E FU IL SESTO GIORNO

Their first album has that typical Italian Progressive sound we all go for it.Spitefully the tracks are more based on the vocals only and everyone which is waiting on the usual instrumental backing will be dissapointed.

Sorry for my low rate, actually this debut album is not bad, even though I prefer their second one. The problem is connected with the pretentious compromise between the 70's lyrics, very tough, the exigencies of the keyboardist, trying to emulate the virtuosity of EMERSON and the heavy guitar excursion, in a blend that I don't like very much, but it depends on our tastes naturally.

Make your choice, however I don't get crazy for this genre!!

Although being aware that the songs on their debut album don't show by far not the high quality of their masterpiece Inferno I still regard this one as a quite good and nice album of 70's italian symphonic prog.

The opener Il Sesto Giorno is starting with very nicely played flute and keyboards and it continues with Spitaleri's strong vocals and great organ and guitar play. A very much classically influenced song and a highlight of the album....E Lui Amava I Fiori has nice harpsichord in the beginning, then it develops more in a rather average rock song, background vocs remind a bit to very early URIAH HEEP, at the end again harpsichord combined with flute. Also not really special, but a very nice listen! Crepuscolo, the longest track with almost 9 minutes starts with great drumming and organ. Later on there is a very nice guitar solo. This is one of my favorite tracks on here. Next song Hiroshima starts with pastoral organ play, then the exploding bomb and vocals with harpsichord are setting in. Although being a rather catchy and poppy tune I like this one as well, since vocals and musicianship are just awesome. Maybe not the stuff to listen over and over again, after a few listens it might becoming boring. But I use to listen such kind of albums not too often and this way it's each time an enjoyable listen. Nuova Luce is a more simple song as well, although played quite well and a nice listen. The remaining two songs are the weakest ones I have to say.

As a summary the first side of their debut album is for sure much better than the rest with "Crepuscolo" and "Il Sesto Giorno" being highlights.

The first album released in 1972 "...E Fu IL Sesto Giorno". Art rock that makes canzone of Jimmy Spitaleri the main. Playing the organ and the cembalo is the baroque. The performance has been enhanced though tone quality alone is not bright. Especially, the base positively has the throb feeling. It is melodious and the unearthly music exactly THE MOODY BLUES of Italy. It is an image that the canzone of an overwhelming volume of its voice is added there. The latter half of the album becomes a pop color.

2.5 stars really!!!

A rare Sicilian group, Metamorfosi is one of the most highly regarded prog act in Italy, but I could never see why this would be the case. This organ-lead quintet (more like a quartet if you ask me since the guitarist is non-existent) seems to be obsessed with religion (probably did not mesh too well with leftist activist groups like Area) and their first album is called And The Seventh Day Came, and the singing often close to gospel, singer Spitaleri's voice is slightly less aggressive than the average prog singer from his country, while his flute playing his often ethnic (Pan flutes) but not very present either, while the dominant alpha male is obviously Olivieri and his battery of keyboards, of which organs get the lion's share while the moog grabs the lioness' second choice. Released on the small Vedette label, and with a very basic artwork, the album also has a fairly mediocre production and muddy sound.

Opening on wind and Latino flute, the album is unable to shake a pop-feel and this open cheesy mass celebration of their deity, makes the album a very iffy affair for progheads not liking brainwashing. Of course such Religious ranting is not exactly to please an old pagan like me, but it doesn't always bother me (the Doobies Brothers' Jesus Is Just Alright With Me always gets to this writer's lower rocking instincts), but having to suffer Jesus chants all the way through the longer Crepusculo track is rather.. Irksome. Musically I didn't find them as resembling to ELP as everyone makes them out to be either. The organ is hardly Hammond-sounding and has more like a carnival sound, but it doesn't nearly have Emerson's eccentricities. No tracks actually stand out but Sogno is the least bland, IMHO.

While Metamorfosi's debut album (reissued on Vinyl Magic in Cd format) is not exactly what I'd call worth acquiring, there is absolutely no doubt that if you like their much superior Inferno album, you'll probably want this debut album as well, but it does not have that much going for itself.

Delicate, emotional, melodic: these words perfectly describe my feeling when listening to this album. And what a treat for flute lovers!

"Il Sesto Giorno" holds it all. A wonderful opening number which also features excellent vocals. But the genre has offered many of these passionate vocalists. I can't really help to be laudatory when I hear such music.

