ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO

The original album release lasts for just about thirty minutes and features seven separate tracks, the first one of which is the title track with its menacing organ work and solid but minimal rhythm section working its way through in the background. 'Death Dies' comes second here and is a suspenseful piece that takes advantage of various percussive instruments until the main riff gets introduced, a really effective song. 'Mad Puppet' with its unusual and rather haunting opening actually develops into a trippy krautrock-inspired instrumental, unlike 'Wild Session', which is precisely where the prog rock pedigree of Goblin is completely prevalent, from the wicked introductory section to the quirky interplay between the keys and the bass, to the unhinged sax solo at the final section of this instrumental. 'Deep Shadows' is then the most experimental number on here, technical but haunting, leading to the two shorter closing pieces 'School at Night' and 'Gianna', both of which have this classical crossover feel and provide an excellent ending to this gorgeous soundtrack album from the mid-70s.

Foschia (Mist) is the perfect name for this young band from the Bologna area of Northern Italy. It describes their conflicted---sometimes mysterious, sometimes hopeful---sound pretty well. All band members were born around 2000, making them about 19 years old when they released this debut, Dalla Citta al Cielo (From City to Sky). I found that remarkable because, while there is a youthful perspective in the passion and sense of wonder, there is also a real maturity and patience in the pacing. This is an album for prog rock fans who appreciate the pacing of "Echoes" more than, say, "Blackest Eyes." While there are no 20-minute tracks herein, the first three songs do sort of melt together into one long piece in my own head.

In fact, as tiring as Pink Floyd comparisons can be, I do feel these guys bring a bit of '69 to '71-era Floyd to mind, as well as a bit of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" to mention a later song. In many of the songs, there are sections of slow development built around distant-sounding guitar leads---lone notes, soft bends, and space between each---with the same being true of the keyboards and piano that build around thoughtful, sometimes brooding chords. This approach brings an unhurried, contemplative approach that used to be more valued in progressive rock circles. The emotional release and payoffs will come, but they are in no hurry to give you a quick sugar high to sing along with. That space between the somber moods and the hopeful ones play out over the course of the album. The psych and sometimes bluesy feel of the electric guitars overshadow a "typical RPI" vibe generally, but the heartfelt Italian vocals help retain the experience. This debut reminded me most specifically of a 2011 album called Hanblecheya by Labirinto di Specchi, which was roundly enjoyed my many PA regulars at the time. I would say that Dalla Citta al Cielo is similar though less experimental, but perhaps even a better balance.

Love the trippy opening to "Il Viaggio" (The Journey). The wind sound effect is perfect behind the clean guitar, and it acts as a de facto intro to the 10-minute "Entrance." More environmental sound (rain, birds) augment the dreamy guitar opening. Drums enter and eventually a long synth section and electric lead. A beautiful piano solo closes what is perhaps the most Floyd-inspired track. "Il Delirio" (Delirium) continues the hazy guitar and piano meditation style, and it became my favorite track. The haunting romanticism of "Vite appese ad un filo" (Lives Hanging by a Thread) changes gears a bit, modern RPI and yet somehow it could've been written by Jackson Browne or Conor Oberst. Go figure. "Dio Della Morale" has a bit of a Doors or perhaps Traffic vibe. I heard a Mazzy Star vibe in a few corners of the room. I love that there is so much space in these songs; this is Exhibit A that great music need not be overly complex, overly dense, or overly loud. The pure emotion of a standalone voice, guitar note, or soft piano chord are given the space to be nakedly heard, which is powerful. I think that philosophy is now so rare that it truly stands out when a band does it, and it's part of what makes this album so great.

