THE GAP

Swiss-Italian neo prog collective CLEPSYDRA boasted a formidable run of 4 acclaimed albums between 1991 and 2001, albums that together constituted an intensive course in how to do neo prog the "right way". With emotive and skilled vocals, keening guitar leads, atmospheric keyboards and a flair for composition and arrangement, they left their sweet scent on the scene and then...nothing. The last 5 years have seen a flurry of updates and, finally, with a lineup 80% identical to that of their last and best studio recording "Alone" some 18 years ago, they have emerged anew with "The Gap".

Well, it's like no time has passed at all; all the pieces are in place and functioning in synch. Aluisio Maggini's voice is as distinct as ever, and continues to be an anchor of the group's integrity. New guitarist Luigi Biamino caught the baton passed by his predecessors, with expressive languid leads. Keyboardist Philip Hubert continues to aerate the arrangements and might be slightly more prominent than in prior releases, while the rhythm section is capable as ever, muscular when called upon.

While CLEPSYDRA generally espouses a temperate style with a preponderance of dreamy passages over raucous interludes, they earned my ardent attention in the first 30 seconds of "When the Bells Started Ringing". A plodding, metallic riff, perhaps the most assertive in their history, kicks off a dynamite 11 minutes, which are punctuated by more typical melodic passages, solos, and even ambient interludes. Unfortunately, their attempts at other epics meet with more mixed success as they did on the weakest of the earlier releases, "Fears". The strategy of blending moderate length tracks into a continuous epic reached peak fruition on "Alone" and the excellent "More Grains of Sand" mined a similar vein. The band's strong suit is in the low to moderate complexity numbers, but they appear to be conflicted by the belief that, among prog fans, more is more. I have seen this in the more recent releases by other groups that are more or less of this ilk. I do hasten to add that every track here has much to redeem it, with the best of the rest being "The Spell" and "Millenium", even if the latter could have been pruned by 1/3 to its benefit.

While CLEPSYDRA tends to be judged as an "imitator" rather than innovator in neo prog circles, it remains that they are one of the more recognizable bands in this sub genre, due mostly but not only to Aluisio Maggini's voice. Therefore a new CLEPSYDRA album is well worth celebrating, especially after a gap of almost 2 decades. 3.5 stars.

What? Just two reviews up until now? Let´s fix it. It seems incredible that it took whole 18 years for swiss neo proggers Clepsydra to release am album of new material. Ok, since I have known this band only after 2008, and had four excellent albums to discover, it seemed a little shorter period. Still, it was a long wait. But fortunately most of the band is back: only guitarist Luigi Biamino is a real new face here (bassist Nicola De Vita is not an original member, but played on their 2001 release Alone). So I was quite hopeful about what they had to offer after all this time. I also feared something completely different or uncharacteristically to their trademark sound. You know, with Clepsydra you either love them or hate them. Their style was very unique, specially Aluisio Maggini vocals. And I really love their previous CDs.

So what The Gap (insightful name, very fitting, by the way!) has to offer? Like the new Pendragon CD, the brilliant Love Over Fear, at first it seemed very different, with a few bars using heavy guitar licks. Did they fell prey of the siren call of the prog metal genre? Well, like Pendragon´s newest CD, it only took a few seconds to discover that Clepsydra´s new offering is very much their very own sound, spiced up with some novelties here and there, but nothing that deviates much from what we would expect from this great band. In fact, I was stunned that they sound so tight and inspired after such a long absence.

To me this album sounds like a long suite rather than a collection of songs, and this is a compliment. There are many mood and tempo swings, but mostly it is very fluid and of great quality. If you have listened to their earlier stuff and liked them chances are you´ll probably take some time to adjust to The Gap, as I did. The new tunes are not as accessible as material from Fears or, more to the point, More Grains Of Sand (1994). However, if you persist, you´ll be rewarded with a very fine record that is constantly being played at home and in my car (this CD is absolutely great to hear while you´re driving). Fine, I´ll concede that this is not really their best (Alone carries this honour), and a few brief moments are not as sharp as the rest, but those moments are few and far between and they never spoil the best qualities of the songs they´re on. So we have am excellent album that I always listen from beginning to end without skipping a single track (or any part of the long suite, as I like to think of them). With an excellent production and impeccable performances, we can only forgive the band for the long waiting: it was worth it. We just hope it won´t be that long for a follow up!

Conclusion: a very fine album, with just what I wanted from them: great melodies, emotional guitar solos and vocals, fine songwriting. Definitely, The Gap is on my top five list of the year. Welcome back, guys!

Clepsydra fans had to wait 18 long years. But it was definitely worth it!

As this "The Gap" continues the magic and neo-prog mastery that made this band great so long ago. It may not reach the level of the masterpiece "Alone", which still is one of the best neo-prog albums of this millennium, but "The Gap" will undoubtedly delight all those nostalgic fans of the band.

One of my main fears for this album was the loss of their guitarist Marco Cerulli, but the great work of Luigi Biamino makes us practically forget that the band has changed its line-up.

In summary, anyone who has enjoyed any previous album by the group or is fond of neo-prog should give this excellent record a try.

Best Tracks: You (when you hear the piano in the instrumental part, followed by that wonderful guitar solo, you know you're in front of something special), The Story Teller (rock, dynamic and great guitar work) and Lousy Soul (precious little instrumental track)

My Rating: ****