LA MASCHERA DI CERA

The ever prolific bassist/composer Fabio Zuffanti founded La Maschera di Cera together with other four musicians who were also devoted to regenerate the essence of 70s Italian hard prog rock. This band is the most ballsy musical project Zuffanti has been involved in so far, but never letting things get out of control - their eponymous debut album served as a proper presentation medium for their musical ideology. The band's basic sound is profoundly inspired by the heritage of old powerful acts such as Museo Rosenbach, Biglietto per l'Inferno and Alphataurus, refurbishing their amazing energy and melodic sensibility, although with a bit less of Baroque and a major emphasis on the elaboration of Impressionistic colors. You can also notice traces of Balletto di Bronzo's the delirious drive and the magical splendor of Metamorfosi, although LMDC does not intend to match their level of aggressiveness; as I implied before, this band is more into the subtle use of moderately complex melodies and harmonic layers in an atmosphere of controlled display of rocking energy. The massive use of old fashioned keyboards (Hammond, Moogs, VCS3, mellotron) and the augmentation of flute in the melodic department aim to draw a faithful portrait of all aforementioned bands gathered together in a joint prog Parnassus. Both the namesake suite and 'Del Mio Abisso e del Vuoto' are the longest and most accomplished numbers in the album. Meanwhile, 'del Mio Mondo che Crolla' keeps things more concise, albeit the complexity is still there, functioning through the transitions from 5/4 to 6/4 rhythm patterns and back again. All there pieces are terrific showcases for the individual member's abilities; for starters, Macor displays an exquisite taste in his deliveries of solos, textures and orchestrations, and so does flautist Monnetti every time he delivers a solo or complementing lines to those created by the keyboardist. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Zuffanti and Cavani keeps an ever resilient level of resistance in order to comfortably support the overall wall of sound; it is particularly helpful that Zuffanti keeps providing a high level of fuzz for his precise bass interventions, which makes him sound like a bassist and a rhythm guitarist at once most of the time. Last but not least, Corvaglia's harsh timber and powerful vocal technique complete the sonic spectrum by filling the air with his own passion during his sung parts. The closure 'Del Mio Volo' is mostly a well developed prog ballad with a slightly 'heavy' twist. Anything really new? Certainly not, but this album's repertoire actually manages to revive an old sound and give it new life, a new life capable of generating excitement in the hearts of those who, like me, just can't have enough of that typical Italian hard prog trend. In the year of its release, I used to think that "La Maschera di Cera" was one of the most important prog albums for the new millennium; a few years later, not only this idea stands firm in my mind, but also my admiration for this band has been increased. In conclusion: this is a superb addition for any good prog collection.