LA TORRE DELL'ALCHIMISTA

Greg Walker recommended this to me a some time ago and on his site he refers to it as "Killer 70's style Prog". Even the cover art is classic Italian don't you think ? The emphisis is certainly on the variety of keyboards used plus there's lots of flute. What i'm most impressed with though are the vocals, just the tone of his voice which thankfully is in Italian.

I like the way "Eclisse" builds as drums join in followed by piano. Organ then takes the lead. A calm with flute after a minute are contrasted with outbursts of organ. Pulsating synths with drums, bass and vocals before 2 1/2 minutes. Great sound here. Strummed guitar comes in later. "Delirio" is uptempo with flute, drums and piano standing out. Vocals after a minute. Love how this sounds.The organ comes in screaming before 3 minutes. "La Torre Dell'Alchimsta" is flat out amazing ! Mellotron to open as flute joins in. It turns uptempo as organ and drums take over. Vocals arrive as it settles before 1 1/2 minutes. Some nice bass and organ follow. A heavenly soundscape 2 1/2 minutes in. Mellotron is back. This is absolutely gorgeous and moving. Vocal melodies before 6 minutes. "Il Volo" opens with acoustic guitar as fragile vocals join in. Some atmosphere here. A change after 4 minutes as the tempo picks up with strummed guitar.

"L'apprendista" is uptempo with drums and flute to open. Organ comes blasting in around a minute. A change to a darker sound a minute later. Nice. It settles as reserved vocals come in. It kicks back in at 3 1/2 minutes. Lots of organ late. Amazing song ! "I Figli Della Mezzanotte" features keyboards, light drums, flute and bass. Vocals before a minute. The organ sounds great here. "La Persistenza Della Memoria" is filled with these inspiring piano melodies throughout. "Lo Gnomo" is uptempo to start with flute, drums and organ standing out. Vocals before a minute as it settles. Contrasts continue. "Acquario" opens with a powerful sound but it lightens quickly with flute, synths and drums. Vocals and organ follow. Beautiful. Deep bass lines 3 1/2 minutes in with piano and cymbals. Cool section. Some heavy organ after 5 minutes. Jazzy 7 minutes in.

I tried to reason out why this isn't a 5 star album, but in the end there are no reasons. A classic.