INFERNO

While not universally loved even by Italian fans "Inferno" is universally recognized as one of the notable titles from the Italian prog genre. This legendary group's sophomore album is considered a classic example of the heavy keyboard Italian album, guitars are present but pushed to the back behind an array of moog, organ, piano and harpsichord. Vocalist Davide Spitaleri is likewise considered to have one of the better deep, rich operatic voices and is sometimes compared to the Banco vocalist. Together they create a unique sound that could be described as baroque prog, very dramatic and grandiose sometimes to the point of cheesiness to some listeners. Lyrically I've heard the album is quite good although as an English speaker I can't confirm that. The subject matter has heavy religious overtones discussing Heaven and Hell, man's philosophical dilemmas, good and evil. Inspirations for the lyrical concepts are drawn from Dante, Poe, and Baudelaire as well as other literature. Metamorfosi gained a reputation as a strong live performance act during the many pop festivals of their day. Their concerts were very theatrical and dramatic playing off the subject matter of the album, this combined with the talent of the band left the audiences thrilled. I've said it before but I would gladly turn over my non-existent riches to have been able to witness the Italian festivals of the early 70s, they must have been incredible. "Spacciatore di Droga" is a highlight for me, especially the ultra melodic portion from 3:45 to 5:15 where the divine bass breaks through and soars, accented by the flute and harpsichord. That portion is the essence of the kind of romanticism the Italian bands, love em or hate em, could pull off so damn well.

I enjoy "Inferno" for the uniqueness of its sound more than the music itself. It may not be a 5-star masterpiece to me but it has a sound like few other albums. Dark and mysterious. An overwhelming presence of keyboards with a very stately and strangely disconcerting sound. You often feel trapped or like you are lost in some maze and that's probably the exact feeling they wanted you to have given the subject matter. Very tight drumming with a canned or confined sound contributes to this. Add this to the dramatic vocal pronouncements and low key guitar presence and you have the recipe for something different. Yeah it does sound somewhat dated at times but so do early Yes and Genesis sometimes. An essential title for fans of Italian prog and vintage keyboard crazies (you know who you are!) For the rest, I'm not sure how to advise. The btf.it mini-lp edition is a gatefold with the nice artwork and booklet with band history.

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