TAPROBAN

Guilty of charges of Prog Aforethought... Prepare the kindling

My sister once dated an Italian back in the early 80's and it turns out I actually quite liked him even before I learned he was a massive ELP fan. 'Marry him sis!' I begged, 'he's perfect'

She didn't and they went their separate ways around the same time that Keith, Greg and Carl started battling over custody of the bootlegs. He was also a karate black belt so I encouraged him to visit our local sport centre to tutor the locals who were way below his level

'I cannot do that' he said firmly

'Why not?' I asked

'Because they might harm me'

Coming from a city (Glasgow) where retaliation before you are even attacked is very often the best form of defence, this struck me as decidedly suicidal health care until I learned what the ultimate aim of such a discipline is:

Victory is not the ultimate aim. Karate is an art of self-defence which uses only the human body in the most efficient way. The goal is to cultivate great human character of a higher class that prevents any violent attack before an actual fight occurs

This rather tenuous intro only serves to illustrate why this album reminds me of my potential brother in law, that it was composed, performed and recorded by Italians and that teaching martial arts to the Scots is about as sensible as arming toddlers.

One of the overriding features of much 1st Gen Prog is that it can only be described as such after the fact i.e. none of the likes of ELP, Yes, Genesis or Camel et al appear to have set out to compose premeditated 'Symphonic style Progressive Rock' music. It just turned out that way in the same way that Thelonious Monk never sat down at the piano and said to his collaborators:

'I'd prefer us to play some Jazz today innit?'

That said, unshackled from the previous commercial constraints on track lengths, unconventional structures, dissonant harmonies and odd meters they would certainly have been given free rein to their creative instincts. All this begs the question: More than 30 years hence, can musicians who create music transparently inspired and derived from such early 70's sources right down to the textures and compositional features deployed, be considered original or even progressive?

reductio ad absurdum: or are they just tribute bands who play all their own material?

If proof is required that particular types of Prog Rock are alive and well or at least thriving in aged care homes in the 21st Century, the viability of Wobbler, Black Bonzo, Big Big Train, Flower Kings, Transatlantic (the list goes on) are proof that a demographic exists who will pay good money for what Kelefa Sanneh of the New Yorker very perceptively described as the 'shock of the old'

Have we reached the stage where our technological advances, if capable of time travel, would have the futuristic vehicle stuck in reverse with shiny antiques stored in the trunk just in case we have to pass ourselves off as worthy of an artistic legacy to which we were bequeathed?

Cringe-worthy cribbing is evidenced throughout Strigma that no amount of insouciant posturing is going to disguise as referential homage. The safety in (long) numbers inversion is exploited mercilessly here with just three tracks, none of which are anything other than overlong medleys of rather slight linearly sequential musical ideas. These are not 'through composed' or develop much beyond strophic form throughout the entire 40 patience sapping minutes. Practically everything is overly repetitive and simply sounds unfinished like their singer had been indisposed due to an unfortunate karate related accident but they pressed ahead with the backing tracks regardless. Off the top of my 58 year old balding head, I can discern clear stylistic debts to the 7/4 pivot of ELP's Infinite Space, a (Four Wives) Rick Wakeman circa Six Wives, Genesis' Cinema Show and the Camel of Snow Goose. To be clear, there is no actual plagiarism involved here, just a stifling and crippling lack of creativity, imagination and originality.

The playing, although hardly virtuosic or containing any memorable themes, is unfailingly professional and the production faultless but despite my best efforts, trying to fluff the cushions on this threadbare couch just comes across as damning with faint praise. The attention to detail of the prominent Piano and authentic 'Tron, Hammond, Moog and Rickenbacker sound palette is impeccable so you get all that retro 70's goodness but without the commensurate noise-floor that made Crimson's vinyl Moonchild sound like a knitting circle in a wind tunnel.

Word to wise lads with regards distancing yourself from potential charges of Regressive Prog forgery: Having 7 Samurai and Spaghetti Epic on your resume is a bit like ex Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn reassuring a prospective employer that yes, he was once in the Baader Meinhof Gang and Khmer Rouge but found them both a bit too 'pussy liberal' for his liking.

