AURORA LUNARE

Something of a rarity and not exactly a common ability, Stefano Onorati is equally proficient on guitar as on keyboards, and he shines brightly on the opener "Oltre La Fredda Aurora", a rousing piece that is elevated by the driving rhythmic duo as well as Mauro Pini's exalted Italian language vocalizing. Moody electronics slowly peel away any restrictions, setting the proper mood for a bouncy inflection that will stay until the final note. When the dramatic vocals enter, we are clearly in classic/modern RPI territory, with lots of instrumental movement, freshly delivered and ultimately entertaining when things get bombastically symphonic.

Two shorter tracks present a temperamental atmosphere, as on the quietly romantic "La Vita Sfiorata", the soft voice colliding with the choppy percussion, and the melancholic mood, the bass guitar keeping light on the path ahead. Its close companion piece, "L'Eterno Varco" just keeps the feet on the pedals, a denser disposition with gloomier tendencies from the rousing organ and the pressure packed rhythmic foundation, showing some savvy twists, turns and pirouettes. When the vocals begin snarling, helped along by some toothy guitar work, the pace transitions wildly from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other.

Now as scrumptious as all the previous tracks were, the excellence leaps up a few notches on the title track, a 6 and a half minute of melodious discovery. Essentially a glorious vocal lament that cleverly uses the female vocals of Rafaelle Izzo as a duet, the clanging and shifting guitars, sweeping keyboards, a rubbery bass guitar and hard nose thumping on the drums add fuel to the fire. Tossing in some swift Gianluca Milanese flute only adds to the general excitement. Onorati really goes off on a couple of synthesizer tears, with the voices intertwined in raucous splendour. The velvety outro is pure genius.

Chaos, mystery, or fright, call it what you wish, "Parafolia" is experimental, disturbing, and testy, a platform for the frantic piano, bellicose bass and nasty beats all aligned, with the flute showing sweet restraint. The synth work is Kafka-esque, to the point of delirium, a sensationally rebellious foray into sonic insanity.

Peaceful horizons are restored on the highly cinematographic splurge of "Alla Fine del Niente", an ideal juncture for some of Onorati's finest contributions on both instruments, crowned by an exquisite and powerful vocal (Corviglia) that needs only a superb melody to reach glorious status. Definitely a highlight track among all the other great ones here.

The album is finalized by an elegant piano in a reflective mood, a sorrowful voice dripping with sensitivity, in almost hushed tones. As the theme progresses, the vocal raises its intensity, egging along the crew with sizzling electric guitar slashes, churning organ and fluttering synth in the stream, the bass and drums pounding relentlessly. The male /female voices elevate the passion to celestial heights before kneeling once again at the shrine of sonic humility, as a final piano pinch says "Arrivederci".

Needless to state, this was a most enjoyable release that deserves a wider audience and added reviews, as I had a hard time finding any on the www.

4.5 bronze medals

While I would describe this as symphonic music they do change it up, I mean they were fans of AREA as well and we get that vibe on a couple of tracks. Lots of synths, great melodies, classic vocals in the Italian tradition that make me proud. Lots of guests helping out like the LA MASCERA DI CERA guitarist and singer. How about the guest guitarist on the LE ORME closer Tolo Marton who won the world-wide guitar competition in Seattle put on by the Hendrix family in 1998, yes this man can play. By the way the keyboardist for this band is a Jazz man playing in a number of Jazz bands while also getting involved with AURORA LUNARE at some point. The original keyboardist while composing some of these songs back in the late seventies has a very limited role here.

Man this music just clicks with me big time, I'm really surprised with this one. It's the whole package though when you get a guy like Mauro Pini who sings with such emotion, just a pleasure really. All seasoned musicians and Mauro adds some unusual synths like synth-glockenspiel on a couple of songs as well as synth-bassoon on the fifth track "Corsa Senza Mota" which is a dark piece with lots of atmosphere and it's experimental. Sounds come and go like whispered words, flute, percussion and more. Piano and bass will also help out and man this is avant before 4 minutes and it will turn powerful with guitar but still "out there".

