Matemorfosi (1972)

A band based in Rome, though their singer Jimmy Spitaleri was from Sicily, Metamorfosi have released with Inferno another of those album that any Italian prog fan should have.
The group was formed in 1969 when Spitaleri joined the musicians of I Frammenti, a group specialized in the "beat mass" typical of those years.

Their first album, ...e fu il sesto giorno, contains seven songs, the main elements of the band's music are already there, with the almost operatic voice of Jimmy Spitaleri in great evidence and the nice classical influenced playing of keyboards player Enrico Olivieri on a strong rhythm section, but the album is still fragmented and not particularly imaginative, and some 60's influences can still be heard.
The group had a five-piece line-up at that point but kept playing as a quartet with no guitar for the second LP.

Second album, Inferno, is their masterpiece, with two long suites (there are 16 titles on the cover but these are only the small pieces forming the Inferno suite) and the majestic voice of Spitaleri perfectly mixed with Olivieri's keyboards to form a highly original and exciting result. Tracks like Caronte are among the best of the Italian prog!

A third album, that was to be called Paradiso as a prosecution to the previous one, was written but never recorded and released, and the band split.
Singer Spitaleri went to the USA and later, coming back to Italy, released two solo albums in 1979 and 1980, the first under the name of Thor, the second with his real name Davide Spitaleri.

[above from ItalianProg.com]

Edited by Pelata - April 08 2021 at 17:22

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Inferno is supposed to be their best one.

Based on what I've listened to so far, I'd agree with that.



Edited by Pelata - April 08 2021 at 18:53

I love Inferno, but I’ve never listened to the other two albums in the trilogy. I guess because so often, when a band comes back after so long, often the magic is gone.

I really love Inferno, it's just a perfect album, with such incredible keyboards, and vocals. Just for this album Spitalleri has become one of my favourite singers. I do have the Purgatorio album too, and it's nice enough (though not at the same level as Inferno). I didn't get Paradiso at the time it was released, and now I regret that I can't get it, for I would like to complete the trilogy. I also knew that Spitalleri joined Le Orme for a little while, in the mid 00's I think, and released one studio album, and one live one, which would be really interesting to hear some of those classic Le Orme songs sung by Spitalleri.

Inferno is indeed a Hell of an album.

^ I would never have thought to compare Metamorfosi to Camel in any way, except that both are prog bands from the 70's and use keyboards.