FRONTIERA

One of the nice things about this website is that the many reviews help you discover bands you hadn't heard before. For me, a real eye opener was the discovery of Italian prog. Since I've been reading reviews and been listening to the audio samples, I have become a big fan of the italian scene. Bands like Banco, PFM, Museo Rosenbach, Le Orme, to name a few have really grabbed me. And there are much more of these bands to discover.

One of those bands is Procession. I was surprised that their debut album wasn't reviewed yet. It was released in 1972 and it contains beautiful, melodic, at times heavy, guitar driven progressive music. The songs are very dynamic with quiet acoustic guitar passages. It ranges from acoustic folky music to heavy hardrock (and anything in between). The lyrics of the songs are supposed to deal with immigration.

This being the first review of the album can't have anything to do with the quality of the album, because it is very good. I personally add it to my list of excellent Italian symphonic prog. And now on to the next discovery.

A lesser known act among the Italian prog bands of the 70's and formed in early 1972 in Turin,PROCESSION were an idea of singer Gianfranco Gaza.In April 1972 the band started to perform in local base,but the next month, with the help of artistic director Tuccimei Pino,they found themselves unsigned but performing before 50000 people (!) at the biggest rock event of Italy,the Villa Pamphili Festival.In October PROCESSION move to Rome and record their debut ''Procession'' within a week,distributed by the smaller label of RCA,Help.

This is a great find for lovers of guitar-driven hard prog,as the band features two talented guitarists (Roby Munciguerra,Marcelo Capra),though it contains a few suprises as well.Plenty of hard guitar breaks,some nice soloing but also a few dual guitar attacks makes ''Frontiera'' a classic rock release presented under a progressive scope.When Munciguerra and Capra put the electric stuff down,then they handle their majestic acoustic instruments (among them some mandolin parts) to color the album with Mediterranean soundscapes and a more traditional/Italian musicianship.Surprisingly in ''Incontro'' there are also some nice and delicate flutes,while the following ''Anche io sono un uomo'' contains a fair amount of melodic mellotron,getting close to the more typical sound of Italian prog!I won't forget about Gaza,who has a sharp and rockin' voice,making overall an impressive performance,often doubled by Munciguerra in a few choir-like harmonies.

Despite the almost fuzzy guitars and its pure power,''Frontiera'' has a good balance between raw passages and melodic lines and the acoustic parts add a touch of originality on this album.Recommended mostly for fans of dynamic heavy prog with an undenieable Mediterranean approach.

This has become one of my all time favourite Italian releases. PROCESSION features dual lead guitars and a vocalist (Gianfranco Gaza) that takes a back seat to no one. Gianfranco would also guest on ARTI E MESTERI's second album.The guy can flat out sing. No keyboards here but there is mellotron on a couple of tracks. This isn't just a Hard Rock album either as we get a lot of acoustic guitar which sounds so good especially when the two of them are playing together.

"Ancora Una Notte" opens with acoustic guitar but then it turns dark and heavy quickly. A calm follows. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes with acoustic guitar. It's building. How good does this sound when the electric guitar comes in. A guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in. Love when the guitar mimics the vocals. "Uomini E Illusioni" opens with some nice raw guitar then drums and deep bass join in. Incredible sound ! Vocals a minute in as the guitar lights it up. "Citta Grande" is pastoral to start with acoustic guitar. Vocals join in quickly and we get a full sound after a minute. Contrasts continue. What a fantastic tune. The guitar solo before 3 minutes is tasteful then it turns heavy. It ends as it began. "Incontra" features strummed guitar throughout. Vocals join in quickly. Some flute and mellotron in this one.

"Anche Io Sono Un Uomo" is melancholic early with vocals, guitar and drums standing out. Mellotron comes in as the guitar solos. Some ripping guitar and vocals 3 minutes in. Nice. "Un Monde Di Liberta" is the longest track at around 8 1/2 minutes. Acoustic guitar to open then it turns aggressive before a minute. Acoustic guitar only (like the intro) takes over before 4 minutes. Vocals a minute later. Vocal melodies after 6 minutes then it gets fuller. How good is this ! "Solo 1" is a rip roaring tune. Vocals before a minute as the guitars offers up some blistering solos. It settles 2 minutes in with some gorgeous acoustic guitar. There's even a psychedelic flavour late. The intro makes me laugh on "Un'ombra Chevaga". It's loud and not pleasing to the ears at all. In other words it's great. A calm 2 minutes in as acoustic guitar and reserved vocals take over. Some vocal melodies follow. "Solo 2" opens with the guitars and harmonica on fire. Vocals before a minute. A very cool ending to this song and album as we get this explosive sound then it turns haunting.

