IL PRINCIPE DEL REGNO PERDUTO

"Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is the 5th full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock act Celeste. The album was released through Mellow Records in December 2020. It´s the successor to "Il Risveglio Del Principe" from 2019, and marks the band´s second album after their comeback in 2016 (after disbanding in 1977).

Stylistically "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" pretty much continue the mellow and pleasant sounding progressive rock style of "Il Risveglio Del Principe" (2019). It´s an ambient, soft, and atmospheric type of progressive rock, featuring flute, saxophone, piano, loads of vintage keyboards/synths (mellotron in particular play a dominant role), subdued Italian language vocals, violin, and acoustic and electric guitars. It´s all well composed, well performed, and "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is a well produced affair too. Unfortunately it has the same issue as "Il Risveglio Del Principe" (2019) had, and that´s a relatively lifeless rhythm section. There are a few moments where the drums are a little more lively here than on the preceding album, but they have a tendency to just plod along to the music without leaving much impact, and it´s a bit of a shame and it becomes a minor issue along the way.

"Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is a relatively lengthy release, featuring 7 tracks and a total playing time of 62:44 minutes, which includes the 24:28 minutes long "L'Ultimo Viaggio del Principe". It´s an album loaded with pleasant and tranquill moments of velvet sounds and atmospheres, and it is overall a smooth listen. Sometimes it´s almost a bit too pleasant though and lacking attitude, which means that it sometimes ends up being pleasant background music instead of an album they you pay attention to. Some of the saxophone parts for example have a tendency to sound like something out of a cheap 80s movie soundtrack.

So upon conclusion "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is an album featuring both great elements, but unfortunately also elements which aren´t that interesting and if I have to compare it to the predecessor, I´d say it´s a step down in quality in terms of intriguing songwriting and memorable moments. It´s not a bad release by any means, but I hope for a more stripped down and conscise release next time. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.