ABRAKADABRA

I won't try to guess what the first track's title means. It's instrumental, too. An Emerson-like organ doesn't mean being an ELP clone. With the appropriate distinctions, the playing is more similar to Marian Varga of Collegium Musicum. The composition has several different sections, some of them appear to be effectively inspired by the Nice, mora than ELP, but the parts with the trumpet in foreground are very similar to the Japaneses Camel's clones Bellaphone. In the end is a good track, but it's made of several small pieces tied together and repeated two or three times in sequence. So even if the players are skilled, the composing is not at the level of Collegium Musicum or Bellophon either and in the end is a bit boring. This track should have been cut down to half of its length by repeating the themes less times.

A classical styled intro with just a touch of Spanish flamenco is more promising. What follows is a high-pitched vocalist singing like Latimer on Snow Goose. The theme still reminds me to Bellaphon, but after 3 minutes there's the first guitar part of the album. A bit of rock totally disconnected from the start. A guitar harping then supports the first lyrics of the album. Taken separately, the various parts are not bad, but tied together they give the impression of a patchwork. The song is melodic and I think more inspired by early King Crimson than by ELP.

The B-side hosts the side long title track. Again there's a classical intro that's suddenly converted into a sort of polka which insreases the tempo and after few seconds is again on organ and trumpet slow melodic. Polka again lead by guitar and bass, then another stop and a guitar harping, then again the slow organ stuff. Bellaphon without the Camel influence, even when the harpsichord solo flows to the classical landscapes of JS Bach, later followed by the bass. when organ and drums join it acquires a folky flavour.

Stop.....winds.....should this be the psychedelic section? Noises of various kind...in general I like this kind of things. I'm grown with Ummagumma, but what does it have to do with the previous music? I have to say that this noisy section is very intriguing and it's the only part on which I like the trumpet's work. Those few minutes pay a tribute to A saucerful of secrets, probably. When it turns back to melodic it sounds like After Crying: eclectic prog with classical influences, but the track doesn't go anywhere. The sensation is still to be listening to a patchwork and the sound of the organ seems to be taken from a horror b-movie. Suddenly it turns into grotesque, like the final part of Tubular Bells, then melodic again. They are skilled players and have spared good moments, but I really don't like the trumpet parts, except the psych one. It's like they wanted to debut with an epic, but the result is just a side long collection of unconnected short pieces.

I'm sorry to have to make the overall rating of this album decrease and I apologize to those considered it a masterpiece, but even if it could have been considered "promising" as debut, for me is nothing more than a collector's item.