BIGLIETTO PER L'INFERNO

After much deliberation, what should have been a 5-star review has been downgraded to four. Heavy prog (or whatever you'd like to call it) is not usually my cup of tea, but Biglietto per L'Inferno is so good it just cannot be ignored. A musical masterpiece that just misses a perfect score due to sound quality issues. More on that in a minute.

There are five songs here (6 if you count "Confessione Reprise") and not a single dud in the bunch. "Ansia" has some nice flute work but this mostly instrumental piece does not begin to hint at the genius of Claudio Canali's singing...this is made abundantly clear in "Confessione"; I'll let the lyrics interpret themselves but let's just say the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. English being my native tongue I don't quite "hear" the words in the same context as an Italian would, but language has never been a barrier for me if the music is amazing...which this is. "L'Amico Suicida" will also address dark themes, and very personal ones at that. Obviously, Canali is bearing his soul on this record, and it can be heard no matter what language you speak.

From the initial thunderous drum roll to the weird phasey fade-out at the end of the album, it's apparent there is something very wrong about the way this album sounds. I own no less than 3 different versions of this album; the 2001 BTF/Trident CD, the 2007 BTF remaster, and the 2009 SHM-CD on Belle Antique. They all sound horrible. The 2009 CD is at least complete, restoring nearly two minutes of "L'Amico Suicida" that were cruelly excised from previous CD releases...I assume this is faithful to the original LP version, but don't own an exceedingly rare copy to confirm. It's possible the master tape no longer exists and "needle-drops" or LP-rips are the best we're ever going to get. It was probably not the highest priority at the time to set up the studio properly and fine tune each instrument's sound as is the custom today, which is a real shame considering the historical significance and retroactive fame this album would later gain. Like a faded Da Vinci sketch that has only weathered with age, we may never know the true talent these artists had, no matter how good the restoration.

Biglietto Per L'Inferno will appeal to fans of aggressive, hard rock and fans of emotional prog alike. Anyone familiar with Museo Rosenbach or De De Lind will thoroughly enjoy this album, assuming they can see past the aforementioned fidelity issues. 4.5 stars out of 5.