Thankyou Todd !! And thankyou Gianfranco ! This album pushes all the right buttons for me.

Procession are an Italian prog band from Turin that was formed in 1972. On their debut album, "Frontiera" the line up featured Gianfranco Gaza (vocals, harmonica), Angelo Girardi (bass, electric mandolin), Marcello Capra (electric and acoustic guitar), Giancarlo Capello (drums, percussion) and Roby Munciguerra (electric and acoustic guitar). The album was recorded in a week in Rome for the Help label. The music alternates hard and raw passages with electric guitars in the forefront to delicate and reflexive atmospheres where acoustic passages prevail. It's a concept album that deals with the problem of immigration from Southern Italy to the North and its industrialized cities like Turin or Milan. Lyrics were signed by Marina Comin, the same lyricist as Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno's "Per... un mondo di cristallo".

The opener "Ancora una notte" (One more night) opens with an acoustic guitar arpeggio, then the electric guitar and the rhythm section bring in a dark sense of impending change. Lyrics describe the last night of an immigrant before leaving his native village for the big city and an uncertain destiny... "One more night and the train will set off / But in this last night I can't sleep / I've waited too long for this day / Now I'm scared / I fear that my life could end there...". The body is going to leave but the roots are not broken yet and this contrast is underlined by the music.

"Uomini e illusioni" (Men and illusions) starts with a fiery electric tarantella (that could remind of PFM's "E' festa"). Lyrics describe the train carrying its burden of men and illusions while running through Italy, from South to North, men who feel strangers in their own Homeland... "I will have to live my life / Like a clown compelled to smile / Even when his son is dying / I can't show any pain...".

"Città grande" (Big city) opens with a delicate acoustic arpeggio, music and lyrics describe the arrival in the big city and the feeling of pain for family and home left behind, the struggle for a job, then the feeling of hope for a better world and society where people can survive without leaving home... "Big city I'm here... I left my mother, my girlfriend and perhaps my joy to live / But hope makes me go on / And I will live of hope...".

"Incontro" (Meeting) is a joyful ballad featuring strummed acoustic guitar and flute. Music and lyrics describe the meeting between the protagonist and a boy about twenty years old. The boy talks about friendship, love, freedom and equality... "We're all alike / You can find thousand friends / If you look for them with your heart / There are no limits / If you live into love...".

"Anche io sono un uomo" (I'm a man as well) is a delicate and melancholic track about equality and awareness. The protagonist thanks the boy for the new hope but then awareness that not everyone thinks in the same way rises... "How many people treat me like a man and don't judge me? / How many people did understand that I'm a man like you?".

The long and complex "Un mondo di libertà" (A world of freedom) is more aggressive. It starts softly but then fiery electric guitars start storming enraged notes. Then vocals come in and tension slackens... "You have lost your freedom / But I'm not speaking with you just because of pity / There's a whole world around you that loves you like me / It's true that everyone here minds just to his own business / But you are a man and you'll find your way...". Lyrics are a kind of preach against resignation, all in all every place is the same and life is not so bad...

"Solo 1" (Alone) begins as an electric rock and roll... "Alone again, alone again in the big city / You look around you / Trying to understand where to go...". Then rock and roll melts in something very different and moody...

"Un ombra che vaga" (A wondering shadow) begins with hard guitar riffs shaping a troubled and desperate mood... Then comes a sudden change of atmosphere and acoustic guitar and vocals describe what seems to be just a wondering shadow, a living ghost... "Your future life is like a dark shadow / You see your hopes into the eyes of the night / Houses seem big but they are colourless / You would like to be at home / But you can't come back....". Then, on "Solo 2" rock and roll and loneliness are back for another desperate ride in the big city... "Alone again, alone again in the big city / You look around you / Trying to understand where to go...".

Hopes and disappointments, rage and love, friendship and loneliness, hard rock and acoustic passages... On the whole a very good album with good ideas and some ingenuities.

One of the main attractions of the RPI scene is the wide variety of styles and originality emanating from that scene. For the better known acts like PFM, Banco and Le Orme we can trace references to ELP and VDGG, but those references only capture part of the magic that lies contained within.

