ZARATHUSTRA

I'm a strange person. Had you asked me about this album a year ago, I would've recommended this album to you heartily, claiming Zarathustra is one of the best Italian prog albums. Now, one year later, after re-listening to it a few days ago, I simply have no idea what it is that most people (and myself earlier on!?) see in this. Museo Rosenbach, while a talented band, do not have the innovation and courage King Crimson had - a band they seem to admire so much. Nor do they have the balls and energy Deep Purple had - another band Museo Rosenbach could be compared to. They're simply a toned down version of these two bands. It is quite evident that this is an Italian band though, they have that certain "sound" that only Italian bands are capable of producing. Now, if you're a mellotron-maniac, or simply enjoy the sound of the legendary Hammond, you're bound to enjoy this album, but even those instruments do not always equal quality. Don't get me wrong though, I do like this album, especially the vocalist Stefano Lupi Galifi manages to impress me quite often with his rough, bluesy voice that brings a lot of colour to an otherwise slightly bland album. The music tends to be a bit on the dark side, with the mellotrons sending apocalyptic waves to your ears. I find it hard to find any real flaws in this album - lack of originality perhaps? There's something that slightly irritates me about Zarathustra, I can't exactly put my finger on it. It simply doesn't appeal to me that much. It's good enough for an occasional spin, but at the moment even that sounds a tad tedious.