LA FINE NON ESISTE

What is it with this year having bands coming back after years without any new releases? We got a new Sleepytime Gorilla Museum record, the seventh Bondage Fruit album, and now a new recording from an Italian prog band that only released one record 50 years ago.

Semiramis is one of many prog bands that would only make one record back in the 70s, much like Opus-5, Crack, and Cervello. Some of these bands have either come back for a live show or two, maybe an archival release, or in rare cases such as this, go back into the studio to make some new material. Out of any comeback to come about this year, Semiramis wasn't even at the bottom of my list. I practically forgot about them to be honest, but them showing up now has brewed interest in me for the group.

I think with the invention of the internet, many people were exposed to the lesser known side of prog rock, and music in general. I am guessing Semiramis noticed some of the attention that their old 1973 record was gaining on sites like Progarchives or Italian Prog, which revitalized the remaining members to start the group up again, with some new pals to complete the band. However, the old members would leave, whether it be due to fatalities of illness, or not wishing to make a new album. This left the Semiramis name in the hands of a completely different line-up then what Dedicato a Frazz was. Despite this, I find this new line-up to keep the Semiramis name in a very stunning light, maybe a bit more than their debut.

A lot of modern day symphonic prog ideals usually fall into 1 of 2 categories, slightly symphonic tinged contemporary prog (Big Big Train and Phideaux), or retro prog (don't really need to give examples of this). There are also old bands that have lasted through to the 21st century and thus have tried to make symphonic prog records for their old audience, but they sound a bit more in-line with retro prog, and not what they have done in the past, like Kaipa for example. Semiramis, surprisingly enough, has done neither of these types of ideals, instead managing to sound a lot more like what they would make in the 70s, without managing to sound like every other retro prog, or even contemporary prog band on the block. To me, this was immediately apparent after the first song, and it was really surprising too. At first I thought I turned on the wrong album and was listening to a different Italian band, funnily enough. I was expecting a modern Yes, or a Kaipa type of deal here, so this was a really pleasant surprise.

The music here is also awesome, in my opinion. You aren't getting something super crazy here in this 35 minute venture. Like, you aren't getting a 20+ minute suite, or a 2 hour rock opera, but what you get here is still some high class prog. Filled with lots of emotions and beauty, with the last song here having a rather beautiful finale type of feel, and a lot of rather great vocals from Giovanni Barco makes this record a bit of a repeated listen for me, ever since it was first released. It even made me revisit their first record, and I know this may now be an unpopular opinion, but this certainly blows that record out of the water.

I also really like the production here. While the music sounds very classical in terms of prog rock, the production still manages to make everything sounds quite new and fresh, almost like this record was created in yesteryear, but only now had it been fully produced in its best output. It makes the record very enjoyable in my mind.

I suppose if I had a critique, I feel as though some of the songs do not leave as big an impact as others. Non chiedere a un Dio and Tenda rossa are good examples of this, with me not really finding much memorability for them, as compared to some of the big tracks like Sua Maestà il cuore and Cacciatore di ansie. The record also feels a tad short, but I have come to expect Italian prog to be a lot more on the shorter side, but still it leaves me feeling as if there is something rather missing in the album's length that could tie things a bit better.

Speaking of Sua Maestà il Cuore, that song is amazing. It starts off with this rather aggressive guitar melody, with Giovanni singing rather lushfully, yet with a rather harder mix. As it makes its way to the middle, it does a 180 and becomes this rather somber sounding--piano led medley that brings me a bit more emotion than I never expected, and ending off with this before it swings right back to the flavors the band is known for at the last few seconds. This track is honestly one of my instant favorites, and certainly a favorite from the Italian prog scene. It's the reason why I chose to review this record, and it's a masterpiece of sound, and emotion. Plus it has a very fun guitar solo, so what more could you want out of your finale to your comeback album?

All in all, a certainly entertaining record that was certainly unexpected. However, sometimes the most unanticipated releases can come about as a certain favorite, at least for me. Give this one a listen, especially if you really liked the group's record from 50 years ago.

Best tracks: Cacciatore di ansie, Donna dalle ali d'acciaio, Sua Maestà il cuore

Worst tracks: Non chiedere a un Dio, Tenda rossa