IL MADRIGALE DEL VENTO

For this one, Calliope went for a slight shift in their musical direction, lowering their hard aspect while increasing their softer facet: the compositions are now based on more subtle and delicate musical motifs, and the performances are more clearly focused on the interplays than in their previous albums. The incorporation of a female lead singer, Annalisa Gastaldo, is also a relevant factor in favour of this re-direction. So, generally speaking, "Il Madrigale del Vento" is a typically melodic-oriented neo-prog opus, that turns out to be quite impressive due to the fact that the compositional ideas are very attractive and the overall performances are solid. The opening three-part suite 'Terra di Maggio' is really lovely, and so is the closing suite 'La Visione della Dolce Pioggia'. In fact, the latter is richer in terms of varied musical motifs and more accomplished in terms of cohesive arrangements - the Renaissance stuff brought in it reminds me of what Minimum Vital used to do in the good old early 90s. IMHO, this is the album's apex, but still there's more to comment about in this review. Track 2 goes to melancholy places, displaying a charming air of reflectiveness, while tracks 3 and 4 kind of take us back to the times of Renaissance nobility entertained by glamorous musical ensembles - the latter turns out particularly colourful in a pompous yet not excessive manner (once again, the similarities to early 90s Minimum Vital come to mind). 'Il Tempo sei Tu' brings back the overt melancholy that had been introduced earlier in 'La Nascitá della Luna', if only a bit more captivating. This just shows you how far the guys and girl of Calliope were willing to go in order to explore their softer melodic side, making it the basic leitmotif for the album. 3½ stars for "Il Madrigale del Vento".