APEIROPHOBIA

Fifth studio album for the Italian band, the first one with a brand new line up and name. ifsounds at their best. Enzo Bellocchio substitutes a great drummer like Luca Di Pardo but his performance is at the same (excellent) level. Elena Ricci is the great news: for the first time the band has female vocals, and Elena's voice fit greatly in ifsounds' music giving it an original colour and more depth. Franco Bussoli grooves precisely on the bass while Dario Lastella shows all his repertoire on guitars, switching from sweet guitaring to hard rock to flamenco... But the outstanding instrument is Claudio Lapenna's piano that gives the "magic" to the sound of Apeirophobia.

The songs. The album has great moments: the sound of the band reminds somehow Pink Floyd, but with several influences from bands like The Who, Genesis, but also from the Italians big acts from 70s' like Banco, PFM or Balletto di Bronzo. The most progressive one is the opening act "Anima Mundi", an upbeat number with a modern prog instrumental section in the middle part. The sad ballad "Summer Breeze" introduces an heavier tune: "Last Minutes" is guitar driven hard rock with a great bass grooving, while the lyrics are about the last six minutes of a woman in the death row and a patient in an hospital. "Aprile" is sweet interlude with piano and strings that introduces a 28-minutes-long philosophical suite Apeirophobia. The suite is about the fear of the infinity and the way religions and philosophies deal with this feeling. There are rock moments, flamenco, athmosphere, jungle, until the grand finale "I will never be alone" that ends this epic suite.

All in all one of the best albums I've heard this year from this outstanding Italian band... I'm really a fan of them!