DISCESA AGL'INFERI D'UN GIOVANE AMANTE

Whether it's strictly prog or simply just great music, sometimes you hear something the very first time and know immediately that you'll want to hear it again many, many times, and that you'll be able to appreciate it probably for the rest of your life. These are not acquired tastes or "growers"--though of course you're appreciation can increase over time!--but instead great pieces that you can sit back and enjoy on many levels from the first spin.

This is one of those albums.

The key factor here is how great the production is: you can hear the subtle vibrato of each string and guitar note, and the vocal harmonies ring so clear that in terms of production it seems that Discesa can hardly be considered the same genre as its predecessors. Musically and compositionally, on the other hand, Il Bacio are clearly on par with the best that Italian prog has to offer. What the band may lack in pure creativity is more than made up for by a wonderful, often achingly beautiful, sound.

What sets this band apart most are the non-rock parts, which prominently open and close the album, in which the band channels the best of Italian music (and not just prog). Light percussion, some violin and flute countermelodies, some nice piano to keep the tempo brisk, and sparse but effective vocals: it doesn't seem that complicated, but I've rarely heard it sound more beautiful than it does here. Other highlights for me include the pensive (and again beautiful, particularly with the haunting 12 string) Meloncholia, and the playful Nosce te Ipsum.

Maybe in 10 years I'll see this as a masterpiece, but for now I view it as a very solid excellent addition to any music collection. Things are just a bit too inconsistent toward the middle, and quality of the rockier sections just a bit too inconsistent, for me to call it a masterpiece, but it sure it close. I very much look forward to investing in future work by the band.