E FU IL SESTO GIORNO

Metamorfosi began life in Rome in 1969 when Sicilian vocalist Davide "Jimmy" Spitaleri teamed up with the musicians of I Frammenti, a group specialized in the "beat masses", a music genre typical of those years, characterized by associating texts with religious themes to beat music and to be performed during the new Catholic liturgy post Second Vatican Council. In 1972 the band released their first album, entitled "...E fu il sesto giorno", on the Vedette label with a line up featuring along with Davide "Jimmy" Spitaleri (lead vocals, flute) and main composer Enrico Olivieri (vocals, organ, harpsichord, piano, flute, synthesizers) also Roberto Turbitosi (vocals, bass), Mario Natali (drums, percussion) and Luciano Tamburro (guitars). It's an album that marks the passage from simple beat music to more complex, classical inspired structures but still bound to the song form.

The opener "Il sesto giorno" (The sixth day) starts softly, by delicate flute notes on organ chords while you can hear the sound of the sea waves in the background. Then warm, operatic vocals evoke the creation of Man according to the Book of Genesis and the rhythm section begins to pulse describing the banishment of humanity from Eden. As the years passed by fate carved into time the vanity of men and a thirst for science troubled their mind and made them ignore their own reality... Well, in these dramatic times of pandemia and climate changes it's a piece that keeps all its relevance.

The following "...E lui amava i fiori" (And he loved flowers) tells in music and words a fable where a peaceful man meets the personification of war, prime minister of evil on Earth. But in this fable there's a happy end, love is stronger than evil and the seeds of hate would not sprout in the garden of peace...

The long, dramatic "Crepuscolo" (Dusk) ends the first side of the LP and is a harsh critic to the hypocrisy and selfishness of many Christians. It is my favourite piece on this album and begins by a lively marching beat... Then the music and lyrics conjure up the image of a starving busker, a man in need ignored by the crowd. The passers by can hear his songs and prayers but nobody helps him. And yet, Jesus lives in him and in every famishing man or child... "I am cold and hungry and a man walking by looks at me / He smiles, then says something in someone else's ear / Words, only words / My fingers freeze on the old fretboard / They make a last effort / But the guitar falls down...".

"Hiroshima", as you can guess, is a song about the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city during World World II by an American aircraft. Here the music is still rooted in the sixties while the lyrics deal with regret, painful memories and the cathartic power of repentance and forgiveness...

"Nuova luce" (New light) is a nice song of hope full of positive energy where the shining light of love shows the way and darkness becomes synonym of pain. Only a new life can heal the pain for the loss of a man... A new light, a new love, a new life... This piece features good vocal harmonies and the atmosphere in some moments is almost mystical.

"Sogno e realtà" (Dream and reality) is another light song rooted in the sixties. It's a kind of lullaby for a little child who still believes in fairy tales crowded with dragons, fairies and enchanted dolls. The experience of a lifetime could cancel the memories of the dreams from the childhood, so he has better keep on sleeping peacefully while he still can...

The joyful, catchy "Inno di gloria" (Hymn of glory) ends the album and is linked to the past experiences of the band with the beat masses. Praising glory to the Lord, glory to Life and glory to Love, it could be a good choice as a song for a modern church service...

On the whole, a work with some ups and downs that deserves a try.