FROM THE PURPLE SKIES

Uriah Heep – „Easy Livin”… which album it is…? Aaa, “Demons And Wizzards”. So we are home. The Italians from Wicked Minds bet on classic. The title song of “From The Purple Skies” reminds in fact this famous hit of an old Uriah (Thom was looking in the music for some similarities to SBB – probably in elbow!) similarities to Uriah Heep are unquestionable – Apollo Negri plays a bit like Hensley, J.C sings like (and looks like) David Byron, but they are directed by progressive rock and the whole thing has got a climate similar to, for example, famous debut of Biglietto Per L’Inferno – that is an Italian Uriah Heep, in heavy-progressive version, passed through Italian classic of prog-rock from the early seventies. Sound and arrangement from before 35 years, image as well, equipment – of course. Old fashioned? Eee, I don’t know, I like such things. But it’s longer than records from that days – it has got over 80 minutes, while masterpieces of the time weren’t even 40 minutes long.

What Italians from Wicked Minds play is very simple to verification – just as thirty and few years ago, the concrete melodies are a groundwork now. Are – then it’ll succeed. Are not – then the whole herd of Petruccies won’t help, you can’t make an album on solos only. When there are melodies, some sensible riffs (in case of Wicked Minds not really, but like you can hear in “Queen of Violet” it is helpful) then some solos will be invented. Especially, if there are some good musicians with imagination in band. Keyboardist and guitarist Lucio Calegari have many occasions to show their artistry. Most of the songs are 6-8 minutes long. So there is much time to show yourself, but without “overelaboration”. However at the end we have 18-minute suite “Return To Uranus” and musicians have a place to play much more. The rest also keeps a very high level, one of the best songs “Space Child” begins gently – violin(?) , flute, then it gains a rocky power, then again romantic guitar solo, again with flute in the background. “Queen of Violet” is also distinguishing, the hardest on an album, where Negri carouses nice on his hammonds. They also risked to record their version of “Gypsy” of Uriah Heep. And it wasn’t a good idea – they didn’t manage to match the challenge.

Fortunately it’s the only give-away on the album.

Hard, vintage and goood!