LA CURVA DI LESMO

`La Curva di Lesmo' is a new collaboration between two modern Italian prog/RPI notables in the form of Fabio Zuffanti and Stefano Agnini. Zuffanti's standing in the current RPI scene is well known due to the success of his band La Maschera di Cero's `La Porte del Domani', his recent solo work `La Quarta Vittima' and the live `Il Mondo che era Mio' follow-up release, while Stefano was the keyboard player and musical/lyrical composer on La Coscienza di Zeno's delightful `La Notte Anche di Giorno', one of the loveliest RPI releases of the year. The pairing of the two, alongside some fruitful guest contributions from other Italian acts old and new such as Finisterre, Latte e Miele, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Analogy and Nickelodean, has delivered one of the standout Italian prog releases of the year, the self-titled `La Curva di Lesmo', and it's sure to quickly become a favourite of followers of the sub-genre.

Based on the first story of Guido Crepax's Sixties Italian comic book series `Valentina', the duo took elements of that story and applied them to music that they felt was in the same atmospheric vein as Il Balletto di Bronzo, Semiramis, Cervello, Avant- prog group Opus Avantra and even electronic projects such as I Signori Della Galassia and Automat. Comprised of three tracks ranging from eight to twenty-six minutes, the album covers an adventurous range of folk, pop, symphonic and electronic influences, and is full of the ravishing vocal theatricality with classical and gothic flavours that proper RPI should always hold in abundance.

Beginning with opener `La Posa Dei Morti', orchestral Mellotron strings rise around indie rock/pop singer Beatrice Antolini's haunting, confident and wild voice, perfectly capturing that passionate controlled theatrical quality that all the best RPI singers hold ' proof it's not just a mans game! It's all an introduction to a run of electronic ripples, regal organ prancing and Moog dreaminess, with some grand guitar heroics burning through as well. The seventeen minute `L'isola Delle Lacrime' has Latte e Miele's Max Manfredi crooning alongside Jenny Sorrenti's wounded sweeping wail, snarling heavy guitars, haunting violins and a plodding eerie beat raising gothic tension. Shimmering keyboards and grooving guitars bring fire to reflective darker folk flute passages, gentle programmed beats pattering away in the background behind a striking spoken word outro.

Eerie organ moodiness, marching drum tension and infernal Mellotron choir with Goblin-like horror effects introduce the twenty-six minute, five part suite `Ho Rischiato Di Vivere'. Claudio Milano's demented devilish sneer rolls around spiralling Moog runs, smashing intimidating drums pound on the senses and purring bass laps seductively. Drifting electronic ambience emerges beside ghostly spectral siren calls, Matteo Merli's boisterous outbursts roar between gloomy acoustic guitar laments, and the climax of dark symphonic orchestration and raging electric guitars, choir and synth makes for a fitting finale. This side- long epic, somewhat more in the style of La Maschera di Cero (and even the gothic embrace of Il Segno del Comando in a few spots), is hugely dramatic and loaded with powerful themes, truly dark symphonic prog and operatic splendour at its very best.

Seeing as how the `Valentina' comics ran for over thirty years, let's hope the group have plenty of source material and inspiration for further albums and are no one-off (please don't succumb to that curse that befell so many early Italian prog groups, fellas!), because they've already set a massively high standard with this debut. Full of intricate, daring instrumental arrangements with rich and lively vocal performances, Italian prog doesn't come more confidently grandiose and proudly pompous than this, and it's a thrilling, essential purchase for RPI fans. `La Curva di Lesmo' is not only one of the strongest Italian progressive works of 2015, but it may even prove to become something of a modern classic.

Five stars.

La Curva Di Lesmo first album (a project by Stefano Agnini from La Coscienza Di Zeno and Fabio Zuffanti from Finisterre, Höstsonaten & La Maschera Di Cera) is a marterwork... of how NOT to do 70's style Progressive Rock.

Formulaic to a point of being comic, with all the things that die-hard proggheads would want in an album, but not. You know, 3 songs, one of them with more than 26 minutes, concept album, all the superb and snob things Prog is known for, all in excess. But in La Curva Di Lesmo what we have is an album trying way too hard to be a 'classic' 70's Italian Prog and fails utterly for wanting to be modern, full of unecessary electronic beats and guest voices that doesn't even come close to deliver the perfect interpretation something like a concept album needs. Not to mention that instrumentation has no depth, no soul and sometimes sound as if it was recorded in the least professional place possible.

I don't like the way modern Prog is going, almost Pop, but albums like La Curva Di Lesmo don't help at all the classic Symphonic style. In fact they harm it, heavily.

Skip it.

Fabio Zuffanti is Italy's answer to Steve Wilson, a gifted musician, composer and mentor whose creative engine was probably built at Maranello, hometown of the Ferrari automobile, even though he was born in Genoa. His lists of achievements is extensive and his latest project is this Curva di Lesmo , in partnership with the sensational keyboardist Stefano Agnini of La Coscienza di Zeno (CdZ) fame , a band that has become a serious RPI front-runner with three delicious offerings of their own. The goal here was to go back in time when PFM, Banco, Le Orme and many others were revolutionizing rock music in Italy and do a fine retro album loaded with sizzling keyboard wizardry, and bringing in a multitude of guests from a variety of bands, such as singers Max Manfredi of Latte di Miele, Jenny Sorrenti of Saint-Just, who steals the show here and the incredible multi-octave lungs of Claudio Milano of Nickelodeon legend. Other noteworthy names are Boris Valle (Finisterre) and Luca Scherani (Hostsonaten) on keyboards, the terrific drumming of Andrea Orlando (CdZ and Finisterre) and the sublime guitar of Laura Marsano (La Maschera di Cera, Zuffanti, Hostsonaten)on electric and Fabio Gremo on acoustic, he of La CdZ repute. Edmondo Romano appears once again on flute.

