ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO

So a six piece here, and the two keyboardists mixed this record, and I should mention the bass player adds sax. There are orchestral bits which I assume are created by the electronics, but they take away from this album in my opinion. There's also a classical bent to the sound with the keyboards at times. Bombast too.

This is a Neo Prog album though not an RPI recording. That was clear during my very first spin of this album back in the summer of 2019. And this is where my expectations were crushed because I saw this as a high rated RPI album released during a pretty bleak time. But it's Neo Prog! And that's okay, I do have some favourites, but no this is not another NUOVA ERA trying to revive the RPI flame. Still, there so much to like here. I get the high ratings but for me 3 stars is just right.

I must admit to being somewhat mystified. On a site full of listeners who claim to be fans of Area and other adventurous music, how can so few have found Il Castello Delle Uova? How can there be so few reviews for their work on our esteemed prog-rock site? Well, if a recent post on their social media account is any indication, they're not particularly worried about it. Granted, I'm using the auto-translate to read their Italian-language musings, but they appeared to address concerns that they aren't playing the modern rock game "correctly" to achieve success, that they aren't releasing new stuff often enough or worrying about social media or bowing to press. They instead explain that the muse moves when the muse moves, when inspiration dictates, and much of the rest of the music industry game is not their problem. For the record, their music is certainly well served by something in their collective philosophy because this is some fun stuff.

Way back when I reviewed Appunti Sonori per una Cosmogonia Caotica, I had read that the band appreciated "Area, Crimson, and Woody Allen" among many others. That seemed a perfect informational nugget to me at the time as I felt their music blended technical ecstasies with a sense of humor. I feel like these guys could possibly be Zappa fans as well. Founded in 1999, the band refer to themselves as "post-prog." They are an eclectic, party-fizzed concoction of jazzy explorations for the demanding, adventurous music fan. They have returned here with their follow-up studio album entitled L'enigma del Capitale, and it is another wonderfully strange collection of unbridled, no-rules, collaborative rock. There is one difference of note between the two studio albums, and that is that the first album had quite a lot of horn whereas this one does not.

Capitale swirls out of your speakers, some kind of vortex of keyboard/guitar experiments with boisterous Italian vocals both sung and spoken, wandering, mischievous piano, and a hoppin' rhythm section. There are also the driving, angular rock sections, avant-jazz jams, spacey breathers, and frantic (or sometimes ambient) loops. There are sections of huge, ringing distorted chords with blistering, wild leads over them, not unlike playing that Zappa, Vai, or Satriani might approve of. It's often a very busy, dense listen. The first album may have a looser feel with more spaces for respite, though I like the fact that this one doesn't have the horns. Either way, ICDU is a must if you are a lover of daring rock music. Both studio albums are excellent, so which one should you check out first? I would advise this. If you love high profile trumpet playing in your rock music, get the first album. If you're not big on brass taking space away from your lead guitar, get this one first. Either way, crank 'em up loud---this is saucy stuff.

The long, complex opener "Sogno d'oriente" (Oriental dream) begins softly but soon heavy electric guitar riffs break the dreamy atmosphere. In fact, the dreams evoked here by the music and lyrics are not those of the folktales narrated by Scheherazade in the "One Thousand and One Nights" but those of people who try to escape from wars, famine and adversities. Looking for a better place and a better future, some of them walk for miles and miles, crossing borders and rivers while others embark on ships in very bad conditions defying storms and raging waves. Often their hopes collide with reality and what they find at the end of their efforts is just another miserable place, if not death...

The introspective "Terra straniera" (Foreign land) begins by a piano solo passage, the atmosphere is tense and melancholic. The music and words tell of the sense of alienation felt by a person who is cut off from the society around him and feels like a stranger in his own land. What he has to do to overcome his blue mood is to be positive and follow the brightest star in the sky...

A pulsing rhythm introduces the following "Il respiro dell'anima" (The breath of soul), a piece about the mystery of birth, life and death. It depicts a kind of mystical journey that begins from the relationship between a mother and her child and continues until maturity and awareness. All in all, we are nothing but blood and matter in search of the soul...