When it comes to Procession we have another RPI band for which I can't come up with any obvious references to UK acts. The band can be roughly placed on the wilder side of RPI acts such as Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Cervello, Semiramis or Osanna but actually we have something entirely unique here. This band plays a kind of hard rock, but with lots of atmospheric acoustic guitar sections balancing out the raw and jagged parts.

With each of the 9 pieces marvellous in their own right, the band really excel at writing memorable tunes. The singer's emotional wail is downright excellent. The music is not symphonic but sure progressive, as evidenced by its intricate arrangements and short but adventurous song structures.

There's a lot to discover on this album so it will need its time to fully reveal itself, but the nice part is that it is also very immediate and will rock its way right through your heart from the first listen. If you really want some UK references let's give one that is both absurd and at the same time not too far-fetched really. This is the 1972 RPI version of In Absentia! Good luck now.

Frontiera, the first on of only two albums from Procession is perhaps not quite as widely regarded amongst RPI fans as the mellower Fiaba, but to my ears is its equal and the more exciting of the two.

Released in 1972 Frontiera is a guitar driven album alternating between acoustic restraint and bombastic heavy rock. In Gianfranco Gaza they have a vocalist perfectly suited to the more histrionic approach of heavy rock singers and the band consisting to a large extent of guitars, bass and drums with a bit of mandolin, mellotron and the obligatory flute turn in a fine performance moving between the light and shade and heavier moments with conviction and ease. A strong record throughout includes some special moments like the mandolin driven Incontra, Anche Lo Sono Un Uomo coloured with some lovely mellotron work and they're at their most powerful on Un Mondo Di Liberta. It's a stunning heavy rock/proto-metal tour de force for the first three minutes with a riff Metallica would be proud of. The second half enters into acoustic mode and this contrasting piece is the highlight of the album. One of the riffs from this piece returns briefly for Un'ombra Chevaga before closing with a beautiful acoustic section. This is bookended by Solo and Solo 2 and there's a feel of continuity for the second half of the album even though they're individual tracks.

Frontiera is an album of contrasts that will most likely appeal not only to RPI fans but has a lot to offer heavy rock lovers too. Highly recommended.

Frontiera has it all - heavy guitars, shimmering folk passages, confident singing, powerful drumming and even some Mellotron - wrapped up in a convenient package you can carry with you (literally...the LP had a handle). Though it did take a while for me to warm to Procession, the group is unique in the realm of RPI since they don't really fit the traditional mold; classically-inspired motifs are nary to be found, instead favored by molten riffs a la Black Sabbath mixed with regional sensibilities. The band from northern Italy created a lyrically thematic tale of immigration and desegregation, which were apparently hot-button issues in Torino at the time. The lyrics are lost on me but the push and pull between heavy prog aggression and whimsical flair speaks for itself; Frontiera succeeds on a musical level so much so that I would recommend it to all RPI listeners.

For a 1972 album, Frontiera sounds well recorded and produced. The small Help! label folded shortly after this release, leaving the band on hiatus for nearly two years until they signed with Fonit. I would describe Procession as a cross between Flea and early Il Balletto di Bronzo with Robert Plant singing. The guitars are also reminiscent of Led Zeppelin at times, particularly in the extensive use of 12-string. The instrument opens "Ancora Una Notte," drums and fuzz guitar join in, and massively booming bass feeds back before the whole thing roars to a stop. Acoustic guitar supports vocalist Gianfranco Gaza, whose distinctive voice gives the group exactly the gravitas it needs. "Uomini e Illusioni" features some dual-guitar riffage...again the bass is enormously omnipresent and sounds great. Drums jam and bounce while Gaza floats along the top of the whole thing. This is good, good stuff. We transition right into "Citta' Grande," my favorite song so far, and an epic middle section reminds us this is definitely RPI. A multitude of harmonized guitars and bass give way to a classical guitar interlude which somberly closes the song.

"Incontro" displays classic Torinese spirit, using mandolin and tamborine to achieve a singalong effect. This fades right into "Anche Io Sono Un Uomo" which is a dark, brooding piece amply colored with Mellotron strings. "Un Mondo Di Liberta" is the song that elevates Frontiera from three to four stars in my opinion; the song contains quite possibly the most thunderous riff in all of Italian Prog and drums that sound like fireworks going off. But this is just half the story - the eight-minute piece changes abruptly at the halfway mark, leaving Gaza to sing with only acoustic guitar support. Eventually drums and bass enter and contribute accordingly. The "Solo/Un'Ombra Che Vaga" medley starts off with straight rock swagger and then fades to another 12-string section with some clean tones added for good measure. This brief respite is plundered by a reappearance of The Riff, of which I can never get enough anyway. Finally "Solo 2" reprises its predecessor with some harmonica and lead guitar thrown in. I can't say enough good things about Frontiera and will leave it at that.

