SEGNO D'ACQUA

OLOFERNE's third disc is their most modern and polished, with an energy hitherto only hinted at. While the mystical and ritualistic mood of their debut is long past, the group seems to have achieved a better balance than on their sophomore effort. In fact there is a bit of a retrenchment towards their folk roots albeit at a higher octane level. The sound remains highly informed by the increasingly confident vocals of Alessandro Piccioni and Giacomo Medici , and the delightful celtic meets classical violin of Giuseppe Cardamone.

The album opens very strongly with adaptations of various world rhythms to rock in "L'argonauta" and especially "Volver", which, along with the absolutely cracking "Controcanto", continue to conjure the landmark "Verita Nascoste" of LE ORME, proposing a dialectic cross between the vivacious alternative rock and somewhat lethargic prog. While here the base is decidedly more folky, "Il Segno D'Acqua" is definitely the preferred access to to the house of OLOFERNE for RPI fans. The mini suite of "Byzantium" followed by "Oggi I Pensieri Sono Alberi" might be especially noteworthy although I find it somewhat pedestrian and lacking in mission and development. The gorgeous ballad "La Piedra del Paranà" wraps up its 5 minutes with a frantic spoken word passage, a risky shift that pays dividends, in part because the violin regifts the original tune throughout.

When the menu in strictly rock, OLOFERNE doesn't fare so well, and "A Largo Di Punta Stilo" with, sadly, the plodding and unevolved title cut mar a disc which is nonetheless an improvement on its predecessor, and hopefully a signal of continued evolution. A strong 3 stars.