STANDARTE

I'm not big on sound-alike but this one is based on one of my faves : ATOMIC ROOSTER and that band has more place in these archives than some those Parsons Project and Styx records. Anyway Standarte brought me joy as it is possible to have a classic KB trio and not wanting to sound like Emerson offshoots

Organ and mellotron laden heavy and dark progressive rock creating a real tonal 70's soundscape. STANDARTE's guitar and keyboard jams draw heavy shades of ATOMIC ROOSTER, DEEP PURPLE and Italy's NUOVA IDEA. Vocals are convincingly sung in English with some spoken parts which adds a real ethereal quality to the album. Without a question when these lads get sailing their music is rich, profound and highly addictive.

If you listen to STANDARTE's debut album unknowing the edition date, you'll surely believe that this is a '70s release. Organ, Mellotron and heavy guitar riffs are always present, conforming a sort of hard prog rock, similar to the style played by the early '70s bands before they'd developed a truly progressive music.

Generally speaking, "Standarte" isn't a bad album. It has very nice moments and the vintage sounds can make delights in many prog ears, but I find the cd a little bit reiterative, not totally consistent and -sometimes- even noisy.

Those who like later sixties - early seventies keyboards driven hard prog rock, will surely find interesting this album.

Maybe not quite as good as their next one "Curses And Invocations"(a toss up for me) but man I love their sound. Very much a throw back to the late sixties, early seventies organ led music. It's not surprising then that they dedicate this record to the late Vincent Crane(his picture is on the back of the album cover) the former organist for ATOMIC ROOSTER. This band is a trio from Italy with English vocals.

"Dream Love Sequence Nr. 9" opens with mellotron as spoken words come in. Reserved vocals then take over as mellotron continues to flood. The vocals remind me a little of another Italian band called TWENTY FOUR HOURS. Powerful organ runs before 2 minutes as pounding drums join in. Mellotron and reserved vocals are back as this contrast continues. I can't tell you how much I enjoy this track. Some nice bass and mellotron 5 minutes in. A complete change of melody a minute later(more uptempo) after some spoken words. "One Strange December Evening" opens again with mellotron as spoken words come in. An uptempo melody takes over consisting of vocals, bass, drums and organ. A sinister vibe 1 1/2 minutes in comes and goes throughout. This is great ! A complete change arrives after 4 minutes, as an acoustic guitar solo ends it.

"As I Wandered" opens with spoken words. A catchy vocals, organ and drum melody takes over the rest of the way. Nice. Guitar comes in after 2 minutes. "Tolerance Town" opens with spoken words. I love the organ in this one. The bass is prominant 2 minutes in, and the guitar is quite raw sounding. This is a great instrumental. "Beat Pimp Muzak" really has a sixties feel to it, thanks mainly to the organ melodies. Vocals a minute in. "A War Was Declared" is another instrumental and possibly my favourite track. The mellotron to open is like a wind storm as spoken words come in. Light drums, bass and organ start to build. The guitar 2 1/2 minutes in is outstanding ! It's like they are just jamming and having a blast. "In My Time Of Dying" uses the same words that are used on the song of the same title by LED ZEPPELIN, but a completely different melody is used. These last three tracks contain no mellotron surprisingly. This is a powerful song,quite heavy in fact. Check out the guitar and sound 2 minutes in. Incredible. The last minute of the song is different as acoustic guitar and soft vocals end it. Amazing song. "Traumland" is another killer track. I just laugh during this one because it is so good. The organ play is insane, especially 3 1/2 minutes in. The guitar sounds so dirty on this one. "I Want You" is a vocal track that is very catchy, could have been a single back in the day.

Easily 4 stars for me. Check out the Vemod-like cover as well. ANEKDOTEN would be proud i'm sure.

