IO NON SO DA DOVE VENGO E NON SO DOVE MAI ANDRÒ, UOMO È IL NOME CHE MI HAN DATO

Here it goes, another great Italian one-shot band named De De Lind. 'Io Non So Da Dove Vengo e Non So Dove Mai Andrò, Uomo e' il Nome Che Mi han Dato' ('I don't know where I came from nor I know where I'm going to, Man is the name I've been given') is a concept disc revolved around existentialist subjects such as fate, free will and confusion: the repertoire is connected in a continuum, with some recurring motifs that help to keep a spirit of coherence to the whole. The record's predominat mood is quite sombre and reflective, as it might be expected. De De Lind runs along the same harsh prog road as their compatriots Jumbo (though not as bluesy) and Ossana (though not as heavy). I can notice that their main foreign inspiration is early VdGG, a source of energy whose influence is counterpointed by the presence of many folky passages. The contrasting alternance between the rocky parts and the acoustic moments kind of reminds me a bit of what Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno would do just one year later with a jazzy twist. On the other hand, de De Lind maintains a clear touch of hard rock thanks to the energetic guitar riffs and the punchy rhythm section: there's still some psychedelic nuances working on, but De De Lind never allows themselves to go too far at it. Though I enjoy the album as a unified whole, I regard tracks 3, 4 and 5 as my personal faves since I find them particularly impressive. The musicianship is not neckbreaking top-notch, and actually is only moderately refined, yet these guys were fairly capable of creating some great prog magic. I wish I could give this album an extra 1/2 star.