IL-LūDĕRE

Il Tempio Delle Clessidre is an Italian prog rock band founded in 2006 in Genoa. The name of the band refers to a song inserted in the suite "Zarathustra", the title track of the album released by the famous Italian prog rock band of the 70's Museo Rosenbach in 1973. The band was born thanks to a meeting between Elisa Montaldo, keyboardist and composer passionate about prog rock and the vocalist of the Museo Rosenbach, Stefano "Lupo" Galifi. In an experimentation phase, the band performed live the entire album "Zarathustra" and later they released in 2010 their first self-titled debut studio album where we can see British influences such as King Crimson, Genesis and Gentle Giant but also local ones such as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and Museo Rosenbach. The album obtained a great feedback in the prog rock field. In 2013 and 2017 the band released their second and third studio albums, "AlieNatura" and "Il-Ludere", respectively.

So, "Il-Ludere" is the third studio album of Il Tempio Delle Clessidre that was released in 2017. The line up on the album is Francesco Ciapica (vocals), Giulio Canepa (backing vocals and electric and classical guitars), Elisa Montaldo (backing vocals and keyboards), Fabio Gremo (backing vocals, bass guitar and classical guitar) and Mattias Olsson from Anglagard (drums and percussion, keyboards and processed sounds). "Il-Ludere" had also the presence of Anna Holmgren also from Anglagard (flute) and Andrea Montaldo (percussion), both as guest artists.

If its predecessor "AlieNatura" was more focused on the epic and longer track formats, "Il-Ludere" has almost all their tracks in the shorter range of four to six minutes long. It has only one track with more than 8 minutes. Nevertheless, they have remained completely true to their retro-prog roots. The basic trademarks of their music can all be found here again, the languishing and theatrical singing of the southern Europe performed by Francesco Ciapica, a lot of analog keyboard arsenal in the field of tension between symphonic and classical, as well as a slight hard rock influence of the guitarist Giulio Canepa. The rhythm section with Mattias Olsson and Fabio Gremo also does its work with the usual aplomb. What has also remained is a likeable, slightly classic style of playing, which has its origins clearly in the 70's.

"Le Regole Del Gioco" is a very short track. It's a funny instrumental piece, an instruction to the listener how the best way to enjoy the stereo music effect. "La Parole Magica" is an upbeat jazzy track where the first hints at a different sound can be detected. It has jazzy guitars and keyboards and passionate sung vocals by singer Ciapica. It seems to be influenced by the Canterbury scene. "Come Nelle Favole" is like a heavy rock track and Ciapica even pulls off a high register vocal in the style of metal. Here we can see that the sound of the band is more rock oriented then on their previous albums. Probably this will be a new live favourite track of the band. "Dentro La Mia Mente" is a more lengthy and complex track. One of the most interesting things here is the voice of Ciapica who experiments a double voice effect. It has also a nice guitar work by Canepa. In the end, there's a cheerful and playful energy all over the track. "Spettro Del Palco" is a very beautiful track with its nice vocal melodies and lovely keyboard orchestrations. It has a dramatic theatrical style with its acoustic guitar and ethnic folk dance vibe that turns electric and proggy in the middle. "Prospettive" is one of the stands out tracks on the album. The melodies and passionate vocals are great, particularly it showcase's Elisa's superb keyboards, played alongside Canepa's sensitive and lyrical guitar. It's one of my favourites. "Manitou" shows some of the most beautiful vocal melodies on the album. We can see that the gothic elements of their previous works remain. Ciapica shines on this track. But one of the most beautiful moments is Canepa's guitar work. "Nuova Alchimia" with its Mellotron and analog synths is very different from the rest of the music, as well as anything the band has done to date. It has many rock elements but you can find here great keyboard strings and synth parts. "La Spirale Del Vento" is the lengthiest track on the album and one of my favourites too, which drives us to a fittingly breathless finale. The track develops perfectly well and where we can find some excellent drumming, delicate and soaring electric guitar parts, diverse keyboard work and passionate sung vocals. This is a great way to close the album.

Conclusion: With "Il-Ludere" the band presents a heavier rock feel, but never at the expense of the musicianship. This is a very beautifully crafted set that deserves a wide audience. The album lasts a little less than an hour, and even an untrained listener will not be tired, as the musicians present their ideas in a relatively compact and engaging way. The final result is a set of songs and instrumentals showcasing the compositional talents of the entire band. The album is less gothic and more rock oriented, and probably a bit more accessible than their previous two albums. If you like your progressive rock with a competent reflection on the past, a certain theatricality, but also honest, with a Mediterranean passion and occasionally interspersed folk elements, this Il Tempio Delle Clessidre album is again another right work.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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