E FU IL SESTO GIORNO

Metamorfosi are a part Rome, part Sicilian-rooted RPI band who released two albums back in the 70s and a later comeback album. Their second album "Inferno" is considered an RPI classic by many but this debut album is often overlooked. This is unfortunate because the album is very respectable and one of those fascinating bridge albums where you can hear the "metamorphosis" to progressive rock occurring right before you ears. This album was released about 6 months before "Inferno" showing what great leaps were being made in a small amount of time.

All of the dynamic weapons of "Inferno" are already on displays here, albeit in a more constrained and traditional format. That is what fascinates about listening to this. You can hear what is coming, but here they are still hanging onto the more traditional rock and pop song structures, even as the performances begin to morph. On "Inferno" the shift is complete, with the songs themselves blurring into weirdness and experiments. But here, you experience the same band and their formidable weapons but they are only on the verge of letting go, they are still clinging to the normality of the "song." What this means is that fans of real RPI may be disappointed, but fans of Italian pop with proggy interludes should well enjoy this.

Jimmy Spitaleri has one of the legendary voices of RPI. Bold and authoritative, deep and close to operatic, he commands the tracks while singing. Enrico Olivieri is the other leader here, an amazing keyboardist whose organ and piano are the striking trademark of the group. In Metamorfosi they have a great understanding for giving the voice and keyboards "space." They don't clutter the sound and in fact the guitar is a minor instrument in this band's sound. The rhythm section is very solid and you have a great stage to enjoy the two main assets of the group. You can "hear" everything they are doing.

The band is often described as "dark" but they really aren't, not in the same sense as a Jacula. They are simply majestic, the voice and organ tinged with an almost formal dryness that some think of as dark. It can sound gothic-classical at times but not quite dark. Highlights include the fabulous opener "Il Sesto Giorno" with a drop-dead gorgeous flute motif that is mixed with the piano/organ blend, the organ immersing you in a very classical, melancholic feeling. It's a great song just riding that edge, certainly prog, but short and still partially contained. "Crepuscolo" is a great 9-minute heavy ride with lots of jamming and intense vocals, the drummer goes totally snake on this one, and the bass is upfront and audible. This tracks gets the closest to the sound we will hear on the second album.

The remaining tracks still have the leftover 60s rock feel and make the album much less consistent than "Inferno" from a prog-rock perspective, but the better half of the songs have enough good stuff to thrill fans of the early RPI. A good transitional album of the subgenre, but again, not fully realized from a progressive perspective. Bottom line, two four-star tracks, some three star tracks, and one two star track. Of interest to RPI fans, not essential to anyone else.

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