Three tracks only but big developed ones where everything is thrown into the mix, creating a complex brew of sounds and textures that will need multiple listens to sink in. The material is based on a famed Italian comic book icon Guido Crepax (you have to love that name!), a 60s comic book series that was quite popular in Italy at the time. Contrary to some who dislike everything about this release, the modern elements added here are supremely entertaining and give the clear production a lot of depth, furthermore the vocals are completely sensational, especially the manner in which Jenny Sorrenti wails like no tomorrow , allied with Manfredi and Milano's convincing deliveries. This is how modern RPI is meant to sound, intensely dense and yet nostalgic, deeply melodic and theatrical, which is a true definition of what makes Italian prog so unique. Overblown, ya think? Have you ever been to Italy? They invented overblown, in everything they attempt!

An opening 8 minute + track introduces both the lovely voice of Beatrice Antolini along with sweeping mellotron strings, a steady drum beat and heavenly melodies, "La Posa Dei Morti" serves as a fine introduction to the theatrical characteristics that Make RPI so special, tons of twists and turns with a plethora of instruments being thrown into the ring (electric guitar, organ, synths, bass), whipped up into a divine frenzy , only to slowly ebb and subside into pastoral gentleness.

The tremendous "L'Isola Delle Lacrime" raises the running time to 17 minutes and change, featuring a more delicate insertion of electronic beats, sweltering synths, flute interventions, technical drumming and an outright Gothic mood that rekindles images of Goblin as well another Zuffanti project, the devilish "L'Ombre delle Sera" but the true highlight is Max Manfredi's initial growl as well as Jenny Sorrenti's inspirational vocal performance, one of the finest to ever grace an RPI album, lush with passion, flair, power and a heady does of sultriness. The tricky beat picks up steam as the slithering violin makes its catty foray into the mix, resonating synths careening in the background add dimension and expanse. When the two vocalists join in unison, the art moves into operatic territory, sobbing violins and suave flute act as cast and crew. Sorrenti hits some high notes that defy description, a tour de force as she wails upward and onward, like a mad woman gone bonkers. Oh my! Manfredi is no slouch when the spotlight shines on him, giving a very Italian folk song recital that emotes thoroughly, Luca Scherani doing nice things on the accordion. Zuffanti shows up on bass and programming, altering the arrangement into a much more modern affair, with recited words adding to the thrill, summoning marshaling drums and an insistent organ to propel the piece into another realm.

The final chapter is the colossal 26 minute and 20 second "Ho Rischiato di Vivere", a multi-part symphony that tackles a rather difficult vocal score, handled brilliantly by the sensational Claudio Milano, whose multi-octave voice also can deliver snarls, growls, screeches and yelps. He is aided by another more 'conventional' vocalist Matteo Merli, as well as German narration by Analogy's Jutta Nienhaus Taylor. Sorrenti also throws in her high pitched wail. Truly fabulous vocal work! Boris Valle plays a sombre piano throughout, deeply melancholic and somewhat abstract. Silvia Trabucco has a violin that shrieks mightily. This is a modern opera that veers into a full blown prog discourse, rocking with full bore passion and unrestrained determination. Laura Marsano does a James Bond 'You Only Live Twice' riff that is shockingly appropriate, before Fabio Gremo's acoustic guitar slides the arrangement back to a whispered menace. The theme is then muscled onwards with unabashed drive, pummeling beat that underlines a nearly psychotic score that shows to be intense and choppy, monstrous and urgent. The Bond-like theme is now fueled by massive choirs and sweeping synths, elevated by a series of gorgeous vocals, a perfect foil for some Marsano guitar pyrotechnics and a tectonic, crescendo-laden finale.

Now, I do not care much for the black and white artwork, even though I understand its part of the retro 60s concept, but the shimmering melodies and the antsy deliveries make this a truly desirable slice of modern RPI.

5 artistic master plans

Fabio Zuffanti is back--and this time with one of his better productions--thanks to the inputs of so many other Italian professionals--especially Stefano Agnini, the variety of vocalists, guitarist Fabio Gremo, and the others from La Coscienza di Zeno--as well as a veritable all-star lineup of members of top notch Italian prog bands like La Maschera Di Cera, Finisterre, Eris Pluvia, Il Tempio Delle Clessidre, Höstsonaten, Saint Just, Analogy, and Nickelodian.

1. "La Posa Dei Morti" (8:26) (17.25/20)

2. "L'isola Delle Lacrime" (17:14) (29.75/35)

3. "Ho Rischiato Di Vivere" (26:24) (44/50) i. Ho Rischiato Di Vivere - Parte Prima ii. Ritratto Di Donna In Nero iii. Memoriale iv. Gargoyle v. Ho Rischiato Di Vivere - Parte Seconda

B+/4.5 stars; a wonderful new addition to the kingdom of progressive rock music in the Italian operatic tradition. Definitely worth checking out for your selves.