There is nothing objectively 'bad' about this music just that it's symptomatic of a nostalgia for something that never happened in the first place. None of the musicians involved have used their undoubted talent to arrive at a destination where their own unique and inimitable voices can be heard above the clamour of an untraveled past to which they are clearly still in thrall.

The cover art depicts witches writhing in the flames of hell and no, it wasn't the work of my jilted brother in law but that of Daniela Ventrone and references the subject matter as the element of fire. I think it's a bit sh*t but I have corrected vision and I ain't an art critic. You would expect the music to be suitably creepy and sinister given the titular references to Witches Sabbaths and Dark Portals etc but this is about as terrifying as a pair of Tim Burton's discarded Yoga pants. Let's have the aforementioned Keleefa Sanneh have the final say from 2017:

But contemporary listeners might find the genre's optimistic spirit more exotic, and therefore more endearing, than it once seemed. Of course, Prog Rock was not the future, at least, not more than anything else was. Nowadays, it seems clear that rock history is not linear but cyclical. There is no grand evolution, just an endless process of rediscovery and reappraisal, as various styles and poses go in and out of fashion. We no longer, many of us, believe in the idea of musical progress. All the more reason, perhaps, to savor the music of those who did.

"Per Aspera ad Astra", the fifth studio album by Taproban, was released in 2017 on Musea Records with a renewed line up featuring Gianluca De Rossi (piano, organ, Minimoog, Mellotron), Roberto Vitelli (bass, guitars) and Ares Andreoni (drums) plus a couple of guest musicians such as former Taproban's member Francesco Pandico (drums, percussion) and Antonio Marangolo (sax). It contains some reworked tracks from two previous album ("Outside Nowhere" and "Posidonian Fields") and only three new pieces. According to the liner notes, the album is dedicated to the heroes of space explorations like its 2004 predecessor, "Outside Nowhere", of which it is practically a new version with some substantial cuts and additions. The title of this work, in Latin, means "through difficulties to the stars" and the art cover, taken from a tableaux by Daniela Ventrone entitled "Tramonto sul mare" (Sundown on the sea), reflects the subject matter depicting in vivid colours the mythological flight of Apollo's chariot upon a raging sea...

The opener is the title track of the 2004 album, "Outside Nowhere", a long and complex instrumental suite that describes a mission in space, from the launch to the come back in a new world. Here the piece is slightly shortened (the section named "The Last Goodbye", featuring Alex Papotto's sax solo, was cut out) and reinterpreted by the new line up with energy and passion: "in seconds they shot through veils of crimson and pink and gold and blue into the piercing white of day"... (quote from A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke). Even if the sequence of the different sections is slightly changed, in my opinion the final the result is as good as the original version.

The first (relatively) new track is the short "Fragments Of Life", a reinterpretation in a softer key of the first section of the aforementioned suite, "At The Fifteenth Orbit". It is followed by three other tracks from Outside Nowhere: "Il difficile equilibrio tra sorgenti di energia" (The difficult balance between energy sources), where music and lyrics describe an endless conflict between spheres attracting and repelling each other until they'll melt into the void, then the powerful, aggressive "veS ml' taHghach (A Klingon War Dance)" with reference to the species of swarthy, ruthless humanoids in the science fiction series Star Trek and finally the reflective, melancholic "Nexus" where, after the beautiful sax solo and the heartfelt vocals by Gianluca de Rossi, you can hear in the background the last words of Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov before crushing to the ground on April 24, 1967, after nineteen orbits around the Earth. The new versions are all convincing and perfectly match together.

Then it's the turn of two new instrumental tracks. The first is "D.I.A.N.A." (Domotic Interface Artificial Neurological Android) that every now and again could recall The Alan Parsons Project and maintain a sci-fi atmosphere as suggested by the title that refers to home automation. The second is the beautiful "Agata Lost In The Mirror Whale" with its sumptuous display of keyboard virtuosity.

