SENZA NOME

Senza Nome is a young and very promising Italian progressive band from Marino (a small town near Rome - the same small town from where comes BMS) that was formed in 2003 on the initiative of Emanuele De Marzi and Stefano Onorati. After an intense live activity featuring a peculiar theatrical approach, in 2008 they released this very interesting eponymous self-produced debut album. Their main influences are the Italian prog masters of the early seventies like BMS, PFM and Area that they blend with an original touch and poetical lyrics. The opener "Illusioni di un'anima lontana" (Dreams of a distant soul) is a kind of suite divided in three parts. On the fist part "Tesi" (Thesis) from the very first notes you can perceive BMS influences melting then in a dreamy acoustic ballad (but the quality of Francesco Di Giacomo's vocals here are clearly missing!)... "She's so far / Her eyes are immense / And there are no borders / She can be everywhere she wants / Through the mountains / Or along the desert / This world is too small / For her wish to dream...". The second part, the instrumental "Antitesi" (Antithesis), breaks suddenly the dream with an aggressive "keyboards attack" (here BMS influences are even stronger) while on the third part "Sintesi" (Synthesis) a Latin rhythm is combined with interesting piano patterns... "She's so far / Sometimes I feel pity for her / For her way to travel and to dream / For her way to fight and to hope / For the way she deceive herself / To change a world that cannot get better". Good musical ideas but in my opinion a little bit confused...

The next track "Passi" (Steps) is a beautiful simple and delicate acoustic ballad that begins with recitative vocals declaiming some passages from Antoine De Saint-Exupery's novel "The Little Prince", it's the episode where the fox asks to the Little Prince to be tamed and the song is about the need to "establish ties"... "By now I will be with you forever... I will feel forever your steps inside my steps... In me there's your immensity / That will give me advice / In every single thought / In every single moment / We'll never be alone...".

The long and complex Tumore (Tumour) is probably the best track on the album, in the vein of early BMS' epics like "R.I.P." or "Metamorfosi". The piece is almost completely instrumental with many changes of rhythm and a short dramatic vocal part... "To be / To have a look / To feel pain / Living a life that you'll never know / There's a part of me that can't stand it / Tumour of the Universe..."

"Non sono mai esistito" (I was never born) try to blend Latin rock rhythms "à la Santana" with philosophical lyrics about the dichotomy between reality and unreality, but it's not on the same level of the other tracks...

The long complex "Ulisse" (Odysseus) is another great piece, featuring an epic atmosphere with lyrics inspired by the adventures of the Greek hero depicted by Homer and a recitative part freely taken from Dante Alighieri's "Divina commedia". There are many changes of rhythm and mood and very interesting instrumental breaks...

Good also "Si la do" (a short instrumental in the vein of BMS' Traccia with a touch of "Area") and the conclusive acoustic and delicate "Sopra a un pensiero" (Upon a thought).

There is also an enhanced "goliardic" video of "Si la do" but it's nothing special... The album features a beautiful art cover and a booklet with pictures and full lyrics: not a bad at all for a completely self- produced and self-distributed work (it can be purchased directly from the official website of the band)...

This album is not flawless, but on the whole it's a very good work for an emerging band that deserves credit...