This little known band forms part of the hordes of wonderful prog bands from the early seventies. Maybe that the themes here are somewhat too religious to my taste.

At times, it is difficult not to succumb to the beauty of the music performed on this album. "Crepusculo" is such a great track. Fantastic musicianship really, and if it were not these repetitive "Jesus" vocal lines, it would have been a jewel of a song. Still, the second highlight.

The music also flirts with some heavier sounds ("Hiroshima") not that far from the early Heep. This is of course related by the huge presence of keyboards throughout the album.

The problem with this work, is that some numbers are really bad. "Nuova Luce" for instance. Absolutely awful. Some sort of Italian gospel (you can imagine the result.). Press next for your piece of mind.

Things get better during "Sogno E Realta". One of the few songs in which the guitar can be clearly distinguished. Fine rhythm, but again the religious chorus is a bit too much. And my feeling about the closing Inno Di Gloria is mixed. Excellent instrumental parts but weak vocal ones.

Italian music lovers should listen to this album. It really holds some great musical moments, but other ones as well. In all, a good album. Three stars.

Monster Italian Symphonic Rock band,formed at late 60's,when Sicilian singer Davide ''Jimmy'' Spitaleri met the members of the beat group ''I Frammenti'', led by keyboardist Enrico Olivieri.It took the new Rome-based band about two years to refine their sound and come up with a style closer to the rising force of progressive rock.The 29th May of 1972 was the date when their debut finally sees the light entitled ''E fu il seste giorno'' on Vedette Label (re-released on CD by Vinyl Magic in 2000) with lyrics dealing with the positives and negatives of the human nature and an obscure cover featuring Spitaleri in the role of Jesus Christ!

''E fu il seste giorno'' is one of the greatest examples of the growing progressive scene in Italy.Obviously Spilateri and Olivieri are the driving forces in this debut.Spilateri has a dramatic,emotional operatic color in his voice,making every sung line a pure heaven for the listener.Olivieri performs strongly, as he uses a variety of keyboards,including heavy amounts of organ,some tasteful Classical-sounding harpsichord and a few moog solos and grooves as well.Guitarist Luciano Tambourro is another major member for the band,delivering excellent guitar breaks and some really strong riffs and solos.The final result is a great album along the lines of BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO,DEEP PURPLE,NEW TROLLS and ATOMIC ROOSTER with lots of memorable moments and a high level of musicianship.Personally I liked this one a lot and recommend it to every prog fan without any exceptions or second thoughts!Excellent stuff!

True metamorphosis right here

Metamorfosi are a part Rome, part Sicilian-rooted RPI band who released two albums back in the 70s and a later comeback album. Their second album "Inferno" is considered an RPI classic by many but this debut album is often overlooked. This is unfortunate because the album is very respectable and one of those fascinating bridge albums where you can hear the "metamorphosis" to progressive rock occurring right before you ears. This album was released about 6 months before "Inferno" showing what great leaps were being made in a small amount of time.

All of the dynamic weapons of "Inferno" are already on displays here, albeit in a more constrained and traditional format. That is what fascinates about listening to this. You can hear what is coming, but here they are still hanging onto the more traditional rock and pop song structures, even as the performances begin to morph. On "Inferno" the shift is complete, with the songs themselves blurring into weirdness and experiments. But here, you experience the same band and their formidable weapons but they are only on the verge of letting go, they are still clinging to the normality of the "song." What this means is that fans of real RPI may be disappointed, but fans of Italian pop with proggy interludes should well enjoy this.

Jimmy Spitaleri has one of the legendary voices of RPI. Bold and authoritative, deep and close to operatic, he commands the tracks while singing. Enrico Olivieri is the other leader here, an amazing keyboardist whose organ and piano are the striking trademark of the group. In Metamorfosi they have a great understanding for giving the voice and keyboards "space." They don't clutter the sound and in fact the guitar is a minor instrument in this band's sound. The rhythm section is very solid and you have a great stage to enjoy the two main assets of the group. You can "hear" everything they are doing.