The last two tracks are both taken from 2006 album Posidonian Fields. "Entwinings" and "Octopus!" have been reworked and linked together to form something new and even the lyrics are different from the original version. Here music and lyrics describe the meeting with the marine creature from a very personal point of view... "You know an octopus is smarter than a dog, and would probably make a much better pet. It's a wonderful, clever, very emotional creature, an octopus. Only we never think of them that way"... (just a short quote from the novel Sphere by Michael Crichton to give an idea of the content of the piece!).

On the whole, I think this album could be an excellent addition to a prog collection: nice packaging, great music... even if you already own Taproban's previous works I'm sure it won't be a waste of money!

I don't know what it is about many Italian progressive rock bands, but they can make it seem as if the Seventies have never gone away. And with their fifth studio album, Taproban are again producing something that makes an old progger like me just smile from the start to the end. The Mellotrons and classic keyboard sounds are there in abundance, and one can just imagine Rick there with his long blond hair and cape just joining in the fun for the hell of it. The keyboards are deliberately high in the mix, but this is very much a band album, operating in an ELP-style format (although keyboard player Gianluca De Rossi is actually the singer here). There are times when the keyboards do take a back step to allow bassist/guitarist Roberto Vitelli his time in the spotlight, while drummer Ares Andreoni is always kept high in the mix.

But, the star and centre stage will always be Gianluca, and the reason that there aren't many vocals on the album is that there simply isn't any need. For the most part this is classic Italian keyboard drive progressive rock that sees no reason at all to move past 1977, and is going to stay in that mid-Seventies period thank you very much (although there are some keyboard runs that are more early Mark Kelly than Keith Ermeson). I find it hard to comprehend that this is the first time I have come across these guys, which just goes to show just how much music there is out there at the moment. If like me this is a name that you haven't come across before, then if you enjoy classic keyboard progressive rock then this is one you should discover.

Here's a good example of retro- and keyboard-oriented progressive rock made in Italy today. The only feature that is slightly less typical for the vital R.P.I. scene is that the vocals are in a very minor role. There are some lyrics in Italian (except for the English- language 'Octopus!' in the end). Taproban is an ELP-kind of trio of keyboardist, bassist-guitarist and drummer, but the keyboardist and composer Gianluca De Rossi handles the sparse vocals. The frontman is even responsible (together with Paolo Carnelli) of the Baroque-like cover art. Which is pretty gorgeous!

On the 15-minute instrumental opener 'Outside Nowhere', the Genesis/Yes -influenced symphonic sound and compositional structure are introduced at full steam. The time signature changes and bombastic keyboard solos follow each other in a grandiose way. Minimoog, Hammond C3, Mellotron, Prophet 5, Roland JX8P and other vintage equipment make a long list below De Rossi's name. There's nothing that wouldn't be heard myriads of times since the seventies and the new rise of symphonic prog with bands such as Kaipa or The Flower Kings, but so what, if you enjoy that kind of stuff. The epic is followed by a brief instrumental and another lengthy track with a brief vocal section. The symphonic vitality is being kept at high level so that the listener hardly pays any attention on the changing of tracks at this point.

Very oddly titled (at least for me and others who have never-ever watched Star Trek!) 'veS ml'taHghach (A Klingon War Dance)' begins in an irritating manner with an angry spoken line and proceeds as a tiring rollercoaster-ride of fast and intense playing, as if there had been a goal of loading as much as possible in under five minutes. To me, it gets impressive only after the most complex intensity has given way to the majestic keyboard-oriented finale, ending with a harpsichord vignette.

The latter half of the album is more uneven and less symphonic. The slow 'Nexus' contains some vocals in Italian, plus in the end, the last words of the Russian cosmonaut crushed into the ground in 1967. "This record is dedicated to him and all the other heroes of space explorations", like the latin phrase as the album title suggests. 'Nexus' also features tenor saxophone, which underlines its 80's-reminding cheesy gloominess.