"Antico mare" (Ancient sea) begins by the sound of the waves. The atmosphere is relaxed and dreamy. The music and lyrics evoke ancient civilizations and forgotten gods, battles and legends, bold warriors and beautiful women, mighty walls and talking masks, philosophers and poets. The shores of the Mediterranean Sea are full of the signs of a glorious past that still lives in our memories and the hope is that in the future the waves of this sea will bring more beauty and less wars...

"Fiamme intorno" (Flames around) is a complex piece about time passing by, regrets and hopes. It begins with a tense atmosphere while the music and lyrics describe a poet who feels that time is standing still. He can't find the words to express himself, he has no more ideals to fight for. Around him there are ghosts that dance like flames, the time that has passed can not return and the rivers where words once flowed are now dry and full of the dust of the past. Then the tension eases, resignation and bewilderment give way to new energies that fill the inner void of the protagonist. As the artist accepts to live in harmony with his new reality the inspiration comes back... According to the liner notes, this piece is dedicated to the memory of Neil Peart.

The long epic "Il giardino del mago" (The wizard's garden) is a cover of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and was recorded live. It's an interesting tribute to one of the bands that inspired them the most and it leads to the last track, "Ti salverà" (It will save you), short, folksy song that begins by a strummed acoustic guitar. It's a reprise of the last part of the second track, "Terra straniera" where the lyrics invite you to look up and follow the brightest star in the sky, a metaphorical ideal to not get lost in the path of life. According to an interview with the band, it's a kind of synthesis of this work: "as a virtuous attitude to maintain in the passages, in the evolutions of our life and our being, we wanted to propose the pursuit of an ideal, of a star that guides us... ".

On the whole, an excellent album where vintage sounds and original ideas merge convincingly.

"Sopravissuti" proposes a dozen minutes of exhilarating instrumental prog, Lenzi's keyboards suavely announcing an overture to get the juices flowing and he ears alert. The remaining trio kick into gear with shuffling guitars and a thumping bass and drum onslaught, tight as a wine barrel of Barolo. The synthesizers zip around like a hornet's nest disturbed, awaiting just the right moment for capitano's guitar to soar into a sublime melody that scours the heavens. Needless to elaborate that the attributes of symphonic prog is the classic ebb and flow found in classical music, the enduring contrasts from gently pastoral to effusively energetic and twists turning along the way. The track ends on a drum roll.

The shortest track with an 8 minute+ run time, "L'Eco dalle Onde" swerves into a more complex, at times irregular maelstrom of typical PFM circa early 70s form, where twirling keys blend with slippery guitar chops, the bass pummeling ever forward and the drums calling up the remaining pulse. Vigorous, vibrant and at times, venomous, the arrangement finally decides to rest after the ordeal, the flute and acoustic guitar embracing in a gentle dance, slap bass stretching the mood into a slight acceleration where the ripping synths get to join in on the party. The nail is bashed into the coffin with a wicked electric Capitano solo that relies heavily on underlining the main and rather beautiful melody that was hidden under the instrumental foliage since the onset.

The spotlight now shifts to Alfonso Capasso's bass guitar skills on "Orange Blue", as he leads the crew through a thrilling and emotive piece of heartfelt expression, the melody oof the charts gorgeous, the majestic e-piano suddenly appearing, in order to jazzy up the mood, as Alfonso carves the undertow. Great attention to atmosphere and smooth as silk groove, a highlight track among all the other exceptional moments to be enjoyed on this album. At times hypnotic and meditative, while still maintaining a melodic sense that engulfs the senses, the percussive finale serves only to take all the preceding mist and turn it into the track into a glorious sunshine, rays diving through the disappearing clouds, slain by a grandiose rant on the e-guitar worthy of the Hacketts, Latimers and Gilmours. Amazing !

Epic time, ''Nuit Dans le Desert '' spans more than a quarter of an hour, reverting to more exploratory pretenses, a stage for Lenzi to showcase his acuity and touch on the wide variety of keyboards at his disposal. To be graceful as well as audacious is not an easy task, but Lenzi is not an orchestral background colour coordinator only, he enjoys displaying his soloing skills and thankfully, its constantly enjoyable with impeccable flair, a reincarnation of Flavio Premoli of PFM. The guitar shuffles among the vocal effects, recalling Antoine de St-Exupéry's classic "Le Petit Prince", the bass hovering haughtily over the sandy expanses of the Sahara, Lenzi's windswept synth gusts utterly tingling, illuminated only by the glinting stars of our galaxy shining down from above. Capitano's racing guitar taking over in classic prog fashion and shooting upwards to meet the ever-growing glow.