Italy's best kept secret

I've loved this album from the very first day I heard it. Truly love at first listen, a bizarre addictive love no less, and the feeling hasn't diminished with the years - on the contrary, Procession's debut Frontiera is still very close to my heart. Ditching the whole synth race, these guys opted for a more earthy and basic instrumentation with a ravine of acoustic guitars, raw frenetic electrified guitar licks, walking bass lines, punchy acute, and at times heavy as hell, drumming, flute and a bitter-sweet vocalist, who means the world to me.

Like I've mentioned countless of times before, I have no real understanding of the beautiful Italian language, which in turn means that it can mean whatever the hell my mind makes it into. On here I've decided that the singing is just so damn gorgeous in itself, that I'm not even slightly interested in finding out what he's singing about. For all I care, it could be the world's creation, zebras, eternal youth or difficult sore love. It expresses nothing and everything at the same time for me.

Opposite the heavy hits of this baby, you find a sprawling folky and highly melodic side of the band. This is where the old rural traditional music begins to shine through, and you effectively get the most alluring wisps of the warm romantic Italian countryside. 4th cut called Incontra very elegantly puts my words to shame though. The mandolin playing is inspiring on this sucker, and together with the tweeting bird like flute, the music really takes off. A thousand sun ripened tomatoes couldn't dream of relegating the same kind of endemic feel, as this tune does.

Later on, in between brilliantly melodic almost symphonic and always highly imaginative pieces, one particular track stands out to me. Un Mondo Liberta(A free world) manages to take all that's powerful and vibrant in Frontiera and squeeze into a good 8 minutes of progressive folk, scratching raw guitar rock and what genuinely sounds like Italian Doo wop(A prominent and most delicious feature throughout the playing time of this gem actually).

Like a sudden brutal awakening from a stormy and huge dream, a wild rocking guitar shoots through the airwaves following the lengthy piece, and when you've finally gotten well into the groove of this granite creature, the mood changes for the more quiet and delicate, small dozy guitar figurines start swirling slowly about, and you get hit with a frail goosebumps inducing guitar feedback. It says it all really. There's so much life and soul in this recording, it'll have your blood vessels doing the jig.

If you're into the heavier side of the Italian scene - ie Cervello, Biglietto per L'Inferno, Semiramis and Metamorfosi, then you'll probably want to move together with this album, find a small apartment somewhere and just hang out till one of you needs food, electricity or sex.

A full-on rock album more in the vein of Classic Rock bands LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, and THIN LIZZY; I hear very little progressive rock music here.

1. "Ancora Una Notte" (5:24) blues rock of the CREAM kind with a powerful singer. Unfortunately, the guitar play and riffs and the vocal melody line get old real fast and never really develop or shift. (7.5/10)

2. "Uomini E Illusioni" (2:42) a full-on rock anthem in the YARDBIRDS, DEREK AND THE DOMINOES, and THIN LIZZY tradition. The highly touted drummer is not as impressive to me as the twin guitars are. Nor is the powerful but almost monochromatic voice of Gianfranco Gaza. (8.5/10)

3. "Citta Grande" (5:15) gently played acoustic guitar over which Gianfranco sings--this time with some nice emotional nuance (reminding me a bit of JAQUES BREL). The song bursts into a "la-la'la" sing along with some more dynamic full-band instrumentation (though the acoustic guitars continue) but then settles back down for Gianfranco's second verse. The drummer's fills to transition are rather sloppy and over-filled. The first good song though it still has a fairly straightforward blues rock chord structure (very much like CREAM's "White Room" or ZEPPELIN's "Rambler" or even THE EAGLES' "Hotel California"). The twin electric guitar passages again remind me of Thin Lizzy--though these guys precede TL by a couple of years. The song's final two minutes are purely a classical guitar solo. Odd. (9/10)

4. "Incontro" (2:43) mandolin and acoustic guitars with Gianfranco singing. Kind of nice Woodstock music. Electric guitar and flute in the final jam section. Love the acoustic instruments strumming together throughout the final jam! (8.5/10)

