Best Italian Prog Album of 2009

Tie between Delirium's Il Nome del Vento and Arpia's Racconto d'Inverno (review forthcoming) - two magnificent, though very different, albums. 

Interesting topic.

If I'm to make a retrospective of 2009, as in recalling only the genuinely impressive works, then all but one wouldn't make the cut - the one I'm hinting at being Flektogon by Nodo Gordiano, which happens to be really good (although, even here, it has to do with the epic, the rest being in orbit). I also found Conqueror to be in-form, producing a short, simple, yet musically beautiful EP (Sprazzi di Luce). If embracing more (if also more indulgently), then Arpia's acoustic broadened story is, indeed, a very nice surprise. I also thought Synopsis was finally the one Quasar Lux Symphoniae album I can call good.

Thing is, I had more than these in mind throughout the year (to name just Castello Di Atlante's, Delirium's, Malibran's or Latte E Miele's achievements), but when drawing the line at the end, repeated listenings made me savour them a whole lot less. There's clotting in the music's form, sloppiness in its fluid course, pompousness in the progressive typical chords, at least for my musical ear.

The rest of what I've heard (Odessa, Moongarden, Ubi Maior, Hostsonaten, Narrow Pass, Mindflower) is too average to make any kind of top lists. And Antonius Rex have orchestrated a full disaster.




Edited by Ricochet - February 05 2010 at 18:21

Il Castello di Atlante's Tra le Mura Antiche is in my top five for the year.  It is what Kansas would be if they were Italian.

A great year for Italian prog in 2009, better than last year in my opinion. 

My faves:

Delirium – Il Nome del Vento

Arpia – Racconto d'Inverno

Altare Thotemico – self titled

Latte Miele – Marco Polo sogni e viaggi

Architrave Indipendente – Azetium a otto piste

Il Ruscello  -  Paesaggio Solare

 

Delirium for me, followed by Il Castello Di Atlante.