Instrumental needs an attentive and open-minded ear, 'a soundtrack to the movie playing in the listener's mind' has been my description of prog since the very late 60s and I am overjoyed to admire its ongoing progression. Surely among the top of my 2024 list, once again. 5 Invisible souls

One of the four songs on the main set, "Morte al Potere" is a reworking of the first track on the debut Jacula album, "U.F.D.E.M." but one must wonder why bother as much of this release gives the impression of style over substance. It is obvious they were influenced by horror but this is Hammer House and not the real deal, and while they do get it together at times with nice Black Widow/Uriah Heep stylings on "Zora" itself, much of this feels heavily fragmented, as if the band were going for a feeling as opposed to any constructed music. It often loses its way, meandering and fragmented and it is not long before on starts to think the collectability is due to the rareness of the original as opposed to the musical quality contained within. Yes, there is plenty here for fans of classic RPI with lots of keyboards and a very gothic feel, but for the mainstream proghead this will probably only be played once or twice and confined to the shelf rarely to darken the player again.

At the top of the album is "Una Miniera", released in '69. It's a melancholic chamber/symphonic Rock, very much a product of its time. The strings seemingly slow and swell pre-chorus. It's quite the effect. Certainly a solid opener, and cool to bring us into some real heavy Rock then on "Cosa Pensiamo Dell'Amore" next. As displayed briefly at the end of "Una Miniera", the drums from Gianni Belleno are a certain highlight. The start-stop throughout definitely got me, with instruments dropping out to showcase something specific (usually fairly quirky and interest-grabbing). They close everything out with Mauro Chiarugi's increasingly-oscillating organ, performing a lovely classically styled finale [writing this very much wishing I were more knowledgeable on terminology overall].

We get a great taste of their group vocals on "Lei Mi Diceva", released a year prior, not dissimilar in feel to The Turtles' Flo and Eddie to my ears; excellent range, with killer belting. Great track. What feels pretty ahead of its time sonically, just with the way things are mixed, the symphonic elements and percussion being most important, "Quella Musica" is next. Starting in the middle is a steady crescendo of anthemic, wordless group vocals immediately reminiscent to its wildly influential contemporary, "Hey Jude". Thus far, I definitely find this material pretty excellent, certainly understandably great singles/radio material; but I likewise understand, I think, the overall reception thus far, with its reaching into Prog as being relatively surface-level (as one might expect).

We're back into some fine harder Rock on the first 1970 single, "Corro Da Te"; with Giorgio D'Adamo's bass quite prominent, it's really pumping up the energy of the already forward-driving track (FFO Deep Purple). Next is actually their first ever single, the only release from '67, "Sensazioni". Immediately, this has some of the most interesting experimentation of the lot, exploring various distorting effects, all before dropping down low for a swaying verse. It's so groovy! Another one where praising the vocals is my personal cakewalk; the bridge section has more of these wordless vocal 'La'-ing, seriously to really great effect. I am really into this one for sure; seriously solid Proto Prog I'd happily point in your direction.

Evoking a Steppenwolf-bigness (haha), "Una Nuvola Bianca" (1970) is really going for my frisson; so many rich sonic offerings here. And then a surprise ballad? Something in the rhythm approaching the verse(s) reminds me of early Styx, this booming Hard Rock edge; American gruffness, no offense intended to you Italians and your own special gruffness haha. "Annalisa" keeps up this energy at its start, yet another with instrumentation drop-outs revealing really lovely balladry. They certainly do Pop big and goodly, I can attest. Not rescinding my earlier comment on the stylistic complexity of this music, I'm actually surprised how 'THIS IS NOT PROG' some of y'all are; this is an example of really proper, well-written Prog, not sorry. Sometimes definitions are fuzzy, but this is indistinguishable in its rigor and adventurous spirit as any contemporary early Proggers (here, The Nice easily came to mind, per the organ). And this guitar solo! It's like Brian May well before he entered the collective consciousness. Beautiful stuff.