Android-themed instrumental 'D.IA.N.A.' is the weak link of the album, just B-class electronic music with a steady rhythm. Well, 'Agata Lost in the Mirror Whale' isn't much better, as a composition only a little of progressive nature. Two- minute 'Entwinings' is a pretty simple piano/Mellotron duet with some oceanic effects. It changes seamlessly into 'Octopus!' that returns to the more bombastic and complex prog style. My overall rating is 3½ stars. I round it upwards mainly for the great cover art, but I've heard better prog albums from Italy this year.

Listening to the the new Taproban album PER ASPERA AD ASTRA, it seems as if you began a journey into an inner world, where opposing rhytms alternate themselves, as in the tumultuous life of a metropolis of the future. In the lyrics you can find the same human conflict you feel in the music, as well as the beautiful cover image, the "Sunset On The Sea " by Daniela Ventrone, best expresses the concept of modern man's discomfort, with which, however, he has learned to live with. I believe, in fact, that the common thread connecting the 9 tracks, although expressed in each of them differently, as in a colourful musical allegory, it is precisely the theme of uman contrasts. It's worthwhile to note the great sax intro to "Nexus", by the guest star Antonio Marangolo, and the rhythmic changes of the multiform and sprawling "Octopus".

Now established in the Roman musical environments and with a growing audience, Taproban shows a greater maturity with their latest effort: PER ASPERA AD ASTRA. Although the leader Gianluca De Rossi and the other musicians recall Emerson Lake & Palmer, maneuvering well between the atmospheres of Genesis and the rhythms of Jethro Tull, interesting and personal suggestions not fail. Remarkable is the revised version of "Outside Nowhere", compelling and engaging. Track n. 5, titled "Nexus", where Antonio Marangolo's melancholy saxophone appears, a pleasant novelty, perfectly harmonized with Roberto Vitelli's guitar and Gianluca De Rossi's keyboards, who also shows off a more melodic and confident voice, is remarkable. Track 6 and 7, respectively entitled "D.I.A.N.A". and "Agata Lost in the Mirror Whale", are very interesting. In particular, the opening of the latter seems to remind the heyday of P.F.M., and seems to underline the difficulty of framing in too rigid patterns the musical style of the band. Not by chance in "Entwinings", De Rossi's piano solo somehow serves as a prologue to the last track "Octopus", and looks like a mixture between Roger Hodgson and Tony Banks. The last track is a great combination of feverish bass lines, coloured electronic effects, keyboards that seem to play on the water's edge, going to the beat of a rousing waves, and percussions that follow and adequately support the time signature lead by De Rossi. Thanks to Taproban we can say that there is still good music, as these musicians formed themeselves in the right "school" of the timeless, unique and unrepeatable progressive era of the 70s. 5 Stars!

This is the 5th studio album for the band but they also did some works for various themes albums (Colossus Project) with long songs. The music is led by keyboards in the symphonic style, sometimes a little bombastic not too far from ELP and Nuovo Era. The guitars on this latest are letting the space to the keys, bass, and drums who are high in the mix. The album starts strongly in the first half with some impressive keyboards and bass lines, the band doesn't need many vocals that are actually very brief throughout. The second part of the album gets a little weaker, especially the song "D.I.A.N.A." with a cheap techno sound and a poor melody. The things improve with the next track " Agata Lost in the Mirror Whale" where the guitar for the first time gets out of his shell to take the lead. The last song"Octopus" bring back the greatness of the first half with some complex keyboards lines. This another good release for this band. Those who enjoy 70's music will want to get their hand on this.

Strigma is the fourth studio album by the Roman band Taproban. It was released in 2013 on the French label Musea Records with a renewed line up featuring, along with founder member and main composer Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, flute, vocals), a brand new rhythm section formed by Roberto Vitelli (bass, electric guitar, synthesizer) and Francesco Pandico (drums, percussion) who replaced Guglielmo Mariotti and Davide Guidoni. According to the band, the title is a crasis that blends two Latin words: strix (witch) and stigma (brand). It was inspired by the idea of the element of fire associated with women and in some way this concept was developed through music, images and words. The album is almost completely instrumental but the beautiful art cover by Daniela Ventrone and the art work by Gianluca De Rossi that you can find in the booklet can give you a clue of what the music is about. Well, the overall sound could recall bands such as Le Orme, Goblin or Banco del Mutuo Soccorso but the band showcase great personality and freshness blending vintage sounds and original ideas...

