TRANSIBERIANA

"The return of the giant Banco"

Singer Tony D'Alessio performed in bands like Lost Innocence, Scenario, Guernica and Pozzo di San Patrizio, but he has always been a huge fan of the Classic Italian Prog, especially Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Osanna, PFM, Area, and Banco. He even met Francesco Di Giacomo in the time during his band Scenario. Francesco was impressed and said to the Banco members : 'Before I die, mark him as a hypothetical substitute for the band'. Unfortunately this was sooner than planned when Francesco died in a car collision in 2014. From the moment Banco wanted te release a new album they organized auditions for a new singer, and asked Tony to join because they remembered Francesco his words. Among many good candidates Tony won, and he can be found on the Banco 2-CD compilation Io Sono Nato Libero The Legacy Edition, with the 2017 CD La Liberta Difficile (6 tracks).

Listening to this new Banco studio-album (the first since Il 13, from 1994) I am stunned by the huge variety, from modern prog to avant-garde, and from atmospheric to AOR, incredible, it sounds like Pandora's Prog Box! And new singer Tony does an excellent job, from tender to powerful, and from melancholical to expressive. He reminds me of the Italian vocals in Metamorfosi, Le Orme, Museo Rosenbach, and of course Banco, very passionate and inspired!

In many tracks the emphasis is on catchy beats, percussive keyboard sounds (great fat sequencer-like sounds), a propulsive rhythm-section and harder-edged guitar work. This is embellished with inventive and surprising breaks and shifting moods, like in these tracks.

L'Imprevisto : from subtle acoustic rhythm guitar and howling steel guitar to lush Hammond.

L'Assalto Dei Lupi : Il Balletto Di Bronzo-like 'jazz meets rock meets avant-garde' with a virtuosic acoustic guitar part.

Eterna Transiberiana : in the end a very moving guitar solo with echoes from Andy Latimer.

The exciting and alternating I Ruderi Del Gulag : from swinging piano to awesome interplay between Hammond and a heavy guitar.

And Oceano: Strade Di Sale : catchy and accessible with Hammond and rock guitar, like Eighties Kansas.

Some tracks sound more laidback, like Campi Di Fragole: first dreamy with piano and acoustic guitar, then a slow rhythm with piano, warm vocals, a buzzing fretless bass and soaring keyboards, and finally sparkling piano work and fragile acoustic guitar with soaring keyboards. And Lasciando Alle Spalle : an atmospheric climate with tender piano and guitar, and a variety of keyboard sounds, like 'classical meets electronic'.

My highlights.

La Discesa Dal Treno. First dreamy with piano and powerful guitar riffs and howling electric guitar runs, then passionate vocals and tender piano, this creates a great tension between mellow and bombastic. Next flashy synth flights and heavy electric guitar, and strong interplay. We can enjoy a surprising experimental instrumental part with jazzy piano, a catchy beat and echo guitar. Then melancholical vocals and tender keyboards and vibraphone, and finally heavy guitar riffs and percussive keyboard sound, what a hypnotizing sound.

Lo Sciamano. It starts with a spectacular synthesizer intro, like 'Vangelis meets Keith Emerson'! Then a slow rhythm with distorted vocals, heavy guitar play and twanging guitar (King Crimson hints). Halfway a swirling Hammond solo in an ominous atmosphere. This is followed by a heavy guitar solo, outstanding acrobatic vocals, propulsive drum beats, dazzling synthesizer flights and heavy guitar runs, what a sensational prog composition, so varied and adventurous.

Il Grande Bianco. A mellow climate with repetetive twanging guitars (like Eighties King Crimson), soaring keyboards, a cello sound, soft bass and wonderful dreamy vocals, then lush Hammond and sparkling synthesizer flights. Now the music turns first into slow and bombastic with moving electric guitar and then into a catchy beat with a fiery guitar solo ('jazzrock meets metal'). Again strong vocals, and delicate work on keyboards and guitar, topped with a powerful rhythm-section. Finally a dreamy part with tender Grand piano and subtle electric guitar drops. Variety rules!

The two bonustracks are live recorded in 2018, at the Festival Prog Di Veruno.

Metamorfosi (9.43) : A Banco classic, what a powerful and dynamic version featuring great work on keyboards, including virtuosic piano - and synthesizer play by good old Vittorio Nocenzi (one of the founding members) and a heavy guitar sound by Filippo Marcheggiani, adding a special flavour to the new Banco sound. In the second part Tony D'Alessio showcases his talents with a short rendition of R.I.P., a jawdropping tribute to Francesco Di Giacomo (this part was his finest moment for me), goose bumps!

Il Ragno (5.42) : A swinging rhythm with pleasant work on piano, keyboards and guitar, powerful vocals, topped with an inventive rhythm-section, this became a stage favourite during the years.

To me this new Banco album sounds as 'modern progressive', from catchy and accessible to experimental and genuine progressive, it is fresh, powerful, adventurous and dynamic, a big hand for this new Banco!