Back into more straight Pop--once again not dissimilar to The Turtles--"Un'ora" brings some serious heft for being a soft pop ballad (soft, here, does not equal quiet). An acoustic guitar is its characteristic winning factor. This element continues on [most played on Spotify by a mile... half a million plays nearly!] "Io Che Ho Te", the most softie ballad of the bunch. As has been a trend, they are masters of these quieter moments, as much as they are with the heavy; one of the best compliments I've not given much consideration before. Either way, this is absolutely the least progressive thing thus far, and ironically my least favorite regardless. We are not left hanging, though: "Visioni" brings back the balls... and the fuggin' groove, man! Very familiar elements, mostly melodic, but I really can't place it. Finally, briefly introduced via Raga, "Davanti Agli Occhi Miei" is a bouncy Pop Rock tune (it's like a hair shy, genuinely, of early Avant-Pop, featuring a lot of cool experimentation). Melodically one of my least favorites, though, despite its other more obvious strengths.

True Rate: 3.25/5

What an absolute rush it was to stumble upon this long-awaited follow-up to the Coral Caves band that the RPI team championed so many moons ago. The addition of the word "Project" to their name was an intentional change to signify that this time around, the core members were seeking to widen the pool of contributors and make large scale collaboration a tenet of the new album project they envisioned. This goal has been accomplished as Coral Caves Project notes nine additional musicians on top of the five main band members: Pietro Saviano, vocals, bass, flute; Massimiliano Vacca, drums; Dario Gallotta, guitar; Lucio Gallotta, lead guitar; and Salvadores Arcoleo, keys, piano.

In fact, when Andrea Parentin interviewed Pietro back in 2008---can it really be that long ago, Andrea?---Pietro said several things that seem to have now transpired in one way or another. Back then, if my memory serves, they were often described as melodic RPI with a heavy Pink Floyd influence. They wanted to move on from such labels and associations to be judged on their own merit. They wanted to not be held down to the expectation of progressive rock or any other label. He spoke of no restraints and no rules. A quote from that interview...

"For the moment we are promoting our debut album, but we have a great deal of new ideas that could find shape in a second one. We would like to release a more conceptual work without changing completely our style and taste, but with different 'musical colours' and a different atmosphere (thanks to some collaboration that we are thinking of). What really scares us is to become like one of those bands that are incapable to change and grow musically just because they have received some appreciations, and so they keep on composing always the same stuff."

From the git-go, the music of Journey to the End of the Light knocked me out. It just made me smile and brought me immediate joy. As someone who used to dabble a bit in RPI appreciation, it's a genre I hadn't really listened to in many years. And so while there was some excitement returning to the old flame of an RPI band I knew of long ago, I do maintain this album is the real deal and that Coral Caves Project has succeeded in the above-mentioned goals that Pietro laid out. The album is split into three sections. Part I has five tracks under the heading descriptor "Music and Words Inspired by L.F. Celine's 'Voyage au bout de la nuit' and 'Lettres à des amies.' " Part II is called "Lost and Found," and those two songs I believe are older compositions. Part III is titled "Echoes From Elsewhere," with one original and two very tastefully handled covers: Gabriel's "Here Comes the Flood" and Marillion's "Lavender." If you like those two songs, you'll want to hear these delightful arrangements.

I've not heard their debut album in many years, but this sounds quite different based on memory. While we still have a stable ground of classic, melodic RPI and the consistent talent of those members, the new material is fresh and invigorating, bouncing around, sampling other flavors in a more modern-tinged symphonic progressive with, occasionally, some Crossover/Neo vein perhaps. You will hear the enchanting flute and wistful solo piano that one expects with classic RPI, but compositions then go big and bold with convincing jamming, boisterous melodies, jazzy sections, and even some spoken word moments. The instrumental palette and talent of everyone is deep, and the production is top notch. While it is not fair to single out one aspect when everyone plays so beautifully, I have to give a nod to all of the guitar work here which really popped for me. But, again, everyone's effort here is exceptional. Naturally, the grouchy, pain-in-the-ass purist in me wishes they had not used English language vocals and, frankly, this can singlehandedly spoil the experience of RPI for me. But in this case, thankfully, it did not.

I easily recommend this album to fans of both classic RPI and modern Ital-prog and really any lovers of diverse rock music, though it likely will not satisfy diehards of hardcore, harsh-rock, or avant-garde experimental. But for me, the bottom line here is the ease with which they mine so much beautiful melody and the superb presentation of it. Last, special regards to Alessia Bennardo for beautiful cover art!