The long, complex opener "Nesia al notturno congresso delle streghe" (Nesia at the night meeting of the witches) alternates calm, dreamy passages to fiery sections where obscure energies and warm colours take you in the whirls of the infernal dance portrayed by the painting on the cover, entitled "La Danza delle fiamme" (Dance of the flames). There are no lyrics but in the booklet you can find a drawing that describes this track with a mysterious blackbird perched on the branch of a spectral tree and below some words in Latin: concurrentia ad maleficia nefandissima in genus humanum opera venefica... Welcome to the Sabbath! Anyway, do not expect black metal growls or frenzied heavy riffs, here the music goes through many changes in atmosphere and rhythm but never leaves its oneiric, almost poetical dimension and there's more mysticism than violence or luxury in this esoteric dance.

Next comes the instrumental "Lo sguardo di Emily" (Emily's glance) that starts with a sudden surge of energy. The band chose an image of Cupid's bow to describe this piece. In classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. His bow and arrow represent his source of power and everyone who is shot by Cupid's arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire. So you can guess that Emily is a woman burning with love and longing for a romantic waltz, her glances are like flames trying to melt the cold desert of a meaningless life... Let the music drive and let Emily's eyes draw you away for a little while!

The last track is a nearly 19 minute epic, "La porta nel buio" (The door in the dark). It's a wonderful suite divided into six parts with many changes in rhythm and atmosphere where you can listen to some fantastic keyboard passages. It starts softly, you can hear the noise of a door creaking on its hinges, the atmosphere is almost hypnotic. There's a door in the dark, but what kind of door? Are you dreaming? There's something that you can't understand... The rhythm rises, the mood is disquieting, tense. You're scared and you try to run away at breakneck speed, down the stairs... But you get lost, you're still in the dark... Will you ever see the light again? You're desperately looking for a way out that you can't find, you're freezing inside and you don't know why, you can't see where you are. Is it nightmare or reality? You're alone and Gianluca De Rossi evocative vocals lead you into the fortress of the solitude, amid rag men and broken dolls... Will you ever leave it? The last part of the suite suggests that there's a way to escape and that you can break through... A great track! Although Le Orme influence looms large over this piece of great spiritual and musical grace, this it is not a recreation of the past and the songwriting is absolutely brilliant...

On the whole, I really like this work. If you like modern progressive rock that's based on classic prog, you really have to check this album out!

Posidonian Fields is the third album by Taproban, a band from Rome formed in 1996. It was released in 2006 on the independent label Mellow Records with a line up featuring Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards), Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, guitars, vocals) and Davide Guidoni (drums, percussion). It's a concept album containing three long suites that tell about a journey through an imaginary submarine abyss, a metaphorical one way trip in the subconscious. The lyrics by Davide Guidoni are loosely based on Altered States, a 1980 American science fiction-horror film directed by Ken Russell and are based on a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky about a sensory deprivation research conducted in isolation tanks under the influence of psychoactive drugs. Davide Guidoni took also charge of the art work that in some way depicts the content of the album... Anyway here words, images and notes are like touches of colour used to stir your imagination and you have to fill the gaps. As for the music, every now and again the overall sound could recall bands such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Le Orme, with the use of a wide range of vintage instruments such as Hammond C3 organ or Minimoog, but the song-writing is brilliant the final result perfectly fits the storyline.

The first suite, "Chapter One: Immersion", is divided into three parts and begins softly, with the narrative vocals in Greek and the mysterious atmosphere of "EvapZis". The second part, "Immersion", begins by a dreamy acoustic guitar arpeggio and floating vocals to bid farewell to reality... The one way journey to the unknown begins while colourful psychedelic images appear and melt during the long dive into the submarine kingdom of Poseidon... On the third part, "Caronte's Ship Imponderability", the rhythm rises while frenzied keyboards waves and rough, nervous bass lines take you across the Styx to a kind of blue hell...

