YS

On Ys, the second album from Il Balletto Di Bronzo, the progression and maturity shown since Sirio 2222 is quite staggering and as a result has become regarded as a highly important album of the Italian prog scene, though admittedly it won't be to everyone's taste.

Gone is the psychedelic tinged blues rock with the beat group overtones to be replaced by something far more satisfying. The biggest factor in allowing this progression is the introduction of keyboards into their sound and not only does Gianni Leone supply these, but he has also taken over the vocal duties, marking another improvement. The sound is more complex with some particularly fine keyboard work but equally so the rest of the band has come on leaps and bounds as players, though bassist Vito Manzari is a new arrival also. They produce a diverse sound combining elements of symphonic prog with jazzy flourishes and even the occasional Avant moment. It all goes to create on the five compositions a busy and complex sound, often fairly aggressive, that on first impressions is a lot to take in and may even come across as a bit on the messy side. Nevertheless perseverance will reveal an excellent album of maturity and exciting music.

If you've already explored the more obvious choices in the RPI genre and are now looking to explore some new ground and are up for a challenge then Ys could be the album for you. Give it a go, it's well worth the effort.