CRIES AND WHISPERS

Finally Napoli's Prog Folk guitar virtuoso and master composer, Riccardo Prencipe is committing to "the dark side," that is, music with a fully-electrified sound palette. The good news is that it works! Riccardo masterfully blends his classical folk foundations with the newer metallic rock palettes with perfection and power (and, as usual, pristine sound engineering).

Retaining his favored Rita Saviano behind the vocal microphone, we also have the participation of several of Riccardo's long-time collaborators, most notably, violinist Edo Notarloberti, Umberto Lepore on basses, Alessio Sica on drums, Luigi Rubino on keyboards, and Michele Maione on percussion. The big difference here on Sussumi e Grica (Cries and Whispers - which is totally inspired by Ingmar Bergman's film of the same name) is that Riccardo has endorsed the use of electrified rock instruments which gives his music a heavier, often darker, even at-times metal sound. Don't get me wrong, the music is still founded in Riccardo's pristine and celestial folk weaves, it's just embellished and fortified with the sound palette of the original Post Metal experimentalists like maudlin of the Well, Agalloch, Opeth, and Pain of Salvation. Whereas on previous albums Riccardo had often turned to British Post-Metal rockers Anathema for inspiration--and songs to cover--here his borrowing comes from French Black Metal band Alcest's 2007 debut album as well as fellow guitar virtuoso and Catalonian legend, Francisco Tarrega (who died in 1909). The album is being released as a double disc album with Volume 1 being called the "Post Metal / Folkgaze" album and Volume 2 the "Dark / Ethnofolk" album with an official release date for the full album being February 14, 2025.