The band is often described as "dark" but they really aren't, not in the same sense as a Jacula. They are simply majestic, the voice and organ tinged with an almost formal dryness that some think of as dark. It can sound gothic-classical at times but not quite dark. Highlights include the fabulous opener "Il Sesto Giorno" with a drop-dead gorgeous flute motif that is mixed with the piano/organ blend, the organ immersing you in a very classical, melancholic feeling. It's a great song just riding that edge, certainly prog, but short and still partially contained. "Crepuscolo" is a great 9-minute heavy ride with lots of jamming and intense vocals, the drummer goes totally snake on this one, and the bass is upfront and audible. This tracks gets the closest to the sound we will hear on the second album.

The remaining tracks still have the leftover 60s rock feel and make the album much less consistent than "Inferno" from a prog-rock perspective, but the better half of the songs have enough good stuff to thrill fans of the early RPI. A good transitional album of the subgenre, but again, not fully realized from a progressive perspective. Bottom line, two four-star tracks, some three star tracks, and one two star track. Of interest to RPI fans, not essential to anyone else.

This solid debut from Metamorfosi demonstrates a powerful sound that would come into its own on their next album. Call it a work-in-progress: E Fu Il Sesto Giorno...captures a band not fully aware of their own talent. This unrealized potential will be fully exploited six months later on the fantastic Inferno, widely regarded as the band's masterpiece. But the first album is actually pretty decent and, while it does drag at times, the 37-minute length doesn't feel tiring. That being said, Metamorfosi's first album is one you will only feel like listening to every once in a while, not unlike the primordial debuts of Il Balletto Di Bronzo or Rovescio Della Medaglia. Still, the elements of a notable RPI album are all here, and Italian Prog collectors will need to seek it out along their way. For everyone else however, the album can be passed on and overlooked.

Vocalist Jimmy Spitaleri is the first thing you notice about this band. His stately, majestic delivery with its distinctive vibrato has as many detractors as fans. I tend to like it, but I suppose it is an acquired taste. His voice pairs nicely with Enrico Oliveri's keyboard talent, as fully demonstrated on "Il Sesto Giorno." This opening song features intermittent use of bass and drums, a technique that will be fully implemented on Inferno. "Il Sesto Giorno" is almost a prototype for the sound Metamorfosi would later perfect. "...E Lui Amava I Fiori" could be classified as cookie-cutter; the more traditional song-based track isn't necessarily psych but a bit closer to proto-prog. The Mothers-of-Invention-inspired background vocals crack me up but they're kind of cute and endearing. You have to try really hard to hate this band.

The longest song on the album, "Crepuscolo" plods along and meanders its way through a variety of parts and pieces. Again, nothing terribly progressive here despite the length, but somehow you just "know" it's "prog" if that makes sense. The melodic "Hiroshima" is enjoyable if somewhat forgettable. This theme continues on "Nuova Luce," the most beat-pop track here and a skippable one in my opinion. The superior "Sogno E Realta" foreshadows the material Metamorfosi will later develop on Inferno, as a mysterious organ and bass pattern set the foundation for Spitaleri's slithering vocal. After the drums kick in, he assertively leads the group on a powerful odyssey, ultimately the album's most rewarding. The mediocre "Inno Di Gloria" returns to a decidedly sixties sound and closes things up.

...E Fu il Sesto Giorno, this is the first Metamorfosi album, 1972.

This Progressive rock album is very interesting and good.

Even if the songs are a bit short but with a powerful rhythm section with good Guitar parts with classical passages and passages of flute and baroquisms and symphonic parts by Organ and Moog and the powerful charismatic voice of the singer and all that makes this album pretty original.

The band Metamorfosi and the album has the typical arrangements and atmospheres of the symphonic Italian Progressive but also with the Psychedelic vibes of the early seventies especially influenced by rock musicals of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''1970 and also how are written the lyrics and cover images of the album.

....E Fu il Sesto Giorno, it's a good original Progressive album and that anticipates as an introduction what will be their second album.

METAMORFOSI ....E Fu il Sesto Giorno (1972) three stars and half (***1⁄2). .

In the same year 1972, Metamorfosi make another album, this time inspired to a poetic and literary work to the epic poem (Sommo Poeta) Dante Alighieri and the greatest works literature the Divine Comedy (La Divina Commedia) focused on the part of Inferno.

''Inferno'' is a masterpiece concept album creating a very complex Progressive music with characteristic symphonic baroque arrangements but with more powerful hard and dark sound and the voice of the singer Jimmy Spitaleri borders on Opera.

