MELOS

I have no problem what so ever at granting Melos by Cervello a 5 star rating. This is the PINNACLE of Italian Prog IMHO. From the opening "Canto del Capro" with its spacey moogs and VCS3's the album nevers lets up in quality. The first track strikes one as a kind of Italian Magma at first with its daunting flutes and Ancient Greek chanting - "Magica Danza!" into a creepy arrpegio guitar and Stella Vander like etheral wailing - a kind of hybrid of Magma and Goblin. Cervello fuse the best of the best of Prog (VDGG, Crimson, PFM, Celeste) and create a range of moods - sometimes veering into a kind of cheery Genesis like pastorality, and then back into darker realms. Melos is at once varied in mood and kept together so it doesn't become to incongruous. The dexterity of the players is up there with the best: creepy mellotron passages merge into dynamic woodwind riffs, at once chirpy and sinister! "Trittico" continues the first side - a mini-epic in 3 parts - beginning with a soothing ballad, like Celeste, before "Euterpe" finsihes the Side in style. Side Two and there's just no let up in quality - the strange lilting rhythms of "Scinsione" bring a bleak atmopshere - the woodwind playing must be singled out as particularly excellent - 3 of the band play flute as well as mellotron at times (all though its not listed) - on this track they prove their versatility by merging into a great stomping VDGG-like march, incredibly powerful with stunning guitar playing by Corrado Rustichi. Really, Melos by Cervello has it all. For me its stands atop Italian Prog like a behemoth (and this in a movement not exactly lacking classics) But Melos is more than that! It is simply PERFECTION - a sublime piece of work where everything just comes together - straddling the whole emotional gamut with ease. Just when you think it cant' get any better the last fifteen minutes really kick in - taking it to another level altogether. BUY IT NOW!!!!!!