PALEPOLI

Another step into the world of Italian prog...

In my search for RPI vinyl reissues I found this record in my local vinyl store (Nijmegen has got two second-hand/new vinyl/cd shops!). I didn't listen to the record, I just knew I had to had this one. I did read about it on progarchives.

At first spin I was in doubt... the recording isn't very pleasant I and I though the music was quite disturbing. Reading more about the record on PA I began to understand this record was almost as hard to get into as our precious Pawn Hearts by VdGG. After eight spins my opinion about the album has changed a lot: this is an essential masterpiece, although the recording remains not very good.

Osanna adopted influences of King Crimson (the symphonic side and the jazz-rock side and a bit of the prog-metal side), Pink Floyd (they gave the 'Be Careful with that Axe-sound' an artistic taste on side two), VdGG (the confronting and psychedelic aspect of the music) and adopted some artistic and cultural influences of the more conventional Italian symphonic prog. They created an album that is one sum of interesting ideas without to much direction but with an insane power not often seen in progressive music. Harmonic beliefs are overthrown, subtlety and raw power meet and replace each other on unsuspected moments and between this all symphonic moments of intense beauty arise. The vocals are great, and all instruments are played as if lives depend on it. The wind- sections are as aggressive as VdGG's, sometimes playing disturbing lines over great symphonic landscapes. Some avant-garde moments with mad-scientist-laboratory intermissions were installed to make the music even less likable (and artistic!) . Finally there are some Jethro Tull-like flute-rock parts to be found and some world music influences. Also some studio tape manipulations were used here and there. Well.. one has to say: perfect recipe for a progressive rock masterpiece!

Conclusion. And a masterpiece it is. When in the right mood this can be enjoyed as full-time entertainment because of the busyness of Osanna. Not one part is played as long as most other bands would do if they had composed such beautiful themes, melodies and atmospheres. This gives the record of 42 minutes the muchness of almost two albums. The recording remains a bit flat, but even an audiophile like me can accept this as an element of the music. It's that good. Some moments of beauty are to good to describe in a review. Recommend to fans of extreme progressive rock like King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator and of course fans of the Italian prog genre. People interested in the soft symphonic progressive music might experience this as their worst nightmare. Five stars.

... And so continues my journey in RPI-land...

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