MITOPOIESI

In spite of the band's name and their beginnings as a Pink Floyd tribute, Coral Caves' debut album owes more to the time-honoured tradition of Italian melodic prog than to the legendary English outfit - though the Floyd can definitely be counted among the band's main sources of inspiration. Indeed, Coral Caves openly declare their debt towards some of the pillars of Sixties and Seventies Italian music (such as the late, great Lucio Battisti), as well as their love for all musical genres, even those (like swing) that seem to have no association at all with prog. Such eclectic tastes result in an album whose ten songs blend the inimitable Italian flair for melody with influences from prog and classic rock.

If compared with releases by other new Italian bands such as Yugen or Garamond (to name but two), Coral Caves' sound is definitely more accessible, even conservative. Their music avoids taking risks, and their songs are mostly of the soothing, relaxed mid-tempo variety, enhanced by Pietro Saviano's expressive vocals, Dario Gallotta's fluid, Gilmour-like guitar work, and Salvadores Arcoleo's rich keyboard textures. The songs may occasionally bring to mind a rockier version of the traditional singer-songwriter (cantautore) style, especially as regards Saviano's vocal delivery; while at times some harder-edged touches can be detected - as in the title-track, whose brisk, driving organ background can recall the likes of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep.

As already mentioned, the Pink Floyd influences are at their most evident in the slow-burning, majestic build-up of the guitar solos. The album's epic, the 13-minute "Il Dolce Canto Della Terra", ends with an extended solo much in the style of "Comfortably Numb". However, the strongest Floyd vibe surfaces in the intense "Tenochtitlan 1521", dedicated to the fall of the Aztec empire, featuring a slow, solemn opening and a truly commanding vocal performance, bolstered by guitar and organ. At the poppier end of the spectrum, "Cliffs of Moher" is a standard verse-chorus-verse offering enhanced by Saviano's impassioned vocals; while almost unexpected jazzy touches appear in the short "Torno A Casa". "Senza Di Me", on the other hand, is a typical, moody classic rock ballad, closed by a lengthy guitar-organ coda.

Though Coral Caves may not score very highly in terms of authentic progressive content, they do instead as regards melody and accessibility. Their music, never overly complex or demanding, has an easy flow that will appeal to those listeners who do not shun more mainstream genres. "Mitopoiesi", while clearly not breaking any new ground, it is nonetheless a well-crafted debut from a talented new band, which will please fans of both Italian music and classic rock. Prog fans will find enough progressive elements to please them, as well as solid musicianship and more than adequate singing. Coral Caves are definitely a band with potential, even if their output could definitely improve on the originality front.