So, so good. When I complained a bit about the relative lack of surprises in Finisterre's most recent album "La Meccanica Naturale" I had yet to become fully acquainted with their second album "In Limine." So it's a bit ironic that they answered my main criticism almost to the letter and then went on to land a square knockout punch to my prog jaw. I am very comfortable calling "In Limine" one of the coolest progressive music albums of the 1990s. So many (though not all, of course) of the modern prog releases from the Neo and Symphonic genres leave me decidedly unimpressed with their shiny, visual arts firm designed packaging, their clichéd affirmational lyrics, their cheesy sing-song choruses and most disturbingly, their predictability. As I've mentioned before I can grab one of these supposed new masterpieces, listen to one song, and know exactly what the next 65 minutes have in store for me.ouch! This is not that experience. "In Limine" gives you quality modern prog with touches of folk, great beauty, and eclectic surprise. You will experience lush classical touches, dreamscapes, and jazzy teasings. You will hear great performances of organic and acoustic sounds that pay homage to the 1970s masters, but do not simply attempt to imitate. You will not know what the whole album holds in store after hearing the first track. You will not be able to sing along to everything, you might occasionally be turned off by seemingly abrupt changes of mood or style (and thank God for that.) You will remember what a great prog experience feels like and you'll ask why more bands can't make albums with this much personality and irreverence for musical vanity. Some complain the album lacks direction and while there is some truth to the charge, for me the music is so satisfying that it overcomes any sniff of having too many cooks in the musical kitchen.

"In Limine" begins with a brisk flute like dancing that trades with guitar, each part having a different drum part. Soon the keys begin to intrude but are quickly interrupted by the flute dance again. They return for some really cool stereo panning effects and nice melody. Then things change to jazzy piano and unsettling chaos of different instruments and it gets dark. Soon the flute leads us from the darkness with gorgeous melody which leads to a lovely Gilmour-ish sounding solo with organ behind, oh man this is nice. "XXV" starts with flute and acoustic going right into the first vocal, very laid back and pleasant. The music is a mix of keys, acoustic guitar and some woodwinds. Another lovely guitar solo with good bass and drumming behind it. Things gets blissfully like a dream or a drug trip on "Preludio" with its whispers, secrets and more whispers. You hear these clearly audible people speaking to each other but you can't quite make out what they're saying. In front of that you have droning bass and wave upon wave of electric guitar notes rolling over you, joined by saxophone too I believe. This is the kind of strange and mystifying track that we should expect more of from current artists. "Ideenkleid Leibnitz Frei" is a fairly avant piece for Finisterre, the first half being a rough and chaotic frenzy of sounds. The second half is a quiet space jazz with free bass and drums to strange synths sounds and guitar squirks. The ending brings another rather discordant mish-mash of sound imagery. "Hispanica" uses flute, sax, cello, and acoustic guitars to very pleasant effect leading to the first vocal verse, which features some very nice harmonies. It just refuses to be predictable taking little disjointed turns here and there, after a quirky bridge the song takes on a Spanish flavour with some folk-oriented acoustic guitar runs. After this section enters the piano playing a slow dreamy section with flute and acoustic followed by another vocal. There is an enormous variety just in this one track! "Interludio" is a short acoustic piece accented with flute, cello, and gorgeous recorder.a totally engrossing meditative mind break leading to the two last tracks which are also the longest at 13 minutes and 16 minutes respectively. "Algos" starts with unsettling piano that is beautifully played. After 2 ½ minutes the band breaks down the door and we have electric guitar dueling with the flute and keys, to a rather forceful beat. After another mellow section things go a bit insane and we soon find ourselves in an aural nightmare with strange vocals choirs and electronica, including the album's biggest mistake: someone getting carried away with the synth sounds from Dark Side of the Moon. It's cool for a minute but it goes on too long and just reminds you of Floyd, which is not a distraction I want while listening to this great album. Finally that section ceases and we find ourselves listening to strings and sax in a lovely classical section finished with piano. The album finishes like fine wine with the 7-part suite entitled "Orizzonte Degli Eventi." Flute and fantastic strummed acoustic guitar are joined by cello as the first verse begins. This section is characterized by repetitious, pretty melodic playing. The next part picks up the pace with more urgent vocals backed by mellotron and edgy electric rhythm guitar chugging along, some nice leads thrown in here and there. The track gets increasingly guitar heavy as it rolls forward with some excellent drum and keyboard performances. The ending is an exciting, emotional guitar solo over blue skies keyboards and thunderclouds drumming.