Triumphantly spanning five decades of progressive rock history, Italy's one and only BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO which proved everything sounds better in Italian (compare to the English "Bank of Mutual Relief") returns after a quarter of a century since the last studio album "Il 13" was released in 1994. Along with bands like Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), Le Orme, Area and Osanna, BANCO dominated Italy's popular prog scene that took the early 70s by storm with a string of classic albums that began with 1972's self-titled masterpiece and followed by the even more outstanding "Darwin!" and "Io Sono Nato Libero" followed by other great albums that continued throughout the decade however like many a prog band of the era succumbed to the changing tides in the music industry. While some bands like Genesis, Yes and Franco Battiato rode the new wave of pop music like pros, BANCO reached new nadirs with lifeless pop shlop that has pretty much been rightfully forgotten.

Exactly 50 years after the band's formation, this Roman legend has surprisingly sprung back to life releasing its 17th studio album TRANSIBERIANA in the year 2019. This is all the more surprising considering the operatic vocalist and charismatic frontman Francesco Di Giacomo perished in an unfortunate car accident in 2014. It's fair to say that no one saw this one coming but with the modern day renaissance of all things progressive and 70s albums that went virtually unnoticed during the day suddenly becoming hot selling items, i can't say i blame any legendary prog rock band can miss out on it, especially after the caliber that BANCO delivered in their prime. So yes it has been a "thing" for classic prog bands to emerge from the past and resuscitate their former glory years that helped make the prog universe so distinctly unique within the greater rock music paradigm. But capturing the past and balancing it with the modern era is no easy feat for sure.

BANCO clearly deserves the highest plaudits as one of the greats of the Rock Italiano Progressive scene and it cannot be unnoticed when a band revives a certain characteristic that has become an instantly recognizable icon of its identity. I'm speaking of the debut album's terra cotta boob shaped piggy bank that makes a reprise on the band's latest offering TRANSIBERIANA only this time featuring a world map and colored blue. Instantly this signifies that the band has eschewed it's lame attempts to cash in on the insipid pop of the 80s and 90s and finally has gotten back to what it delivered with all the fiery passion that made them the legendary stars that these guys?. well, so immortal. But mortal they are like all of us. Of the classic lineup that graced the first two albums, only co-founder Vittorio Nocenzi remains, so any notion of the "real" BANCO should dissipate very quickly and realize that this is a totally new band that only has one important connection to the classic years.

The new lineup consists of Tony D'Alessio (lead vocals), Filippo Marcheggiani (lead guitar), Nicola Di Già (rhythm guitar), Marco Capozi (bass), Fabio Moresco (drums) and the sole connection to the past Vittorio Nocenzi (piano, keyboards, vocals) and TRANSIBERIANA consists of 11 new studio tracks with a bonus track edition that has two extra live tracks that add 16 minutes of playing time. Despite the long delay between albums, BANCO never really went away and has been playing live gigs off and on throughout the years. It wasn't until the death of Francesco Di Giacomo and the arrival of singer Tony D'Alessio that the band contemplated actually getting to work and recording a progressive rock album that looks back to the golden years of the band while updating things to the modern day in terms of both production value and contemporary relevance.

It doesn't take long to hear that despite a completely new lineup minus one founding member that the spirit of classic BANCO carries on. The passion is still there and D'Alessio while not blowing away the late Giacomo's vocal prowess still commands a veritable vox box delivery in his own right. Right from the starting track "Stelle Sulla Terra" it's clear that the BANCO sound has returned but it's also clear that it is a distant recording from those early years despite the firm connection to them. While all the tracks host the progressive elements that made BANCO Italian superstars, there are not lengthy sprawling epic tracks like 1973's "Canto nomade per un prigioniero politico" from the "Io Sono Nato Libero" album. The longest track on TRANSIBERIANA is merely six and a half minutes long but the band creates some veritable musical gems in this album's somewhat lengthy 53 minute playtime.

Once again BANCO delivers strong melodic hooks with that classic Italian flair that reignites the passion, ramps up the rock mixed with classical and jazzy touches and introduces some veritable art rock accoutrements to the mix. The opener is a prime example as it crafts a melodic verse / chorus traditional feel but has intermissions with rapidly almost rapped vocals behind what sounds like a mandolin riff. The band also includes the expected proggy piano rolls alongside the more electronic sound effects from the synthesizer. The band members uncannily mimic the past member's excellent instrumental interplay with progressive chops, alternating pianos, acoustic guitars, drum rolls and electronic in a dazzling tapestry that exudes the classic zeitgeist while crafting uncharted territory for the band but then again i have skipped the majority of the 80s and 90s output due to its reputation alone.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the album is a little too long and some of the slower tracks in the middle could've been edited out to create a more authentic 70s album length that only exhibited the best the new version of the band could muster up, however nothing is overtly bad. With so many classic bands emerging out of the woodwork and trying to recapture the past, unfortunately very few succeed in their efforts. BANCO's new album TRANSIBERIANA is quite the surprise as it actually is a worthy addition to their lengthy canon. While the first three classic albums are in no way in danger of being dethroned as the feathers in BANCO's cap, this album delivers an interesting mix of old and new without sacrificing the spirit of the classic BANCO years despite some tracks sounding almost more industrial or punk oriented. TRANSIBERIANA is an intriguing comeback album for sure and while i usually wish that classic prog bands just call it day and let the classics speak, when a band delivers an interesting album with a new spin, i have to say it warms my heart to know that old dogs can learn new tricks even if most of the dogs on board are new. Excellent release! Biggest surprise of the year so far.

