LA VALLE DEI TEMPLI

I'm a big fan of their previous two albums but this one is a step down from those two in my opinion. It's still a good record but it seems lighter with maybe a more commercial flavour when compared to the previous two recordings.

"Tamale' is a fantastic tune. An energetic Fusion track with some outstanding electric piano and bass. One of my two favourites on here. "La Valle Dei Templi" opens dramatically before settling down with a vocal melody. A change before 3 minutes as it kicks into a higher gear. Guitar takes the lead a minute later. "Looping" is led by sax and drums then piano and bass takes over. Contrasts continue. "Mistero Della Firefly" kicks in after a minute before settling again 2 1/2 minutes in as contrasts continue. Nice guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in. "Pensieri" features some good piano melodies. "Periplo" is catchy with lots of sax. So much going on before 4 minutes.

"Eucalyptus" is a short piece that opens with guitar then settles. "Alba Di Un Mondo" has an interesting atmosphere to it. "Cantilena" is fairly laid back with piano to open. "2000 E Due Notti" has lots of atmosphere before it kicks in after 2 1/2 minutes and becomes surprisingly heavy. It settles back after 4 minutes. "Un Cerchio Giallo" opens with gentle guitar in this mellow beginning. It picks up after 2 minutes as piano joins in. This is my other top two track.

3.5 stars. I actually listened to this right after reviewing their previous two albums but felt back then it wasn't nearly as good. So I decided to take a break and come back to it in a few months, which I did. I still feel the same though.