Another highlight is that opener, maybe their most famous or treasured melody that gets repeated throughout. Marching drums and lots of atmosphere before that melody arrives after 1 1/2 minutes and vocals not until after 4 minutes. Some more beautiful melodies on that second track which is the longest at over 9 minutes but I prefer the third tune "Mondo Fantasmatico" to it with the opening flute before guitar and synths dominate but the flute will return. Some awesome atmosphere here too in this almost 9 minute piece. More darkness on "Riflessi Indicativi" along with melancholy but before that the vocals and melodies are gorgeous. The short 2 minute "Interlunio" is somewhat dark with flute helping out then we get that two part LE ORME closer that is simply a joy and what a way to give a nod to their heroes and at the same time end the album with such class.

Over 30 years coming yet worth the wait? You bet! It's like this was custom made for me. Not sure why I'm not giving this 5 stars like Andrea offered but maybe down the road because this is going with the best of my RPI collection.

The beautiful opener "Evasione di un'idea" (Escape of an idea) begins by a marching beat that seems coming out from the mists of the past. In fact, according to the liner notes, the first part of this track is taken from an old tape containing a live recording from 1980 but after a minute and a half the mist gives way to a brilliant symphony of lights and shadows evoking the eternal struggle between dreams and reality, youth and maturity. As a gust of wind blowing away the cry of a man, an idea rises over the void that surrounds you. It shouts, trying to erode heavy metaphorical stones and negative memories and you can feel that soon a song of joy will break through, one day or another...

The following "Eroi invincibili... son solo i pensieri" (Invincible heroes... They are just thoughts) is in the same mood and begins by a piano solo pattern, then soaring melodic lines and heartfelt vocals lead your through indescribable landscapes where you can find lost temples and wide meadows burnt by the fire of a thousand emotions. You have to walk the beaten tracks, crawling on layers of madness and taking the risk of drowning in the sea of your lost chances... A church like organ solo passage ends this track and introduces the next one, the wonderful instrumental "Mondo fantasmatico" (Phantasmatic world) where you can let your imagination run free following the notes of a magic flute until you get lost in time and space.

"Riflessi indicativi" (Indicative reflexes) draws in music and words a surreal tableau reflecting images of distant worlds in the morning light. You can see black corals, crystal nets and strange buildings all around you while your memories start to get blurred... Then comes the dark, crazy experimentalism of "Corsa senza meta" (Running without a goal), an instrumental digression where dreams seem to turn into nightmares.

On "Secondo dubbio" (Second doubt) the rhythm rises again and the atmosphere is definitively brighter. The music and the hermetic lyrics conjure up images of hope shining through an suffucating mist and old memories from a tormented past. The following "Interlunio" is a short instrumental track for organ and flute that leads to another beautiful instrumental, the dreamy "Sfera onirica" (Oneiric sphere). The final track, "All'infuori del tempo / Ritorno al nulla" is a cover taken from Le Orme's masterpiece Felona e Sorona and represents a tribute to one of Aurora Lunare's most important sources of inspiration. It's enhanced by the presence of former Le Orme's guitarist Tolo Marton and by the female vocals of Greta Merli.

On the whole, this is an excellent album where historic pieces from the old repertoire of the band and some new tracks have been arranged and performed with painstaking care and great musicianship for the pleasure of the listener: a must-have for every Italianprog fan!

It all starts out quite promising with four real kick-ass tracks, beginning with the splendid opener, "Evasione di un' Idea", a parping synthesizer-led extravaganza that also features conspicuous bass and lead keyboardist Mauro Pini's effusive vocalizing. Well-constructed to maximize effect, the martial drums intone a harsh feeling of impending liberation, the intense keyboard symphonics definitely leading the parade, and the controls are set for a very pleasant ride. The quality truly stands out after multiple spins, a memorable workout full of charm, edge and delight.

The pace keeps on with the excellent "Eroi Invisibili", a track has many highlights such as the devilishly clever piano section courtesy of the masterful Stefano Onorati, a nearly 9 minute of sonic excursions that has little hints of past classics like Curved Air's fabulous "Metamorphosis", in that the piano orchestrates the arrangement first and then veers it into a more conventional prog piece, complete with that by-now familiar voice of Alessandro Corviglia of La Maschera di Cera fame. He does a crack job at elevating the emotions, aided by extended flute and synthesizer soloing. Another damn good uplifting track as the voluptuous church organ supplies added sensational depth.

