ALPHATAURUS

Here's another Italian prog band worth digging in to. ALPHATAURUS released this one and only album in 1973 on the Magma label (a followup recorded later in 1973 later surfaced in 1992 on Mellow Records). This was also the very first LP released on Vittorio de Scalzi's (NEW TROLLS) Magma label, and what a great way to launch a label! Basically this is excellent keyboard dominated prog rock, it's something like a tamer IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO (nowhere as aggressive or insane), maybe a litte ELP and MUSEO ROSENBACH thrown in, not as guitar-dominated.

The band consisted keyboardist Pietro Pellegrini, guitarist Guido Wasserman, drummer Giorgio Santandrea, bassist Alfonso Oliva, and vocalist Michele Bavaro. The album starts off on a real high note with "Peccato D'Orgoglio". It starts off almost fusion-y, but then the music slows down with acoustic guitar, in a ballad style, but then after a bit the keyboards kick in (Moog and Hammond organ dominating) with some killer jams. The next cut is "Dopo L'Uragano", which is more bluesy than the rest. It's often regarded as that album's low point, but to me it's not that bad. Then there's the instrumental "Croma" which is instrumental, which reminds me a bit of Semiramis. "La Mente Vola" and "Ombra Muta" as in the same vein as "Peccato D'Orgoglio", letting the keyboards dominate. The Italian prog scene is sure full of goodies, and this album is no exception.