be catapulted from his world of dreams full of expectations into a dull reality...
The long, complex "Tutto un sogno (Parte II)" ends the EP. The atmosphere is ethereal and dreamy. In the abstract world of his dreams the protagonist feels confident and at ease, he does not have to tell lies to survive pretending to be what he's not. He would like to remain in this world where he can set free his imagination but... He's aware that as soon as the dream will melt away he'll be again a slave of reality. He closes his eyes because he knows that tomorrow is going to be another gloomy day...
On the whole, a good work that deserves a try! You can listen to the complete EP on bandcamp...
Side C Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
The live EP "Andare via..." (Going Away) was self-released by Side C in 2011 with a renewed line up featuring Laura Bressan (vocals), Michele Zanotti (guitar), Thomas Pessina (keyboards, piano, vocals), Alessandro Danzi (bass) and Andrea Sbrogiò (drums). It was recorded on June 18, 2011 during a concert at the Blocco Music Hall in San Giovanni Lupatoto, Verona. It shows the improvements of the band on stage and gives us the chance to listen to four previously unreleased,
interesting new tracks that would have deserved a better fortune and a place in the set list of an official studio work. The
performance was very good and the theatrical, confident vocals by Laura Bressan stand out backed by skilled musicians... But this line up did not last long and, unfortunately, Side C never reached the goal of releasing a properly recorded full length album before disbanding. Their legacy lies here and we can only imagine what the band would have done if things had gone differently by listening to these tracks on their Myspace or on YT...
Side C Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
Side C were a young band from Verona "marked by diverse approaches, mainly stylistic, with contaminations ranging
from blues to funky-jazz and hard rock, always within the boundaries of progressive rock" (Jim Russell). Despite some line
up changes, they had been active performing live on a local basis from 2006 to 2012 and in this period self-released two
demos: "Stati d'alienazione" (2009) and the live "Andare via..." (2011). The first one was recorded by a line up with Laura
Bressan (vocals), Michele Zanotti (electric and acoustic guitars), Thomas Pessina (piano, organ, synth), Giulio Stevanoni
(drums) and Paola Cantachin (bass, keys). It features four nice tracks, three sung in Italian and one in English.The opener, "L'imperfezione" (The imperfection), is an ironic piece about the endless flaws of the human race and has a solemn pace and powerful, passionate vocals. The second track, "L'altro lato" (The other side), starts with an acoustic guitar arpeggio and soaring keyboards that remind me of Le Orme, then a jazzy interlude follows and leads you through a dark, dreamy path in search for the hidden sides of the human nature driven by excellent vocal parts. "Slowly Dies" is the only track sung in English and in my opinion the less convincing one while the complex, introspective closer "Nuova speranza" (New Hope) is a kind of glance towards the sky in search for new light coming from a man who feels like a wax mask looking for new experiences... Well, if you find my words too confused or hermetic have a try and listen to this work on MySpace or YT!
All in all, despite the inexperience of the band, in my opinion on this demo EP you can find many good ideas and appreciate the great potential of the musicians involved.
Oscillazioni Alchemico Kreative (O.A.K.) Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by TenYearsAfter
After current Italian progrock sensations Andrea Orlando and DAAL here's another stunning new Italian progrock effort,
named O.A.K. (Oscillazioni Alchemico Kreative). The prime mover, composer and musical brainchild is multi-instrumentalist
Jerry Cutillo. In the early Seventies he witnessed Genesis, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Yes and Frank Zappa in the legendary
Roman venue PalaEUR, as a young adolescent. This inspired him to learn to play organ, acoustic guitar and flute, his first
bands was Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale when he was 15. In the Eighties he had a hit single with We Just, under the name
Moses. Early 1993 Jerry founded O.A.K., in 2015 the band released their debut entitled Viandanze and in 2018 the second
album Girodano Bruno.Giordano Bruno was born as Filippo Bruno in 1548, in the Kingdom of Naples, Italy, as a son of a soldier. He studied at a monastry (he was taught about Aristoteles) and became a priest in 1572. His taste for free thinking and forbidden books soon caused difficulties and in 1573 he fled from Italy and Giordano started a long journey through Europe. When he finally returned to Italy a few months later he was arrested for blasphemy and heresy, and put in prison in 1593. After seven years of trial Pope Clement VIII declared Bruno a heretic and the Inquisition issued a sentence of death in 1600. He was hung upside down naked before he was finally burned at the stake. A very cruel and sad end for a man who nowadays is considered as a 'courageous free thinker' and a 'martyr for science'. Because his daring and innovative ideas and work had much influence on later scientists and philosophers.