A few minor quibbles: the distorted rhythm guitar tone lacks presence, lacks oomph. It's just a bit thin, and it's more noticeable with the rhythm guitars than the leads. Everything else sounds great, including the drums, which I almost always have issues with when listening to modern bands. Also, I'd say that the album could have ended with "Il paroliere" and been stronger for it. The tracks that follow, a bit more pop and ballad, are fine songs indeed, but they feel unnecessary as they deviate from the sound style of the rest. Being a fan of shorter "vinyl length" albums, I appreciate a tight tracklist. That said, this is without question a compelling and appealing debut, simply luxurious listening. I loved it. I do hope there will be another album someday. The cover artwork could not be more appropriate. It perfectly captures the mood and personality of the music you will hear.

Miss this album and you are missing out.

Ego is an instrumental trio from Varese who have now been around for two decades. Their fifth album Sistema (System) came out in 2014, and it is not a sound one might expect from the RPI bench. While there are occasional traces of RPI coming mostly from the romantic and melodic piano gracing several tracks, much of the album is almost like retro electronica that would not sound out of place blasted at a rave nor as the background soundtrack for a video game, making the album cover a perfect visual token for what you should expect. The synths are so brilliantly robust and layered and rich, complete and total ear candy. The bass is massive and forceful. The drumming is very much about propelling the vehicle forward, almost sounding like programmed beats sometimes, though I believe it is live drumming.

The songs can sound like pop music one moment but completely veer into the unknown at the drop of a hat. As mentioned, there is that sense that this could be soundtrack music to a video game, and it is music as constant movement and energy. The lack of vocals is so perfect for this album because it allows you to immerse more fully into the experiment. There are excursions from the pulsing synth-rock such as the brass-laden "Via Del Cairo," the gorgeous piano solo "Distrazione," and the 10-minute symphonic, cinematic "Petit Prince," very much the payoff pitch here, meticulously crafted and dreamy and dynamic. As our superb reviewer and friend Thomas wrote, this album "stretches the boundaries" of RPI. While not entirely my cup of tea, this album is sure to please fans of both retro and modern synth/key-heavy instrumental rock not straddled by the too-common jazz-fusion slant of other instrumental bands.

Edera were a Milan-based band formed in the mid-90s and who now have fallen silent for a decade in terms of new releases. This is truly a bummer because, based on the strength of this work, they should have made a larger splash than they did. Mindquake is their third full-length album, and it is on another level completely from that which came before. Their first two albums were good and had some very cool tracks, but Mindquake, coming a decade after their second album, really succeeded in reaching their full potential. If the idea was to make one final album before dissolving the band, they nailed it. Indeed, there is so much intensity packed into each track that it does feel like a band shooting for the moon as if they knew it was their last work. Of course, that's my speculation. Maybe they'll be back someday.

Everything about Mindquake ups the ante over what they've done before. Starting from simple presentation issues, the rather amateur-looking album covers are replaced by this cool sci-fi image expressing the emotional and/or physical pain of the protagonist, I'd presume. The messy 19-title tracklist of the previous album, some just a minute or so long, are replaced with solid, lengthier tracks with succinct titles, seemingly aiming for a tighter conceptual package. Ironically, as cool as their album design is here, this is their only release that didn't get a CD release. Tragic it is that this is only available digitally currently and only from a couple places. (Since the band's website is gone, I will link to a source for album via the 'Official Website' button on their artist page so all reading can find a place to listen.) If you love this album as much as I did, be sure to download a copy from one of the official sites in case this work disappears someday. I rarely bother with that, but this album is worth the trouble.

Getting to the music finally, I did not expect much going in, yet I was blown away by this album. Just to start: emotionally dark and heavy, tightly wound, constricting feelings balanced with release. Every track is akin to a dramatic, self-contained stage scene almost. Often described as a combination of symphonic and neo-prog and, while that's not wrong per se, there is more to it than that. There is almost a gothic modern rock vibe as well, almost a veil that a Cure album might possess. I think this album is a conceptual sibling-in-spirt to other stylish and somber works like Peter Gabriel's Up, Marillion's Brave, or Moongarden's Round Midnight. So much intensity and emotional fuel is packed into the tightly constructed compositions. The keyboards create both oppressive and serene backgrounds while layered guitar parts thrash back and forth. The drumming expertly walks the line of keeping the tracks taut while allowing some controlled turbulence. The vocalist is an intense, heart-on-sleeve guy like a Thom Yorke, Fish, or as others mentioned, Marco Gluhmann. His style could be off-putting to some, but I thought it was perfect for the material.