Metamorfosi,Inferno,1972, but this is another story .....

Back in 1972 the Italian prog rock scene was in full swing and the nation set itself apart from many other European by taking the most interest in the exploding prog rock style and also was one of the few nations that utilized their own language for lyrics. In addition to the bigwigs of PFM, Bnaco, Area and the Celeste type acts out there, there were a gazillion smaller acts that blossomed into an equal amount of directions making the Italian prog rock scene one of the most fruitful and diverse in Europe with countless bands forming, recording an album or two and then disappearing into obscurity.

METAMORFOSI was one of those lesser known bands that came from Rome and managed to pump out two releases before they would take a hiatus until their 2004 comeback "Paradiso" Better known for their second release "Inferno," their debut release E FU IL SESTO GIORNO (And It Was The Sixth Day) came out in the height of the RPI craze. The band formed way back in 1969 and was originally part of the late 60s beatnik scene before heading into the realms of progressive rock and on this debut album can be heard some of the remnants of their pop years which in all honesty makes this album a little tame in comparison to the other bands of the period.

What begins sounding like one of the Andean folk bands with those unique sounding flutes and even the style i was beginning to think that someone slipped a Los Jaivas album in my METAMORFOSI digipak, but lo and behold the lyrics come out Italian and it starts sounding like the pastoral symphonic prog the Italians were pumping out at breakneck speed in '72. Many of the bands prog elements are in play here. This is first and foremost a classically keyboard album focusing on the playing of Enrico Olivieri who delivers nice hooks and pleasing melodies accompanied by the operatic vocal approach of Jimmy Spitaleri. One of the things that separates METAMORFOSI from other bands is that the guitar parts were kept to a minimum and when the very few solos occur they are usually accompanied by the flute.

For an RPI album of 1972 this is pretty weak. At this point the band hadn't stepped too far beyond the 60s and the songs are very boring compared to the explosion of creativity all around them. What we get is simple song structures that never really develop into much of interest. The melodies are pretty straight forward and there are literally no surprises like on "Inferno." This one plays it way too safe and suffers from a serious lack of imagination. After coming to this one after "Inferno" i was way underwhelmed. While nothing on here is bad by any means, nothing is memorable either. This is Italian pop rock that has a just a bit of prog lite that leaves me unsatisfied. Luckily they would step it up big time for their followup.

As well as numerous one-and-done standalone albums released by many Italian bands in the vintage Seventies period, there's also a fascinating collection of early albums in more of a Sixties flavoured experimental rock/ambitious pop style from many standout RPI bands before they went on to make their grand progressive defining works - for instance, Le Orme began life as a psychedelic pop group, and Pierrot Lunaire delivered a more gentle folk flavoured debut that were very different from their then upcoming special works. Roman band Metamorfosi would release what many consider to be one of the landmark Italian vintage prog titles with `Inferno' in 1973, but a year before that they delivered `E Fu Il Sesto Giorno', a very promising collection of constantly evolving rock pieces and melodic clever pop with plenty of flute, organ and passionate vocals already in place.

Jimmy Spitaleri's bold, bass-filled croon powers opener `Il Sesto Giorno', a pop-length but softly ambitious mix of Luciano Tamburro's snarling guitar, classical piano pomp, gentle synth trills, drifting flute and Enrico Olivieri's organ that moves between sombre and reassuring. It actually reminds of Panna Fredda's superb album `Uno', and Mario Natali's boisterous snappy drumming is a standout here, as it is throughout the entire disc. Sweetly chiming acoustic guitar and warm humming organ sedately bookends `...E Lui Amava I Fiori', but it quickly races up in tempo backed by heavy rattling drumming and Roberto Turbitosi's dirty bass turning the piece into a more raucous pop/rocker. The nine minute `Crepuscolo' is one of the most intricate and exciting moments of the album, moving the group closer to the proper RPI extravagance of their next album `Inferno' with lengthier instrumental passages and grand symphonic themes. Rising powerful drums builds, spacey keyboard runs and a dominating vocal from Spitaleri feature, with haunting group vocals and cool guitar/bass duelling in the extended instrumental middle a great addition as well.