This awesome musical project named O.A.K. has succeeded to translate Giordano Bruno his fascinating and eventful life in a captivating, varied and dynamic musical journey. And isn't that what genuine progressive rock is about?! Especially the variety in the 14 tracks, and within the songs is incredible. The one moment dreamy with warm twanging acoustic guitars and strong Italian vocals (evoking Jethro Tull's Aqualung era) or tender piano and delicate flute traverse. The other moment bombastic with fat synthesizer flights, powerful Hammond organ runs and majestic Mellotron layers or a mid-tempo featuring a propuslive rhythm-section. The variety in styles is also a very pleasant element: from obvious acoustic Jethro Tull inspired atmospheres or Classic Italian Prog (echoes of PFM) to avant-garde with swirling flute traverse and sumptuous Mellotron violins or hints from the Italian troubadour Angelo Branduardi (in Sandali Rossi, including a beautiful Mellotron choir sound). And O.A.K. delivers a superb rendion of Camille Saint Saens his Dance Macabre: a cheerful and dynamic climate with sparkling flute play and dreamy Mellotrons, blended with the sound of cynical laughs, classical meets prog, how exciting!
The instrumentation on this album is breathtaking, not only Jerry Cutillo as a very versatile multi-instrumentalist, from guitars and keyboards to flute, mandolin, tubular bells and tin whistle. But also his wide range of guest musicians: David Jackson (VDGG) with powerful saxophone work, Sonja Kristina (Curved Air) with a celestial vocal contribution (reminding me of The Great Gig In The Sky from Pink Floyd) in Diana/Morgana, Maartin Allcock (Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention) his solid bass in Dance Macabre and Richard Sinclair (Caravan) with tender piano and melancholical vocals in the wonderful Dreams Of Mandragora. In order to emphasize the international journey by Giordano Bruno, Jerry has written the compositions not only for Italian vocals but also English (in Dreams Of Mandragora and The Globe) and even German (in the exciting and alternating Wittenberger Fuchstanz, also feauring passionate English vocals by Jenny Sorrenti).
I am glad this band is finally on Prog Archives, highly recommended!
The first edition of this review was published a while ago on Dutch progrock website Background Magazine.
Delirium Rock Progressivo Italiano
Review by
andrea
Prog Reviewer
"Jesahel - Un viaggio lungo 20 anni" should probably be considered an official studio album by Delirium but reading
the book by Mauro La Luce that is dedicated to the history of the band (Il lungo viaggio, Zona Music Books, 2018) I
noticed that he even omitted to name it. It's not because of inaccuracy, the omission was deliberated. It's a fact that
many prog sites do not list it at all or consider this work just a compilation album... Of course, it's not an essential
album for a progressive rock fan, but why deny its existence? Why the band disown it?The album was originally released in 1996 on NAR Records and later re-released with a different cover and a different title (Delirium, 2004, NAR International 11404-2). The line up here features three historic members of the band: Rino Dimopoli (vocals, keyboards), Pino Di Santo (vocals, drums) and Marcello Reale (vocals, bass). During the recording sessions they were helped by Alberto Radius (guitars), Stefano Previsti (keyboards), Andrea Bianchi (sax), Claudio Alifranchini (flute) and Alfredo Golino (drums). Together they re-recorded, with the new arrangements by Alberto Radius and Stefano Previsti, five tracks from the early seventies: two from the debut album "Dolce acqua" ("Dolce acqua" and "Favola o storia del lago di Kriss") and three from singles of the same period ("Jesahel", "Haum" and "Canto di Osanna"). The other pieces are brand new songs, four signed by Dimopoli - Di Santo - Reale ("Jerico", "Signora della notte", "Musicalità" and "Più tempo per sognare") and one by Dimopoli - Cassella ("Sola"). The focus is all on the pop side of Delirium's repertoire and prog fans would be deeply disappointed by the result. The new versions of the old tracks miss the charm of Ivano Fossati's vocals and the energy of the originals while the new tracks are just melodic pop songs...
Probably the release of this album in 1996 was just an attempt to put the band together after many years of inactivity and a way to try to have a new go but the project was ephemeral and this line up did not last long. As I said before, despite the great competence of the musicians involved, this is not a great album and for sure is not a progressive rock one. Nonetheless, it exists and apparently there would be no reason to disown it. Well, probably the problem is that its existence originated the ground for future painful legal issues.
In fact, in 2001, on the initiative of Pino Di Santo, came to life another incarnation of the band, the one that signed a deal with Black Widow Records and released some excellent prog albums such as "Il nome del vento" or "L'era della menzogna". Meanwhile Rino Dimopoli and Marcello Reale persisted in carrying on the melodic flag of the repertoire with new musicians. The branch with Pino Di Santo and other historic members such as Ettore Vigo and Martin Grice in the line up added the words International Progressive Group to the name Delirium while Dimopoli's band was simply called Delirium Project, kept on performing live and in 2016 released an album in a pop rock vein entitled Con i nostri occhi on K1 Records...
For prog fans Delirium IPG are the "real ones", those who really matter but if you are interested in melodic pop and like bands such as I Nomadi...
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