The songs can be very dense, impenetrable, and sometimes feel oppressive and claustrophobic, but they do have sections of relief and places to breathe, usually arriving in the form of a lovely piano run or some acoustic guitar or just a softer passage. While I didn't have lyrics to catch all the nuance, the songs musically feel very much like the running diary of someone dealing with immense pain, bouncing from crisis to crisis in the search for serenity. The fact that the music is able to impart such a journey on me with ease via the form of a unique progressive rock sound is what makes it a stylistic masterpiece to me. I also feel like the creativity of the songwriting and the performances of every individual player here are off-the-charts good. Everyone is hitting the sweet spots that allow you to feel the emotion and enjoy the "theater" of it.

If there is one flaw I'd mention, it might be that the production is not as crisp or clear as I typically like. However, given the solemn conceptual nature of the material, this might actually work to the benefit of the album by helping to create the rather unnerving, anxious vibe the songs require in places. Despite being a difficult album full of material some might call a little depressing, I found it a very satisfying album that likely would have made my best of 2015 list had I heard it then. It is tragic that there is no CD and that it garnered so little attention from progressive rock fans and prog writers. I highly recommend checking this out if you like the kind of emotionally heavy works I mentioned above.

1977 was also the swan song of the Golden Age of progressive music in Italy and elsewhere. ELP, GENESIS, PINK FLOYD, and others were at the height of their powers, while newer bands arrived at the wrong time and struggled to find their place, and that's saying something... The CAMPARO siblings, with the collaboration of Davide PRONZATO on guitar and Roberto MAGGIOTTO on drums, opted for the name PLENILUNIO to continue their dream, so to speak. Over time, after departures and returns, the Piedmontese band now seems to have stabilized. Not having heard PLENILUNIO's first two albums (2012 and 2017), I embarked on a listening journey to "Il Gioco Imperfetto" with chaste ears.

With PLENILUNIO, we're more on the progressive pop trail than on the often steep paths of transalpine symphonic progressive. To be clear and provide references, let's mention ASIA from the British and LE ORME from the mid- seventies ("Verita Nascoste"/"Storia o Leggenda"). Admit it, we could find much worse; closer to home, NATHAN's debut album can serve as a benchmark.

There's nothing to criticize on this record, which is less than forty-five minutes long (by a hair's breadth). Fortunately, you might say, in the words of today's youth, "it's a breeze."

What are the most recommendable pieces from this "Il Gioco Imperfetto"? In order of the opus, the opening track "L'Aquilone"; the fifth and somewhat folky (especially in its first two minutes) "Diariodi Bordo"; the next and very brilliant instrumental "Voci del Vento" (the highlight of the work); the reference to NATHAN's "Nebulosa" is strongly marked here; the seventh "Tutte le colpe che ho" is very LE ORME, as mentioned above. Roberto MAGGIOTTO sings as well as Aldo, albeit with a deeper voice (a welcome classical guitar part played by Riccardo PRONZATO); and finally, the eighth "Loro" (LE ORME too.....in all honesty, it feels like you're there; the structure of the piece is unmistakably reminiscent of him).

A small downside for the whole album, most of the pieces end too suddenly for my taste...Valter, some small instrumental developments for the next album ?

From the first notes of "Majestic Whales," the listener is immersed in a dreamlike atmosphere, where Cristiano Roversi's ethereal keyboards and Davide Cremoni's melodious guitars evoke the majesty of cetaceans. The participation of Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) adds an extra dimension to this captivating instrumental opening.

"The Words You Don't Say" introduces a captivating vocal duality between Guillermo Gonzales and Manuela Milanese. The contrast between Gonzales's raspy voice and Milanese's crystalline sweetness creates a palpable emotional tension, reinforced by organic arrangements blending organ and mellotron.