The apex is reached convincingly with "Mondo Fantasmatico", as it has everything you want from RPI, clever melodies wrapped in mysterious contrasts (the choir work blending in with stupendous bass phrasings is to die for), strong groove tendencies and sizzling keyboard work that will satiate your prog cravings into many multiple revisits. When the electric piano shoulders the groove and everyone jumps on board, you get a Stealy Dan meets RPI feel that is out of this world, funky, driven, resolute and dynamic. Gianluca Milanese's magical flute flutters brilliantly, a stellar track that just kills me every time I get near it. Delicioso!

"Reflessi Indicativi" keeps the angst front and center with slightly more dissonant tendencies, though still loaded with magical ivory playing, stellar rhythmic interplay as well as emotional vocal expressions. The Moog literally sizzles throughout, swirling, cavorting and caressing manically, ably duelling for attention with the elegant piano, mellotron washes notwithstanding. Onorati spits out some electric guitar colorations that only add to the fun. Tonetti's rapier bass is thunderous here as well as throughout the album, a constant beacon of precision and melody.

From this moment on, here is where the album takes a slight dive that has lingered despite many attempts at altering my first impression. This next chapter contains 4 shorter tracks, some great, some not so, and a final Le Orme tribute that is totally out of place with the previous material, as mentioned by my mate Aussie-Byrd-Brother (who as usual, is perceptive to the nth degree!), an obvious puzzling decision to our ears anyway.

The decidedly unsavory "Corsa Senza Meta" is not my favored style, too dissonant and experimental (though I do enjoy those attributes, I dislike senseless noodling), a sonic 'papier-mâché' of weird noises, growling voices, hushed laughter, clichéd accented English quotes and really just a nuisance more than anything. The piano is chaotic, the editing all over the place in terms of structure, I really don't get it. Why?

Thankfully, "Secondo Dubbio" is better, a wilder yet more composed piece loaded with typical Tony Banks ?like synth melodies, a churning Hammond challenging the rather operatic Pini vocals, a cool flute solo and altogether a fine bass ?fueled piece, though somewhat predictable. I would have preferred seeing this piece earlier in the set as an interval between the sweeping giants.

The very short "Interlunio" is a tasty flute salad, something Didier Malherbe of Gong would concoct. Flute fans will love this exercise! The broken glass leads into "Sfera Onirica", an uplifting 4 minute ditty that spotlights the stunning keyboards available, while Onorati picks up the electric guitar again to underline the chaos and the enigma that exudes from the grooves. This is primo quality material once again, sort of the cavalry rushing in to the rescue , only to find the chuck wagons in ruins, smoldering in defeat. Now, I love Le Orme like most prog and RPI fans but this should have been clearly labelled as a bonus track, as it does not sound like Aurora Lunare but rather like the originators themselves, especially with the presence of Tolo Marton on guitar. Do not misunderstand me, the song is a stunning accomplishment, the female /male vocal duet (Pini is joined by Greta Merli) is beyond stellar, playful, emotive and gorgeous. The "Ritorno al Nulla" section from "Felona e Sorona "is enchanting, the solo is devastating but it somehow doesn't jive with the rest of the menu . Even after multiple return engagements, I still have that lingering aftertaste of dysfunction.

Looking forward to their next one though, as all their inherent elements are sheer delights.

4 moonlit awakenings

The album contains 13 tracks, which can be divided in two different styles.The first one shows the more accesible sound of Aurora Lunare, sometimes comparable to ATON'S, based on pathetic and very weak synth lines and cheesy keyboard deliveries, very far from their initial style, where the progressive content is still apparent, but the recording quality and the obvious but false-adapted Neo Prog tendencies do not help much.Some nice ideas are still in the menu with interesting symphonic textures and a few pretty great melodies around, while the vocals do offer this romantic Italian flavor.However the music contains no risks or any leanings towards the elaborate, Italian-styled arrangements of the past and the decent musicianship gets lost in the sake of commercial tunes and thin instrumental performances.The second style appears mainly in the longer tracks, which do sound more progressive with evident blinks to the 70's and a fair amount of breaks, complex instrumental passages and some big symphonic references in the synthesizers, a bit similar to ERRATA CORRIGE.The instrumental work is extended, the vocals are both sensitive the theatrical, the guitar work even bursts some jazzy vibes and the overall result is definitely more convinving, emphatic and dense.The flat keyboards and the average production are still reasons the hold down the quality of these otherwise interesting compositions.

