APOCALYPSE NOW

An Italian band that has been offering their own sleek interpretations or tributes to some of the 20th Century's most iconic films. I love the use of actual clips from the film's dialogue within the songs--reminding me of French residents Hypno5e's soundtrack/accompaniment to Bolivian-born band member Emmanuel Jessua's film, Alba - Los Hombres Errantes.

1. "Saigon" (7:03) a very cool pulsing synth opening--sounding a bit like a helicopter whirligig in slow motion. Joined by synth and ominous guitar arpeggio at the end of the first minute, I can already tell we're in for something very special. Solo lead electric guitar ends the second minute, repeating a melody line a few times before shifting into a chorus. Very controlled and tightly accompanied--especially by some excellent drumming. Choral vocalise next before sparsity of solo piano sets up the entrance of the singer. Very nice voice--very accurate and pitch perfect. Then, at 4:15 the rest of the band joins in with some soundscape-expanding accompaniment. Great vocal performance--I can see why the instrumentalists have been instructed to hold back. Daniele Pomo's voice reminds me quite a bit of Paolo Farina, singer and composer of the HUMANA PROG material from 1975 and 2014. Excellent fill of the soundspace during the two minutes of wordless finale--with such beautiful drumming! (14/15)

2. "Cuore di Tenebra Pt. I" (3:58) singing about the background of some of the players ("New Orleans," "The Bronx") gorgeous strings over the second half. (8.75/10)

3. "Dossier" (1:56) like a soundtrack to an old hoofer-detective film. Jazzy. Classy. (5/5)

4. "Napalm" (20:12) (35.5/40) - i. "Arc Light" - solid, tension-filled high octane prog rock. Great singing--both lead and multi-voice harmonies. (8.75/10) - ii. "Kilgore Pt. I" - Lance and Colonel Kilgore meet on the beach. Enter a beach-like theme song. Great drumming! The surrounding music is pretty good, too. (8.75/10) - iii. "Apache" - When Daniele enters to sing at the end of the eighth minute, it's a very nice section that leads into the napalm bombing and strafing of the woods to allow the surfers time to surf and then to exit. Juxtaposed with Italian children in a school setting--perhaps during a practice air-raid response--to put things into perspective? Then we're into a hard-driving section with penetrating guitar riff on repeat until it's time for a scorching solo. I love the way the strings add so much to the rise in tension. When things break, there is a smooth driving passage over which searing electric guitar shreds. Then Daniele returns to continue to tell the story of "the hidden cries." Very powerful bombastic section comes out of this. Amazing power! (9.25/10) - iv. "Kilgore Pt. II" - "cause Charlie don't surf" (8.75/10)

5. "Playmate" (6:21) complete with the USO's emcee's introduction of Miss August. Bombastic RPI with 70s Hammond and 80s power chords. Solid, powerful music--great performances across the board. A little too classic rock, though I get what they're trying to do. (8.75/10)

6. "The Eden Cries" (10:37) a song that you can definitely tell is telling a serious story. I love the keys. Despite the shifting themes with different film samples, there's just a little too much Italian bombast here for my tastes--though all of it with fine instrumental performances. The final two motifs of the final two minutes are my favorites--especially the Vietnamese violin-like instrument and bamboo flute over the slow pulsing organ chords. Gorgeous! (17.5/20) - i. The Eden Cries Pt. I - ii. The Eden Cries Pt. II

7. "Cuore di Tenebra Pt. II" (4:33) A stunningly gorgeous song--with some surprisingly intricate and complex textures and instrument play. One of the best songs I've heard all year. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)

8. "The Horror" (16:21) Unfortunately, some of my ratings here are biased by the voice clips from the film. (28/30) - i. "Kurtz" - the music supporting the dialogue between Willard and Kurtz is so beautiful it sounds and feels almost like a praise tribute to Kurtz. (10/10) - ii. "Metodi Malsani" - as menacing and crazed as the Brando character the movie was trying to portray. (4.75/5) - iii. "Falso Idolo Pt. I" - gorgeous Italian prog--with great vocals and equally gorgeous prog accompaniment. (5/5) - iv. "Like Some Grandmother" - music to accompany Kurtz's horrific story about innoculating a village of children against polio. (4.75/5) - v. "Solo la Verita" - powerful vocal and music as only the Italians can do. (4.5/5) - vi. "Sacrifice" - I don't really agree with the choice of using bagpipes and military drumming for this motif--as if we're honoring a military man (with a German last name). And then the "monster" church organ to finish. (4.25/5)

9. "Un Nuovo Dio" (6:52) Another incredible song--my final top three. The uptempo second part is as powerful as the first part is beautiful. Great use of choral voices and great lead guitar work. And then there's the pulsing chord play of the final two mintues. Wow! What a finish to a great album! (14.5/15) - i. Falso Idolo Pt. II - ii. Cuore di Tenebra Pt. III

Total Time 77:53

Very special talent in drummer Daniele Pomo. And his excellent, powerful voice reminds me of that of HUMANA PROG singer-songwriter, Paolo Farina (a part of teh MAXOPHONE scene in the 1970s).

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and definitely in the running for my favorite album of 2022.

The band RANESTRANE is consisting of experienced musicians who are residing in Roma, Italy. They are well known for the preference to produce concept albums, and hereby being obviously specialized in picking up diverse film classics. Thus this one is drawing references to the US crime taking place in Vietnam during the last century. In particular refering to the famous movie 'Apocalypse Now' starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, that was produced by Francis Ford Coppola. No need to warm up the context in the further course. The movie itself is a superlative from a technical point of view, no doubt, but turns out to be another conspicuous attempt to justify the war on the backs of the Vietnamese people in the end.

Constant band members are Riccardo Romano (keyboards), currently also underway on solo paths with a new appealing album, Massimo Pomo (guitars) and Maurizio Meo (bass). Finally also drummer Daniele Pomo, who, you'll find this a rather rare case, also provides the lead vocals. And so Saigon appears to be a wonderful opener, where his voice is backed by melancholic piano lines or sensitive guitar presence. Lyric-wise the band is using a blend of English and Italian language, with the preference on the latter. Rock Progressivo Italiano at its best. The core piece marks the monumental statement Napalm which has a total length of twenty minutes playing time. Excellent. I would say this marks the best RANESTRANE effort so far. Come on, get your own impression. Kudos to MaraCash Records especially, they are covering some real jewels in their portfolio again and again.

3.5 stars. RANESTRANE are a four piece band out of Italy and concept albums are their business. Usually they base them on movies like this one but they also covered PINK FLOYD's "The Wall" adding some of their own material. Vocals are in Italian except for some English ones here and there. Vocals are good and so are these musicians who play in a melodic style. The liner notes are great as well giving us the lyrics in Italian and in English.

They use quite a lot of samples from the movie and some go on for quite a while. I find them a distraction but then again I'm the guy who usually avoids concept albums. It's all about the instrumental music for me and certainly the vocals can add to that or be a negative. Everything is good here both instrumentally and vocally but man 78 minutes just kills me. After the fourth track we are 33 minutes in and its a very solid 4 star affair but then "Playmate" comes on and I just don't like the lyrics or the music and it sort of goes down hill from there for me even though the tracks that follow it are an improvement.

If your into concept albums and especially this movie you gotta hear this, I think you will love it. I was never a movie guy so I'm sure that affects my feelings towards this record as well.