"Limbo of the Rootless" continues this sonic exploration with an acoustic guitar introduction, followed by a vocal dialogue between the two singers. The composition evolves toward darker tones, incorporating inspired guitar solos reminiscent of IQ, and organ passages that add a mystical depth to the ensemble.

The album's highlight is undoubtedly the eponymous suite, which lasts over 20 minutes and is divided into eight movements. This centerpiece takes the listener on a journey through the Caribbean, each segment reflecting a different port of call, with lyrics in five languages ​​(English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese), illustrating the region's cultural richness. The fluid transitions between sections, blending pastoral acoustic passages with progressive soarings, demonstrate the band's mastery of musical storytelling.

The album closes with "Zena," an elegant instrumental piece showcasing Cremoni's guitar virtuosity, providing a soothing conclusion to this sonic adventure.

Ed Unitsky's artwork deserves special mention, his visual world enriching the listening experience by reflecting the album's themes.

In short, "Atonement of a Former Sailor Turned Painter" is a rich and immersive work that, despite notable influences from Genesis and The Flower Kings, manages to forge its own identity, offering progressive rock fans a deep and nuanced musical experience.

{google translated from French to English by admin. Reviews should be submitted in English}

The new Italian band Limite Acque Sicure was founded in 2005, in the northern part of Italy. In 2016 they turned into a six-piece formation, with members from different origins and horizons, from metal to fusion, from classical to rock, but this is precisely the secret of their formula. In 2022 I wrote about their eponymous debut album (see review) the following. "I am impressed by this new Italian prog band with their first album, these are excellent musicians, with interesting different musical backgrounds, what a chemistry, I am already looking forward to their next effort, highly recommended!"

Band info. "In this new work we have adopted a theme, the concept is telling of life experiences by characters. The record is a metaphor for the randomness of fate, which assigns each person a specific story, a particular path in life. It is different from our debut album, here on Un'Altra Mano Di Carte" we tell stories, of marginalisation, of distant (perhaps false) memories of a better life, of abuse. Stories of reflection on wickedness, stories of rebellion, of shots of pride."

Joker : The first composition on this new Limite Acque Sicure album contains a lot of shifting moods and a varied instrumentation. From a spacey synthesizer intro to a bombastic outburst with howling wah-wah guitar. From a slow rhythm with pleasant Italian vocals to dreamy with tender piano sensitive electric guitar and a celestial female voice. In the second part the sound gradually becomes more bombastic, culminating in a compelling climate with a church organ sound, a Minimoog solo and Mellotron choirs, backed by a dynamic rhythm-section, wow, what a start!

Il Racconto Di Juan Della Sua Terra : This track features the more pastoral side of the band featuring an Angelo Branduardi kind of folk sound with flute, acoustic guitar, tender piano and orchestrations. In between a sumptuous eruption with a synthesizer solo and fiery guitar solo, this adds dynamics and musical contrasts to the music, one of the trademarks of the band.

Natale 1914 : It starts with military drums and a tin-whistle sound, then a slow rhythm, in a dreamy climate with melancholic vocals and piano. Gradually the sound turns more lush featuring moving guitar, emotional vocals, another pleasant, very compelling atmosphere, topped with delicate synthesizer and guitar interplay. Halfway through is a a fiery guitar solo, then a mellow part with acoustic guitar and intense vocals, finally the unsurpassed Mellotron joins, what a tastefully arranged track.

Non Il Bergerac : The intro contains a wonderful classical piano solo, next tender vocals and piano, turning into a slow rhythm with sparkling piano, beautiful. Halfway through a mid-tempo with a flashy synthesizer solo. In the second part a mellow atmosphere with a moving electric guitar solo, gradually the mood shifts to a heavier sound. Finally sound effects and a melancholic accordion.

Chita : This long composition features excellent female vocals, she has a wide range and lots of power. The atmosphere alternates between mellow and bombastic, embellished with piano, guitar and accordion. In the final part a kind of Arabian singing, turning into an opera voice, pretty hypnotizing, but also adventurous.