The second suite, "Chapter Two: Suspension", is divided into four parts and begins by the surreal calm of "Riding in Posidonian Fields" that depicts in music and lyrics the meeting with a strange creature. A strummed acoustic guitar pattern reminds you that the ocean is like a desert with its life underground where you can find nameless seahorses and other creatures riding into the blue... The second part is the instrumental "Entwinings" that conjures up the image of a mysterious dance into the deep and fades into "Suspension" where you can hear the echoes of a choir of submerged voices coming from a world that you can't reach. Then you relax, you get lost in your dreams, among corals and fishes you become someone or something else in a kind of new Genesis... The fourth part, "Octopus!", suggest what could be the result of this metamorphosis...

The last suite, "Chapter Three: Oblivion", is divided into three parts and begins by the dark, nightmarish "Uncontrolled Dreams", where you risk to get trapped behind a series of doors corroded by time... The rhythm is frenzied and the tension is higher and higher while you seem unable to climb out from the abyss... Well, an altered state of consciousness is a condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state and the expression describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary... But beware! Sometimes there's no way out and the following part "No Return" marks a new awareness while you realize that you can't turn back and that it's too late to escape from the fog of your subconscious. The mystical final part, "Farewell (including Rebirth)", marks the beginning of a new journey towards the eternal mystery of the afterlife while your soul spreads beyond the infinite...

On the whole, an interesting concept and a very nice album, although I think that's a pity that the band did not exploit their mother language for the lyrics as in their previous works.

In 2007 both Davide Guidoni and Guglielmo Mariotti left Taproban, the first went on to form Daal with Alfio Costa, the second joined The Watch as a bassist and both helped Walter Pini to reincarnate Nuova Era.Gianluca di Rossi found again himself alone in the line-up, he paused the activities of the band for a couple of years to collaborate with legendary drummer Carlo Bordini on two tracks, recorded for the Dante-related series of Musea.In 2011 Di Rossi recruited young drummer Francesco Pandico and bassist/guitarist Roberto Vitelli to reform Taproban and in early 2012 the trio was again on stage, while they started composing material for a new album.French label Musea signed the band and Taproban returned in 2013 with the fourth studio album ''Strigma''.

The album is only about 40 minutes long, but contains three long progressive suites in the typical Taproban style, which see the band turning to a more dark and haunting sound, as proposed by the 15-min. opener ''Nesia al notturno congresso delle streghe''.While there are certain moments, when the group still simulates the dreamy synth lines of GENESIS and the powerful keyboard symphonicism of NUOVA ERA, its majority follows a fairly sinister keyboard-driven sound with choirs, quirky Hammond organ and slow, psychedelic themes with a bit of electric tunes, which remind me of IL BALLETO DI BRONZO.As expected, this one passes through various climates and tempos and contains heavy Classical/symphonic orientations, which are still displayed in the 9-min. follower ''Lo sguardo di Emily''.This one comes as a logical step following the opening sound, introducing the echoes of the harsichord, offering multiple piano interludes in an approach towards Classical-drenched music, featuring some nice flute and strings throughout and eventually being highlighted by a grand finale on church organ and synths with the most dramatic mood of the whole album, much in the vein of old NUOVA ERA.''La porta nel buio'' is an almost 19-min.closer with the band still sinking into haunting and virtuosic keyboard Prog with several LE ORME, IL BALLETO DI BRONZO and LATTE E MIELE comparisons.Lots of E.L.P.-ish virtuosic Hammond organ parts and neurotic synthesizers, melancholic piano variations, but also some excellent guitar/organ melodic duets, which still hold an odd, almost Gothic atmosphere.Another very good composition, propably the most intense on the album and the only one to feature some nice, expressive Italian vocals.

IL BALLETO DI BRONZO are still alive...but this time they are named Taproban.The darkest work of the band with an impresive keyboard palette and flexible moods in a nostalgic trip through the world of Italian SymphoRock.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.