Side two's `Hiroshima' appears to be a rather pretty pop tune at first, but a driving beat, spacey keyboard shimmers and untamed acid-rock guitar outbursts make it firmly a foot-tapping rocker, then `Nuova Luce' is an upbeat spiritual pop piece with a joyful group chorus, enjoyable yet somewhat throwaway. `Sogno E Realta' is another more dynamic progressive moment, moving between a hazy atmosphere of Pink Floyd-like sighing voices with droning immersive organ and wilder rock guitar outbursts with murmuring bass and frantic drumming. Sadly after all the innovation and daring of that previous piece, the band close on a twinkling little pop piece `Inno Di Gloria', but it's well played and a pleasing tune all the same with all the musicians getting decent little standout moments.

While understandably it doesn't share close to the status and reputation that `Inferno' enjoys, this is still a well performed and enjoyable rock/pop album, where at least half the compositions are really quite intelligent and gently daring, and two or three pieces approach genuine greatness. If you've got a healthy set of the true landmark vintage Italian discs and are looking to expand your collection with some of the more unimportant yet perfectly worthwhile titles, `E Fu Il Sesto Giorno' certainly falls under that category. It captures that moment when many Italian bands were just beginning to explore the limits of their music, presenting very respectable experimental rock/pop albums brimming with promise and the exciting potential to come.

Three stars.

Metamorfosi began life in Rome in 1969 when Sicilian vocalist Davide "Jimmy" Spitaleri teamed up with the musicians of I Frammenti, a group specialized in the "beat masses", a music genre typical of those years, characterized by associating texts with religious themes to beat music and to be performed during the new Catholic liturgy post Second Vatican Council. In 1972 the band released their first album, entitled "...E fu il sesto giorno", on the Vedette label with a line up featuring along with Davide "Jimmy" Spitaleri (lead vocals, flute) and main composer Enrico Olivieri (vocals, organ, harpsichord, piano, flute, synthesizers) also Roberto Turbitosi (vocals, bass), Mario Natali (drums, percussion) and Luciano Tamburro (guitars). It's an album that marks the passage from simple beat music to more complex, classical inspired structures but still bound to the song form.

The opener "Il sesto giorno" (The sixth day) starts softly, by delicate flute notes on organ chords while you can hear the sound of the sea waves in the background. Then warm, operatic vocals evoke the creation of Man according to the Book of Genesis and the rhythm section begins to pulse describing the banishment of humanity from Eden. As the years passed by fate carved into time the vanity of men and a thirst for science troubled their mind and made them ignore their own reality... Well, in these dramatic times of pandemia and climate changes it's a piece that keeps all its relevance.

The following "...E lui amava i fiori" (And he loved flowers) tells in music and words a fable where a peaceful man meets the personification of war, prime minister of evil on Earth. But in this fable there's a happy end, love is stronger than evil and the seeds of hate would not sprout in the garden of peace...

The long, dramatic "Crepuscolo" (Dusk) ends the first side of the LP and is a harsh critic to the hypocrisy and selfishness of many Christians. It is my favourite piece on this album and begins by a lively marching beat... Then the music and lyrics conjure up the image of a starving busker, a man in need ignored by the crowd. The passers by can hear his songs and prayers but nobody helps him. And yet, Jesus lives in him and in every famishing man or child... "I am cold and hungry and a man walking by looks at me / He smiles, then says something in someone else's ear / Words, only words / My fingers freeze on the old fretboard / They make a last effort / But the guitar falls down...".

"Hiroshima", as you can guess, is a song about the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city during World World II by an American aircraft. Here the music is still rooted in the sixties while the lyrics deal with regret, painful memories and the cathartic power of repentance and forgiveness...

"Nuova luce" (New light) is a nice song of hope full of positive energy where the shining light of love shows the way and darkness becomes synonym of pain. Only a new life can heal the pain for the loss of a man... A new light, a new love, a new life... This piece features good vocal harmonies and the atmosphere in some moments is almost mystical.

"Sogno e realtà" (Dream and reality) is another light song rooted in the sixties. It's a kind of lullaby for a little child who still believes in fairy tales crowded with dragons, fairies and enchanted dolls. The experience of a lifetime could cancel the memories of the dreams from the childhood, so he has better keep on sleeping peacefully while he still can...

The joyful, catchy "Inno di gloria" (Hymn of glory) ends the album and is linked to the past experiences of the band with the beat masses. Praising glory to the Lord, glory to Life and glory to Love, it could be a good choice as a song for a modern church service...

On the whole, a work with some ups and downs that deserves a try.