Storie Perdute : The final composition delivers an awesome vintage keyboard sound with powerful Hammond organ and majestic Mellotron choirs, in a bombastic climate with propulsive drum beats, a sparkling piano interlude and a sumptuous outburst featuring heavy guitar with wah-wah. Often Le Orme comes to my mind, also due to the wonderful male Italian vocals.

WOW! What a wonderful second effort, highly recommended, especially to the fans of 70s Italian prog, like Banco and Le Orme.

1. "22.43" (1:00) I'm a sucker for neoclassical a cappella vocal pieces and I absolutely LOVE this one! (5/5)

2. "Kasbah" (4:30) a very interesting, creative, unusual song construct: like a person with multiple personalities or switching television channels every ten seconds. (9/10)

3. "Luna piena" (4:09) the band's quirky musical sound and structural choices couple with their great sense of melody reminds me very much of MAD CRAYON's 2009 masterpiece, Preda. (8.875/10)

4. "Non sarai" (4:52) it's like unheard/unrealized music from the 1980s given full life in 2025! And then the 1970s GENESIS palette for the instrumental section in the second half of the song! Wow! (9/10)

5. "Jacaranda" (4:44) despite Fabio Speranza's charming classic-RPI, Aldo Tagliapeitra-similar voice, he's not a great singer, but, worse are the background vocalists (or perhaps it's their arrangements). Love the presence of the 12- strings, piano, violin and Mellotron. Another odd song about which I feel quite divided. (8.75/10)

6. "Descent" (5:06) The inconsistent drum sounds bug me. The bass bugs me. I love the strings, keys on all levels and in all sections, and Lorenzo Gianni's guitars. Nice mish-mash of an almost-overwhelming number of ideas. (8.875/10)

7. "La mia scia" (4:21) with every album's title song comes slightly elevated expectations (thinking that this is the song that the band things best represents them at this particular time/stage of their careers). It is a slightly smoother, more cohesive construct--well engineered--and one of Fabio's better vocal performances--with some great 1980s Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sound and play. But it ends up feeling a bit like a Yacht Rock/Prog Lite piece. Would've been a big hit in the 1980s! (8.875/10)

8. "1997" (6:45) more of those lovely 1980s guitar sounds with a great pensive vocal performance over the top. Again, this could've been a big hit in the 1980s (or, I guess, 1990s). Acoustic guitars strumming with 'tron and Tony Banks-like synths take us out over the final 90 seconds. Nice! (13.5/15)

Total Time: 35:30

The band feels like they're trying to mash together so many formerly disparate themes, sounds, and styles into each song that it leaves my head spinning. Great idea to layer and cut-and-paste all these great riffs and ideas but nothing feels consistent or flowing. And yet, overall, I find myself coming away with a very happy feeling--as if I really enjoyed the upbeat melodies and creative quirk. Though I'm glad the band didn't let Lorenzo Gianni use the Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sounds and stylings throughout this album, it did help provide a very pleasant listening experience for me.

B+/4.5 stars; a conglomeration of old sounds and stylings brought together in a modern synthesis result in a refreshing and quite enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommended--especially to those progheads who find rewards in the techno-New Wave sounds of the 1980s.

What an interesting find for me, this collection of short musical vignettes that strike me as mini-soundtracks for moments of one's life. Ecfonetica is the collaboration of musicians and composers Stefano Calandrelli (keyboards) and Walter Possieri (guitarist, multi-instrumentalist). Since 2014 they have been creating soundscapes that sometimes fall under progressive rock and other times progressive music, but always they are playgrounds for the imagination. Expressing either moments of beauty or moments of strangeness/exploration seem to be the intent here in lieu of "traditional prog rock." This is a group with more in common with the avant-garde chamber music collectives but with different instrumental choices than strings. This is largely a piano/guitar album, and it is completely instrumental.

