LORD CROMWELL (PLAYS SUITE FOR SEVEN VICES)

It's somehow strange thing for me to be the very first one to review this album. Many people here tell me they appreciate a lot this fine, curious and unusual italian prog band, but there is no comment in the band's page. Ok, this is not their most famous work. It's nevertheless the second effort, released in 1975 after Introspezione. I'm not a follower of the avantguard prog and I do own few albums of such a genre. But alas I love to investigate and to check out the huge amount of surprises risen and rising from the italian scene.

And it's interesting to notice how much italian this album is. A fine work, as I said before, representing a good mix between avantguardist-experimental stuff along with a strong classical vein and with, sometimes, a remarkable melodic taste. Still an excellent italian product from the seventies. Some Chopin and Brahms flavour to enrich the instrumental passages. Donatella Del Monaco's vocals replaced by a chorus.

Lyrics and music now are written by Alfredo Tisocco who also provides a wide range of keyboards (piano stenway, piano fender, hammond, synth and pipe organ). The idea is fascinating: to put in music the seven mortal sins. Pride, avarice, lust, wrath, gluttony, sloth and envy, are all well translated in music. In a very good manner, that's my humble opinion. Just listen to "Avarice", for example, which starts with few, sparse and disorganized musical piano points then evolving into a dramatic classical scene, finally fading out in disorder as it opened.

Angelic choruses, violins, cello and flute make of this avantguard work something very enjoyable also for who is not really a lover of this genre as I think I am. It's impossible not to love "the ethereal "Gluttony" and its melodic sad atmosphere.

3.50 that I perhaps should round up to 4, just to make justice of that unique 2 stars rating without any explanation. The risk could to make people avoid this album.