ZARATHUSTRA

There's been a lot of RPI around the house lately. Even to the extent that also my cats picked up a few Italian phrases, like 'a-a-o!' (Hungry!), 'I a-a-o!!' (Really I'm starving!!) and 'rrra-o rrra-o!' (If you don't feed me now I'll bite your toes off!). One of the albums I've instructed them with is Museo Rosenbach's album Zarathustra. Mad dashes guaranteed!

The band brings a very powerful version of symphonic rock, with elements reminding me of the early UK hardrock and my so beloved 71/72 Genesis sound. The groundwork is laid by the solid bass guitar and the dynamic drums, strong emotive vocals are added in due RPI fashion. The guitar, while not always prominent, is sure worth paying attention to, as Ritchie Blackmore's touch is clearly felt. Everything is covered under a soothing blanket of Hammond organ and mellotron. Delicious.

Particularly so on the 20 minute epic. Right from the start it brings me into a 5 star mood. It begins with a romantic opening section and builds up into an organ heavy outburst, laying down a majestic theme that also closes the song. The way they build up the tension in the first 4 minutes is simply genius and creates a very strong and rousing effect. The remainder of this epic contains many moments of symphonic bliss, juggling influences from Deep Heep and Jethro Crimson. The Italian vocals and the unpredictable and imaginative composition make it into an unmistakably RPI album. Because of the many UK influences this album might serve as an excellent introduction for newbies in RPI. At least for me it did.

The second half of the album is slightly more uneven. Degli Uomini continues the style of the main track but sounds less appealing, with vocal melodies that are a bit forced even. Della Natura however is probably the best track on the album, with a beautiful interplay between all instruments and an insanely pleasant 'dada-tada' vocal section. The closing track Dell'eterno Ritorno is a bit disappointing at first but it improves once it gets going.

A masterpiece? Close but no. There are some imperfections here. There are issues with the mix, which sometimes suffers from vocals that are too loud and uneven volume gain; there are some unlucky fades and rough transgression and the epic especially never has the unifying vision of a Tarkus or Echoes or Supper's Ready. But what I love so much about it is the passionate dedication and the almost naive imaginative power of this music. Every single note, every hit on the drum kit, and all vocals are brought with such a contagious fervour. Simply put, this band infects me with their love for their music.

Zarathustra isn't a perfect album, it's not the most representative example of RPI and it's certainly not the pinnacle of it, but the emotional impact and hard rocking qualities here are too strong to resist for me. I simply can't stop listening to this album and that's an indication I never ignore. So I have to allow my subjective enjoyment to add one star to what the album most certainly deserves.