If I may follow on from the wonderful review of Sinkadotentree, this is a superb Retro-Prog album I have been indulging in (from the other side of the Globe), from Italians STANDARTE. I must say that the album opens up with an exciting Mellotronic/Spoken Word segment, recalling the way the Moody Blues opened up their 'Threshold' album. These guys rock hard, too. They obviously have a high regard for the late Vincent Crane and his band Atomic Rooster. The music is composed with great taste in mind, and doesn't fail to deliver the goods, high quality vocals (in English) also compliment their formula. Admittedly, it's taken me a few spins to get into them, but the result is most satisfying. Thanks to 'Black Widow' records for pressing this beast onto vinyl !! 4 stars.

Early seventies music released in the mid-nineties. This is what "Standarte" is offering.

And I have to say that the band is quite convincing in this heavy loaded keyboards oriented music. Heep, Atomic Rooster or Jane's fans, this band is definitively worth watching out!

From the very start of the album (Dream Love Sequence Nr.9), one knows what is going on. Keyboards have an enormous influence of course since there are no guitar player (?) within the band. All songs are sung in English, which is not frequent for an Italian band.

Standarte is nicely rocking during the scary "One Strange December Evening" which shows an excellent Michele Profeti on the keys. And the drummer/singer Daniele Caputo is very efficient too. The mood changes completely for the finale which is a kind of a remake of the closing section of "Dancing Out With The Moonlit Knight" from whom you might know.

These first two songs are excellent. Powerful, mighty yet sensitive music. The heavy scheme keeps on with "As I Wandered", but this one is a more straightforward track which can't compete with the best parts of this work.

This record sounds as a concept album, almost each track being shortly introduced by some spoken words. I don't usually like this very much but it doesn't bother me here, since these parts are short. It also sounds as there is a guitar part in "Tolerance Town" which is another very good track.

I won't say the same about the funky "Beat Pimp Muzak" and the average bluesy "In My Time Of Dying" (although this one features a great middle section). But not all numbers could be jewels, right?

We're heading the wild territories with "A War Is Declared". Violent beat, pumping and crazy organ play and again some. wild guitar! Mostly instrumental, this is another fine track. But delicate ears should avoid this one. For them, only the finale which features peaceful church organ would do.

The closing numbers are conventional heavy rock music with less originality. By no means weak, but at this time of the album, they sound a bit too much.

This "Standarte" debut is encouraging and should appeal some nostalgic old freaks. Three stars.

Originating from Pisa, Italy this excellent Black Widow Records discovery was active through the 90's, led by keyboardist Michele Profeti, performing initially as a trio with bassist Stefano Gabbani and drummer Daniele Caputo completing the line-up.Standarte made their debut in 1995 with a self-titled album, released both on CD and vinyl formats and featuring Steve Mattews on the spoken parts.

It makes no surprise that the band was strongly influenced by ATOMIC ROOSTER, as the album was dedicated to VINCENT CRANE, who had died a few years ago.Standarte played a massive, keyboard-based Heavy/Psychedelic Rock with Hammond organ and Mellotron particularly in evidence, being definitely one of the most retro-sounding acts of the 90's.With vocals in English and the storytelling narrations of Mattews helping on capturing a 70's feeling, the music is dominated by haunting, monster Mellotron waves and psychedelic organ washes with deep bass and dynamic drumming supporting, while the voice of Daniele Caputo is excellent with no obvious accent problems.The sound is powerful, sinister and passionate all the way with pounding grooves, dark melodies and atmospheric keyboard interludes.The album features also lots of guitar plays with a typical Heavy Rock attitude, split in rhythmic lines and punchy solos, however no guitarist is credited in the album's notes neither an official Standarte member seems to handle it.Other strong reminders are certainly DEEP PURPLE in the powerful tunes and THE MOODY BLUES in the more orchestrated parts, a combination of styles that works extremely well in an album full of raw 70's power and one the best keyboard performances to be heard by a Prog group throughout the 90's, having a nostalgic and deeply atmospheric approach.

No less than highly recommended.A true gem of the 90's, that could have been easily recorded in 1970.Dynamic, intricate and irritating Progressive Rock of a fantastic quality.