FORESTE INTERSTELLARI

And now for something completely different, the return of Classic Italian Prog

Almost 50 years after the release of its first and only solo album Dedicato A Giovanna G. (from 1972) Hunka Munka (the nickname for keyboard player Roberto Carlotto) is back, and this time it is not a quirky, Hammond friendly blend of prog, rock and pop, but vintage keyboard drenched 24-carat prog!

Most of the 9 compositions deliver bombastic mid and up-tempo beats, featuring cascades of Hammond, Minimoog and Mellotron, some heavy guitar leads, pleasant Italian vocals, and a powerful rhythm-section. Often Dutch Trace and Japanese Ars Nova and Gerard come to my mind. Especially in La Dama Della Foresta (from church Hammond intro and dazzling Minimoog flights to majestic Mellotron choirs, topped with rock guitar riffs and propulsie drums) and the epic titletrack (between mellow and bombastic, from dreamy piano to orchestral keyboards and lots of Hammond). The shorter tracks are instrumental sound collages, with piano and celestial female voices in La Solitudini Delle Stelle, and atmospheric in L'Uomo Dei Trenini and La Stanza Dei Botini.

A strong and varied track is I Cancelli di Andromeda. It starts with a slow rhythm and soaring Hammond, then powerful drums, spectacular Minimoog, in a bombastic up-tempo, and finally a heavy guitar solo.

But my highlight is Idee Maledette. The intro features an awesome Mellotron choir sound, then a sumptuous mid- tempo with rock guitar, Minimoog and slightly theatrical vocals, next a break with sensational synthesizer sounds, and in the second part again that awesome Mellotron choir sound, blended with rock guitar riffs and flashy Minimoog flights, wow!

My rating: 3,5 star.

New interesting Italian prog that is not on PA: Unalei, Blind Golem and Alessandro Corvaglia (ex-Delirium).

HUNKA MUNKA is the nickname of keyboard player, vocalist and composer Roberto Carlotto from Varese. He released his only (until 2021) album as Hunka Munka titled Dedicato a Giovanna G. in 1972. I wasn't familiar with it, but had a quick listening from YouTube. It resembles the pop-era APHRODITE'S CHILD: melodic, organ-heavy and with vocals comparable to Demis Roussos. Seemingly it's not a progressive rock classic, rather a curiosity with a charmingly dated sound. After that album Carlotto joined Dik Dik in 1973, and in 1984 he released an electronic album Promise of Love under the name Karl Otto. And in the early years of this Millennium he started collaborating with another keyboardist, Joey Mauro, with whom he revitalized the Hunka munka moniker. Foreste Interstellari, released by Black Widow, is the fruit of their collaboration.

I believe that for those who have known Dedicato a Giovanna G. for a long time this new album will be of greater interest, helped by the nostalgia factor. As a newcomer to the artist I am not very enthusiastic. The spirit of the album is bold, energetic and hard rocking in a bit naive way. Most of the songs are in a fast tempo with vintage-sounding organ shamelessly leading the show, something like Keith Emerson and Jon Lord combined, but missing the clearly symphonic structures. Carlotto's Roussos-like vocals are still distinctive. The band features younger men (and Alice Castagnole as a backing vocalist) who do their jobs well. The rhythm section of bassist Andreas Eckbert and drummer Marcantonio Quinto is very powerful, and Gianluca Quinto throws some sharp electric guitar soli.

But I feel that the album is somewhat single-minded. That is, the songs with vocals resemble each other quite a lot. There are several instrumental tracks that are in turn more sketchy and peaceful in mood. They certainly help the album avoid being stuffy and too samey as a whole. 'La Solitudine delle Stelle' (= The solitude of stars) is a moody and romantic little piece in which Alice's angelic vocalising and synths are seamlessly tied together. 'L'Uomo dei Trenini' (I guess it means The man of trains) features a slow melody for synth backed by steam train sound effects, and 'I Cancelli di Andromeda' is a more upbeat prog instrumental with electric guitar and synth solos reminiscent of Fish-era Marillion - plus the organ of course. These three pieces are composed by Mauro. The last mentioned is maybe my favourite track, but all in all this album is just "good, but non-essential", three stars.