5. "Anche Io Sono Un Uomo" (3:59) thick chunky bass and two guitars being picked in the side channels are sung over by Gianfranco. Man this guy's voice is monotonous! Drums kick in at 1:30 with Mellotron and single electric guitar and gently picked steel string guitar in opposite ears. Gentle two-guitar motif returns for Gianfranco's next verse. Robert Plant-like vocal section is then paired up with Zepp-like bass, drums, and lead guitar to the fin. (8/10)

6. "Un Mondo Di Liberta" (8:41) slightly complex rhythm section supporting the screaming guitar shredding of a single electric guitar over the first two and a half minutes. Things shift into a little "Frankenstein"-like passage at the end of the third minute--which is interesting--before falling back into the misleading melodic chorus-pedaled electric guitar picking of the opening seconds. Then, poof! we're in an entirely different song! I don't know how people are expected to tolerate this--there isn't even any connection or bleeding from one section to the next; totally different, isolated songs spliced together for whatever reason. And then there are the "la-la-las" for the chorus/bridge into next full-band section. I'm sorry, this just doesn't work for me. (15/20)

7. "Solo 1" (3:29) raw and raunchy electric rhythm guitar starts things off before straight-time rock rhythm section and blistering Robert Plant-like lead guitar starts ripping it up. Even Gianfranco's vocal sounds like something straight out of one of LED ZEPPELIN's first two albums. Then there is a "la-la-la" vocal section to fade followed by a second song: acoustic guitars in the CSN&Y vein with a volume pedal experimented lead electric soloing in the middle. I like this stuff but it's kind of like pushing the record button while the band members aren't looking-- catching them jamming mindlessly in the studio. Not fair. (7/10)

8. "Un'Ombra Che Vaga" (5:09) yet another song with more than one entirely separate song within the song. A heavy guitar-centered intro followed by an acoustic supported vocal section (with yet more "la-la-las"!). Sounds very mainstream poppy. Just a weird splicing. Can't imagine this being played live. (7/10)

9. "Solo 2" (2:10) more blues rock as if straight off of an early LED ZEPPELIN album. Good by highly unoriginal. (3.5/5)

Total time 39:32

Three stars; a fair but dismissive representative of Rock Progressivo Italiano; better suited as a classic rock / blues- rock album.

Procession's, first album, Frontiera is a guitar heavy concept album about immigration (pastoral Southerners coming to the cities of the north) that is unlike any album I've heard in Italian 70's prog. It is also quite unlike their second more keyboard heavy album.

Opening song Ancora Una Notte puts us on notice immediately with an arrangement and vocal straight out of the first two Flash albums. A more angst ridden Colin Carter style vocal propels a vigorous twin guitar assault that would please early Rush fans: guitar heavy proto prog. The opening song is like a Black Sabbath version of Osage Tribe, another heavy guitar RPI band everyone should have in their collection. Uomini E Illusioni is reminiscent of the first song on side two of the New Trolls album Ut, Sabbath heaviness unleashed. Wolfmotherish in a fashion that the New Trolls song also is.

The band is capable of producing some epic sounding stuff with an excellent ability to shift from heavy to acoustic guitar sections when the symphonic kids are starting to freak out. Italian themes are identifiable throughout this album (sung in Italian) ensuring you son't mistake this for some unheard lost UK rock gem.

Incontro is a catchy 12 string acoustic guitar romp--Starcastle meets Head East through PFM (whew!) with the first signs of flute and mellotron.

Side two: we are off and running again on a wild ride once again similar to the heavier stuff on Ut. Dynamic riffs will keep metal heads banging in a complex fashion as it gets a bit 2112-ish before settling down once again into an acoustic propelled Italian version of Flash. Their love of Tony Iommi is very apparent on Solo 1. Un'Ombra Che Vaga brings in atmospheric echoed guitars in a delicate acoustic background before a VDGG 'Man-Erg' style riff abruptly changes things, almost proto punk rock. North and South seem to be represented by the juxtaposition of heavy electric and gentle acoustic approaches. Solo 2 finishes us off with a harmonica fueled blast of something that would be comfortable on Black Sabbath's debut album, an exhilirating ride to the end.

This album has really grown on me with repeated listenings, and will appeal to guitar heavy prog fans. It is really a singular release in RPI, I haven't encountered anything that sounds like this album. For symphonic fans, beware, there are really no keyboards or flute on here for those that might be afraid to go far from their comfort zone. (They borrowed the mellotron from kindred band R.R.R.)

Flash meets New Trolls on Ut. Fans of the first few Rush albums might dig this too.

4.25 stars