APOTEOSI

Apoteosi is yet another of the Italian bands that made one great album and vanished. The group core was the three Ida siblings whose father apparently got them a record deal and produced them. Massimo Ida, the keyboard player, was just 14 years old when this album was recorded. If you plan to add some Italian prog to your collection this should be a prime candidate. The music is a wonderful blend of melodic symphonic Italian prog with some jazzed up rhythm. Primarily a keyboard album it is filled with marvelous piano and moog but also a decent amount of electric leads. The drummer is tight and impressive with great moments throughout. One thing that makes Apoteosi unique is that we have the angelic voice of Silvana Ida on several tracks rather than the typical deep operatic male vocals one is used to on Italian albums. Her singing is a bit meek and too low in the mix but it is very pleasant. The sound is a bit of a problem on Apoteosi, there was obviously little budget and things sound a bit thin. But the music is solid, a little mysterious, and full of heart from people who were likely aware this album would be their only one. They made the most of it in my opinion. Sure you can detect the youth and inexperience in places but you'd be amazed how well they actually do.

"Embrion" is a short and shimmering keyboard introduction for the first half with the band charging in full force for the remainder. I read that the music was a fragmented mess of everyone's ideas and that there was no time to really hash things out so they just used the chaos to their advantage and explored all of them. At times it sounds that way but that's also part of the charm. "Prima Realta" at nearly 15 minutes is the centerpiece and is wonderful stuff. With lovely piano, acoustic guitar and flute, crisp drums and bass, and heavenly vocals from Ms. Ida this track is vintage Italian as beautiful as PFM. At about 6 minutes we get our first taste of the spacey keyboard effects that admittedly sound a bit dated but are pleasing nonetheless. And to top it all off, a stunning and energetic ending. Next is "Il Grande Dishumano" which is more energetic finesse and along with "Prima" is another superb track. We get some fuzzed-out psych guitar and a tight rhythm that would make Bruford proud. Next up is "Dimensione" which starts as a short vocal piece to piano and distance delicate electric leads. Drums come in around 2 minutes and things pick up. The title track is the closer and it is a fiery instrumental rocker which by the end makes you wish that Apoteosi had been given a chance to take their time and do a second album. I bet it could have been amazing. Definitely don't judge this book by its rather bland album cover!

This album is highly recommended for lovers of quality 70s symphonic prog. While I acknowledge there are a few flaws with the sound that along should not stop RPI fans from getting to this title eventually. The young people involved wear their hearts on their sleeves and that always helps win me over. Their love for this music they came up with is obvious. I want to close by quoting fellow reviewer Andrea Cortese who summed up what makes this really special: He writes "....this is a hymn to their homeland, a hymn of hope for the awakening from the numbness of that wonderful piece of our beloved country. All this passion and emotional involvement are the propulsive force of this great opus...." 7/10

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