The wonderful opener "Lobe iste calabu" sets the atmosphere. It's an instrumental track that starts by a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio and goes through many changes in rhythm driving you to unknown, dreamy realms made of sounds and emotions...

The title of the following "Il posto delle fragole" (Wild Strawberries) refers to a famous 1957 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and depicts in a surreal way stagnant memories and dreamlike flashes, poignant regrets and the new awareness of an old man, a scientist, who reflects about his past mistakes while trying to seek for a peaceful place to rest. In the end the fog dissolves from his nightmares and he can find the place he was looking for, a place to become a child again...

The lively, folksy "Danza ferma" (Still dance) begins with a strong baroque flavour. The music and lyrics try to describe the unstoppable rhythm of Time that keeps men and women in perennial movement. You can't help it, you have to keep on dancing as memories flow back and forward and the rhythm rises while the music goes on...

"Mordo la lingua" (I bite my tongue) is a tense, melancholic piece about incommunicability. The music and lyrics evoke the image of a little, hot heart that tries to find a shelter form the storms of the outside world with no result. The protagonist drowns in a sea of adverbs and useless words, he can't properly express himself and keeps on biting nervously his tongue. Without expression skills you risk to become invisible because a man who can't talk and find the right way to communicate with other people is like a vanishing shadow...

"L'aspettativa del bimbo scuro" (The expectation of the dark child) is an introspective track with strong classical flavours were music and lyrics revolve around the psychological gap between what a man appears to be and his hidden desires and illusions. In every man there's a dark side, a rebellious child that struggles to emerge on the surface from the deepest shadows of the ego. A dark, blind child that seeks for immorality and slowly retreats in face of the terror of social judgement...

The long, complex title track, "Una vita migliore" (A better life), tells in a very poetic way of a horrible family crime. The new partner of a woman, a seaman, sexually harasses and rapes her young daughter. The woman tries to protect and justify her man. The psychological impact on the girl, as you can imagine, is devastating and the music and lyrics try to depict the victim's feelings conveying a strong sense of disenchantment and inner discomfort. The girl longs for a better life but now all her dreams are broken, her innocence lost forever...

Then, the beautiful instrumental "Vico del Giglio" closes the album. It's a track that could recall Banco del Mutuo Soccorso without being derivative and invites you to have another spin...

On the whole, an excellent album and a must have for every Italianprog lover.

By 1974 with the release of this album "Landscape Of Life" the band had decided to take the more commercial route. They sung in English here, and they clearly shouldn't have. There's some cringe-worthy moments with those vocals. Throw in some ballads and we have a watered down album that isn't close to 4 stars in my world. Still, this is OSANNA and there's some good stuff on here like the 10 minute opener mainly, which recalls their earlier music. The title track is quite good as well. I like the electric guitar playing over the acoustic guitar, and the way they contrast them too. "Two Boys" rocks pretty good but "Fog In My Mind" and "Promised Land" are so disappointing, unless you like sappy vocals. "Flume" is pleasant and the closer is quite good.

So a hit and miss affair from these legends who were about to fold the tent.

Well, it would be ten years before we would get a followup to that one and this is it. And I was pretty disappointed with this one. I expect some changes after ten years but this one can't stand next to the debut in any way. Based on an E.A. Poe short story "The Mask Of Red Death" I do find the story really interesting. Mainly because of the Covid thing we all went through. The idea here is that this plague sweeps through the land and this rich man invites all his friends to party at his house while all around they die. Suddenly the plague enters the party in the form of a large gruesome presence. They all died.

There's a lot of narration on here telling the story of course. That's the focus like most concept albums. They did drop to a three piece here with the bass player leaving and not replaced. They have released two more albums since this one, bringing them up to four studio albums. They released one in 2016 and another in 2019 that I have not heard. Perhaps the biggest surprise with this recording is that it's under 25 minutes, making it an EP no? Six tracks and three consist of spoken words. We also get the sounds of the country side at times with the wind, mooing cows and wind chimes.

I am in the minority here with the three stars but that's what it's worth in my musical world. Please check out their incredible debut, where their youthful enthusiasm and passion for the music they love comes out in spades.