Decent document of Aurora Lunare's long and unknown history.Not much of a recommended release, due to its strong commercial leanings and bad recording process, but anyone into melodic Italian Symph/Neo Prog could give this a chance...2.5 stars.

What a showcase opening track `Evasione di un'idea' is for both keyboard players in the band Mauro Pini (who is also the singer) and Stefano Onorati - an exhausting display of whirling duel- tracked Moogs, twinkling electric piano, coarse Hammond organ and fierce Mellotron blasts. The piece has a rollicking snap to it, like the classic P.F.M pieces of old such as `E Festa', with plenty of thick bass, punchy drumming, and a pleasing vocal chorus that is both triumphant and stirring, mostly due to the relishing menacing roll to Mauro's theatrical-styled vocals. The melancholic classical piano dominated `Eroi invincibili...' offers very Genesis-influenced regal pomp, with wistful flute reflections and an epic Moog/church organ solo in the second half. Hostsonaten and La Maschera di Cera's Alessandro Corvaglia provides his distinctive raspy croon for a touch of class to good effect as well. Instrumental `Mondo Fantasmatico', with it's upbeat boppy tempo and buzzing Moog, recalls the quirkier synth-pop moments of Italian legends Goblin, some trilling flute also giving the piece a real spring in it's step. It unexpectedly turns into an ambient synth-scape in the middle, full of Gregorian-styled chants and howling winds, before an E.L.P-inspired epic finale.

The gloomy `Riflessi Indicativi' is full of tip-toeing piano, uneasy bass and washes of Mellotron behind more blistering Moog runs, Mauro's voice conveying sad longing throughout this spectral piece. We then hit a run of slightly shorter numbers, starting with `Corsa Senza Meta', a creeping and slightly malevolent experimental piece with darting flute, mocking spoken-word passages and wavering electronic effects. By comparison, `Secondo Dubbio' is a Hammond/Moog soaked groover with a catchy melody and foot-tapping playfulness that demonstrates the confidence of the band. `Interlunio' is a brief dirty and thrilling flute improvisation over low-key organ, the ghostly `Sfera Onirica' brings back the slightly kitschy dark Goblin theatrics with wicked Mellotron choirs and driving electric guitar soloing. So, eight superb tracks in a row, surely that means the band will finish on their best piece yet?

Frustratingly, the band decide to close the album on a cover of Le Orme's `All'infuori del Tempo / Ritorno al Nulla'. Now, it's not a lazy remake at all, they've given the pieces their own flair, the first more joyous and especially lovely. Guest female vocalist Greta Merli is a delight here, and there's a sweetly romantic quality when she and Mauro come together, complimenting each-other beautifully. They've also got Le Orme member Tolo Marton to play some guitar on the second piece, who brings a dangerous spiky sound, and the rest of the band add a ferocious energy to it. But due to their inclusion here, it means that much of the attention on this album will go to those cover versions, stealing the focus away from the strong original material of the band. The band should have been confident enough with their own material, or maybe just included the Le Orme numbers as bonus tracks. Well, they're right at the end of the disc, so let's treat them as bonus pieces!

It's a shame this album was released right at the end of 2013, as last year had already had several high-profile, high-quality releases such as the Ingrannagi della Valle and Unreal City debuts earning much of the attention. So let's pretend this came out in 2014 and start giving this exquisite release the same attention as those other two. `Aurora Lunare' is everything a symphonic progressive rock fan could ask for, and with setting the bar so high for a debut release, one has to wonder where the band can can go from here. Not bad for a group already over thirty five years into their career! Better late than never, and if this is what the band could have achieved back in the vintage era of the 70's, they'd possibly be being talked about as something very special from the heyday of the RPI genre now.

Four and a half stars.