ANIME INVISIBILI

A quick look back a little over two years ago when I wrote the review of ALIANTE's previous album, "Destinazioni Oblique", a work that left me somewhat hungry, because of its uneven quality. It must be said that after seventy-six instrumental minutes, digestion was not easy, despite repeated and non-consecutive listening. The new album "Anime Invisibili", while remaining devoid of vocals, only lasts forty-four minutes and a bit, which is much more digestible of course, much more likely to suit the vast majority of our listeners.

The opening track, "Survivors", (10/10) is worthy of the great old-school ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO, close to the best PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI of the early works, no less (a few voiceovers in the opening, normal if we take into account the title of the piece), the guitar precedes an inventive Moog before the second minute and off we go for a frantic and orgiastic sarabande, propelled by the rhythmic pair formed by Alfonso CAPASSO and Jacopo GIUSTI; I just didn't understand the sudden end, I thought the record had a problem!

A little more tortuous, whose opening is made by a voluble organ, with a lot of Moog played by Michele LENZI, "Echo from the Waves", has nothing to envy it qualitatively speaking, the appearance of the flute at 4:32 then of the "bassoon" (too rarely used in progressive music) turns out to be a pure marvel (9/10) before the return of the Moog and a welcome and swift solo of six strings (Davide CAPITANIO) for the finale.

We are not at HERGE, even if the blue oranges arrive, this third piece features the agile bass guitar of Alfonso CAPASSO, embellished with many effects under the fingers of "féetaud" on the piano essentially of Michele LENZI; the most adventurous title of the album which could disconcert some, although increased by a devilishly feverish final part (9/10), it is not metal either!

Night in the desert to conclude this remarkable work by ALIANTE, a track of more than fifteen minutes in which we do not see the hourglass running out, a sign of its rich and exciting side, worthy of a pregnant and qualitative ablution (10/10) with some vocal effects at 8:10 (twenty-four seconds in total) followed by the magical convolutions of the chief keyboardist, already named above and it is amply deserved!

To my great surprise, a potential album for one of the three places on my 2024 podium, as if nothing is ever lost.