This album is recommended for fans of Italian music and highly recommended for anyone looking for beautiful yet slightly bizarre music. If you like more the more conventional, pop-prog releases that get so much attention in the marketplace, you might want to steer clear of this black sheep that can be so blissfully confounding. If you took a few shakes of Pierrot Lunaire and Orme, whisked that into some Gotic and added a modern edge to the production, you might have an idea what the In Limine cakes tastes like. It's a good cake. I will jab them a bit for the unfortunate album cover they chose. There are 3 or 4 other cool photos/drawings in the cd artwork that would have made a far better album cover than the silly image they chose. Nevertheless, "In Limine" is a wonderful album.

The album opens and closes with some acoustic pieces that have a quasi-chamber music quality. Sandwiched between these is the meat of the album, a mixture of mostly heavy songs and instrumentals. In addition to the classical influence alluded to above, there are also elements of jazz and folk music on Discesa. All the tracks flow into one another, which enhances the feeling of grand scale on the album.

An approaching wind effect heralds Preludio: Il Trapasso, which features a beautiful yet doleful melody. Piano, flute and violin are joined by Simone Cecchini's grieving vocals. Confessione D'un Amante continues in a similar vein and employs the same texture as the opener. Piano arpeggios support the bittersweet violin melody, and on this song Cecchini's voice has a slightly harsher quality as he sings those gorgeous sounding words. Divine.

La Bestia E Il Delirio is the first instrumental track and features two main musical ideas. The first is a heavy, jazz-inflected theme with swirling organ, raucous electric guitar and staccato flute-play. The second theme is a sprightly bucolic dance featuring flute, pizzicato and bowed violin, and handclaps. It includes an accelerando that really gets the foot tapping, followed by some stops and starts before the first theme is reprised. The manic closing section features an organ and Moog joust that is only interrupted by a psychotic laugh. Thunder claps and a peeling bell introduce the ominous Recitativo: E Nel Buio Che Risplendono Le Stelle. A marching drumbeat accompanies the malevolent spoken word vocal, with evil laughs, whispers and gasps in the background. Creepy stuff. Some tormented screams introduce a heavy guitar and sax riff, with flute joining in toward the end.

Ricordi Del Supplizio continues in heavy mode with fuzzed organ and Eva Morelli's superb flute-play. Cecchini's singing is gruffer here and the torrid guitar and drums make this one heck of a rocker. There are a few moments of respite with the medieval-sounding intro of Nostalgia, Pentimento E Rabbia, featuring flute, acoustic guitar, vibes and sonorous drum rolls. The mood changes with a loose, swing-time rhythm and Simone Brozzetti's wah wah guitar. Cecchini's venomous vocals alternate with Morelli's flute in an anguished antiphon. A blistering guitar solo and a galloping rhythm on the bass and drums lead to a brief recapitulation of the swing riff.

Sudorazione A Freddo Sotto Il Chiaro Di Luna is the second instrumental track on the album. It also has a swing feel at its start with sax and organ to the fore. A heavy guitar and organ riff follows, before the track settles down with acoustic guitar, vibes and misty flute. Electric piano and jazzy guitar join in along with the rhythm section, producing a pleasantly laid-back groove. Some weird sounds lead to another heavy section where the organ mimics a storm, and the entire track is rounded off with a beautiful organ melody. The acoustic guitars and legato flute of Melencolia give it something of a Genesis air, although with distinct Italian vocals of course. Electric piano and whispered backing vocals further enhance the downcast mood of the song. Exquisite.

E Fu Allora... is a rather nondescript instrumental that mainly features jangling guitar and sax, although Brozzetti does impress with a sobbing fuzzed guitar solo. After its subdued intro, the tempo of Nosce Te Ipsum picks up with some lovely interplay between violin, organ, wah wah guitar and a hint of sax. Another stop-start section leads into some heavy riffing, then a heavily syncopated part.

Corale Per Messa Da Requiem witnesses a return to the chamber atmosphere from the beginning of the album. This is an elegiac choral piece that reflects the sorrowful mood of the subject. Epilogo then closes the album as it had started, the final notes being a beautiful ritardando that fades in the wind.

If you are a fan of RPI but don't have this in your collection I would urge you to buy a copy of this incredible album at the earliest opportunity. For those who only have a passing interest in Italian prog I would still recommend it highly.