In Italy beauty counts more than provocation, sharpness, showing off virtuosity, and maybe even innovation. Although the Transsibirian railway, a journey by which is the theme of this concept album, isn't exactly in Italy, after a hiatus of 25 years and for the first time without singer Francesco di Giacomo, who passed away in 2014, Banco have produced a truly Italian album. Transiberiana certainly isn't going to revolutionise music, however it is mainstream progressive rock as it should be. Beautiful, complex, and competent (with most emphasis on beauty), showing supreme musicality and compositional skill. The album has stunning highlights (La discesa del treno is the perfect music for the beginning of an exciting train journey; Scampo di fragole is magically beautiful), but what really makes it worthwhile is the variety. Banco put together trademark elements of their at times melodramatic style with diverse influences from mainstream rock, jazz, classical music, a pinch of more aggressive and darker RIO-like prog and traditional Italian songwriting. Lasciando alle spalle and Il grande bianco, though not electronic music, even show some affinity to the melodic material and approach of Tangerine Dream and Edgar Froese in the mid-seventies. That Banco are able to pull all this off in such a relaxed and organic manner is no small feat. New singer Tony d'Alessio is maybe not going to be my favourite singer and not quite di Giacomo, but he fits the music very well and has the variety of skills in his voice to make it work.

Overall a very rewarding album and one that convinces me pretty much as strongly as their legendary work from the seventies. Even if this is not quite as innovative in 2019, it still sounds fresh and not like a thing of the past.

I have the version that has two added live bonus tracks. These are very well recorded, however together with them the album has 69 minutes and feels maybe a quarter of an hour too long (I'm not necessarily saying that overlength only comes from the bonus tracks; still I shouldn't complain that the band has given me more music than what was 100% up to their top standard). I had concert tickets for a Banco show in 2020 that was cancelled due to Covid-19. It would have been my first experience of them live. I'm gutted that this didn't take place and will surely take the next chance to see a band that still seems on top of its powers. 4.0 stars.

The return to the stage of this legendary band, one of the banners of the progressive Italian. After suffering the erratic course of so many groups of this style in the 80s and 90s, and without the presence of the late Francesco Di Giacomo, few ventured that the BMS could resurface. But they have. After 25 years of silence (since 1994 they have not published anything) expectations were set very high on this work. And I believe they have fulfilled these expectations: Transiberiana is really an updated return to the origins: well developed and imaginative themes with a conceptual ambition and a rich and complex instrumentation. Music of the highest quality and inspiration, with a clearly progressive sound, but with a modern treatment.

Review #192

Francesco Di Giacomo died in 2014 and it was such a tragic loss for the whole Progressive Rock community; I was one of those people who thought that there couldn't and shouldn't exist an incarnation of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso after him so when "Transiberiana" was announced and I found out that not only it was BMS without Francesco, but BMS without any original member except for Vittorio Nocenzi, I was expecting it to be a total fiasco, but reading several positive opinions giving a warm welcome to this new line-up I got interested on it and decided to give it a try.

Something has to be clear from the very beginning: Tony D'Alessio doesn't sing at all similar to Francesco Di Giacomo; of course, Francesco's voice was a very iconic detail to the style of the band but a new singer doesn't have to be a forced copy of the original singer, D'Alessio sings in its own way, he's not trying to fill Francesco's huge shoes (even the live versions of "Metamorfosi" and "Il ragno" that were included as bonus tracks sound renewed with D'Alessio's vocals) and that's respectable but if you're looking for a BMS album that sounds similar to the days when Francesco used to be on the group, this is not for you.

Musically, you're not going to find almost anything similar to Banco early albums, not similar to "Darwin!", "Sono nato libero", "Canto di primavera" or "Come in un'ultima cena", the music played by this new line-up of young musicians is very original and fresh too. The songs present an intense almost Hard Rock with very scarce symphonic of folky moments, the energy of this bunch of kids have (sorry, I don't know them out of this, and to my knowledge, they're kids playing under the leadership of a legend such as Vittorio) is great, quite different to BMS' energy on the seventies but that's ok since this doesn't have to be the same.

I hope Vittorio Nocenzi lives for many many more years, I do not know if he and this new line-up of Banco are going to launch more records but I really hope that when he's not on this earth anymore or he just doesn't want to keep the Banco project going on, these kids don't keep launching albums using Banco's name on it as those impostors on Gong and Soft Machine did, this is Banco because of Vittorio.