Being a huge fan of piano playing of this style---slower, slightly melancholy, and meditative---the first half of Zero is right up my alley. We are treated to five pieces of music with introspective piano accompanied in places by acoustic and electric guitar but no drums. Imagine if you will a combination of Gilmour's style on "The Narrow Way" with Wright's playing during the gentle first half of "Sysyphus, Part II." That isn't a perfect analogy because Zero is not looking to emulate Pink Floyd here, but those specific parts mentioned will give you some general idea of what to expect. The next three tracks (6, 7, 8) introduce drums and a more conventional song feel that doesn't grab me as much as the first five tracks do, but they're still good. The last two songs drop percussion again and return to the experimental feel of the earlier album. Stefano's "Anime" is glorious and melodic solo piano while Walter's "Spire" is trippy, textural guitar (and bass) painting. This is a perfect album for active listening on a rainy day.

I have to quote my dear friend Michael Hodgson above as his comment from the bio was dead on the mark. I'm rather stunned that this now nearly decade-old album did not catch fire and become a favorite with the vintage symphonic and vintage RPI fans of ProgArchives. Maybe it's the rather depressing album cover and band name. Perhaps the mix of geographic flavors---combining British and Italian prog influences---was a bit too British for the RPI crowd and a bit too Italian for the British crowd. Nah, probably neither. More likely it's just another case of a great gem flying under the radar of music fans with far too many choices tugging them to and fro. A nice problem to have, eh?

Michael gives the band's history in his bio on our artist page, but Disequazione is a band that goes way back to the early '80s when they were covering the classic English prog in live performances. But like so many other bands of similar modus operandi, they didn't get to record their own "song for the ages" until decades later. Progressiva Desolazione Urbana is an album that comes with a rather bleak appearance in cover image, in the band name, and even some of the titles, but the music is ironically far from bleak. What you'll hear musically sounds more like classic mid-late '70s symphonic from the likes of Rousseau, Novalis, Orme, and Camel to name just a few bands that popped into my head while writing this. Vintage keyboard sounds, highly melodic, tight Camelish jamming on guitars, bass, and drums, flutes, easygoing vocals, and unapologetically "proggy-pleasing" songwriting that seems determined not to offend the listener. Perhaps only fans of a more discordant harsh-rock could object to the approach.

That's not to say they don't rock---oh, they do rock. The opening of "Inutile" will pounce from your speakers boldly before dropping into a smooth groove with the pleasing variable of Italian vocals rather than English. (I love considering vocals just another musical instrument rather than a lyrical delivery device.) Soon comes an almost folky acoustic guitar section that builds with mellotron-sounding keys to the melodic guitar solo. No waiting for payoff on this album---this is more like instant prog-rock gratification. The beginning of "Il Vaso di Pandora" features Radi's stellar and emotive bass over acoustic guitar, very moody and cinematic. The title track is the star of the show, a grand three-part suite clocking in around 18 minutes. An epic piece filled with one creative escapade after another, the side-long track could fit as comfortably in 1976 as it does 40 years later upon release. The beguiling flute and acoustic guitar section is so lovely and is soon joined by smooth and melodic electric leads again.

This album has a bit of a nostalgic vibe for me as it seems to capture the sound that made me fall for progressive rock in the first place so long ago. I like that the production is somewhat relaxed and warm compared to a lot of new releases that can be so loud and digitally cold. This album is much more "crackling fireplace at ski lodge" than "mega-crisp stadium show on flatscreen" if you catch my drift. The only possible complaint one could lodge here is that the songwriting doesn't attempt to break new ground, that it leans too much into the classic sound, too comfortable for the listener. I don't feel that way, but I wouldn't be surprised if some do. I would heartily suggest giving yourself permission to kick back and enjoy a sound that doesn't come along often anymore, a gift from Prog Nirvana to you. The band still perform live and there was work on a second album, but covid and other issues resulted in delay. But should Progressiva Desolazione Urbana prove to be the one-and-only release from this band, they can be proud of an album that will eventually find its way to those who will adore it. Don't miss it!