I TEOREMI

I've been playing this a lot lately, I usually do that when i'm not sure what rating to give it. In my head this is a 3 star album because it's pretty much a straight up Hard Rock album...but it's just so darn good I feel that 3 stars is too low. Released in 1972 this would be the bands only album.They did release a single prior to this with a different vocalist. Aldo the bass player went on to play for SAMADHI.

"Nuvola Che Copri Il Sole" starts off rather calmly then those passionate vocals come in as the sound gets fuller. Check it out before 3 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop and the guitar comes to the fore. Vocals are back before 5 minutes. "Qualcosa D'Irreale" opens with guitar followed by bass and drums then vocals. A powerful yet restrained tune actually. Vocal melodies 3 1/2 minutes in with the guitar to follow making lots of noise. "A Chi Non Sara Piu" has a nice drum intro then it kicks in quickly. This is raw and heavy. It does settle some after 2 1/2 minutes as the guitar solos, but not for long.

"Il Dialogo Di Un Pazzo" opens with gentle guitar before the bass, drums then vocals join in. It's still fairly laid back. Vocal melodies follow. Themes are repeated. Good song. "Passi Da Gigante" is another raw sounding track with vocals. Vocal melodies before 2 minutes and later. A calm after 3 1/2 minutes to end it. "Impressione" is my favourite. A great dark mood to this one and I love the drumming. Vocals before a minute. The guitar is outstanding after 3 minutes.The intro is reprised then we get some ripping guitar after 6 minutes. "Mare Della Tranquillita" is an instrumental with an energetic intro. The guitar is excellent. This is the only time I hear keyboards on this album as well. It does settle after 1 1/2 minutes then kicks back in. Check out the guitar and drums 4 1/2 minutes in.The drums then dominate until the guitar takes over after 7 1/2 minutes. Great tune.

The two bonus tracks feature their original singer and I like his voice better. Especially on the final track where he just gives it all he's got. A pretty straight forward and raw sounding album but I like it a lot.

I Teoremi was an Italian heavy blues quartet that released their one and only album in 1972. It's notable for Aldo Bellanova's inventive bass playing, which propels many of the tracks like a Roman pile driver. Broadly speaking, the music on this album consists of hard rock with occasional progressive elements. The obvious standout track for prog fans is the 9-minute, riff- laden instrumental MARE DELLA TRANQUILLITA. In addition to being the longest of the album's 7 tracks, it's also the most adventurous and is the only one to feature keyboards. Demented piano and chorieform bass/drums provide the bedrock for guitarist Mario Schiliro to show off his considerable chops on some lengthy solos. There's a drum solo around the halfway point, but it doesn't outstay its welcome.

The sprawling IMPRESSIONE features superb shifts in dynamics, from its spaced-out guitar solo to the frenetic 6-string monologue that immediately follows. The pace slows a bit with NUVOLA CHE COPRI IL SOLE. Lord Enzo's impassioned vocals take centre stage here, ably supported by an intricate bass line and crunching guitar. QUALCOSA D'IRREALE is another highlight, with guitar and bass lines wrapped together like a pair of copulating snakes. Moments of respite are few and far between but the closing track, A CHI NON SARA PIU, contains some acoustic guitar of all things. It also has one of the album's best melodies. The remaining two tracks, PASSI DA GIGANTE and the instrumental IL DIALOGO DI UN PAZZO, are rather pedestrian in comparison to the other tracks.

I Teoremi is all about raw energy rather than subtlety and complex structures. Their album contains a couple of weak tracks, but otherwise the compositions are good. If you're in the mood for some good honest Blues-rock, featuring lengthy guitar solos and monstrous bass, then this should hit the spot nicely.