GLI ALLUMINOGENI

Recorded in an appliance cardboard box?

You guessed it, the production is straight from the crap-o-studio with potatoes as microphones, coffee cans as drums and guitars that don't produce anything than zing-a-ling lines. Well, they're not the first album with a bad production, but if the music is uninspired, the whole process of listening is soon tedious.

Where to begin? The songs are boogie oriented, with organ slides to make it more rock n' roll, with inaudible bass lines and generic singing. It's like a swinging version of ELP without punch and virtuosity, and a bit of follerie would certainly spruce things up. It's flat on a good portion, like a band clearly outwitted by their ambition. The shorter songs are poppy and french 60's poppy, not the good kind. The musical arsenal is limited to organ, bass, a wee bit of guitar and the infamous drums made out of Folgers cans. Oh, there is some strings elements in some numbers, giving a more dramatic touch but nothing to write to your mother.

The only thing that got me interested is the album cover, a true commercial suicide that made me laugh the second I saw it. No other reason to listen to this but the sake of owning obscure prog records.

Good God, run while you can.

"Gli Alluminogeni" is a Rock Progressivo Italiano band that has actually been around for quite a long time. They have gone through several name and line-up changes, but released their first album "Scolopendra" in 1972. The band didn't have a lot of experience, but played for several festivals and what not and also released a few singles, but since they were mostly unhappy with the overall commercial sound of their album, they broke up and all went their separate ways.

Fast forward to 1991. "Scolopendra" was re-issued and some interest was generated in the band again. So, after re-forming, two more albums were released, one in 1993 and the other in 1994, and the band wanted to record music reminiscent of their original band. Much later, in 2008, another album was set for release called "Metafisco" but, other than 4 songs becoming available, it never happened. Finally, in June of 2019, the album has seen the light of day.

"Metafisico" is made up of 10 tracks with a total run time of 47 minutes. The band line-up has changed many times as previously noted, but for this album, it is comprised of Patrizio Alluminio (an original member) on vocals and keyboards; Daniele Ostrarero on drums and Guido Maccario on bass and guitar. There are two guests also performing on the album, namely Alberto Rondano on guitars and Ludovico Bragante on bass. The album is available on CD and on Bandcamp.

"Samsahara of Mr. Jackson (Pt. 1)" starts things off with heavy keyboards and vocals sung mostly in Italian. The track is okay, but nothing special. "Sogno Alabardato di Un'estate Verde" (Dazzling Dream of a Green Summer) develops into something more interesting however, as Patrizio's vocals become more intense and the music is led by heavier guitars backed by synths. Midway through, the faster tempo gives way to a slower rhythm and the vocals become a little more passionate (not much though), and then a guitar solo follows. The rough feel of the track clears out as it nears the end with only a drum and piano playing.

"Stratgia" (Strategy) starts with a moderate beat and spoken vocals which keep in time with the rhythm and later become melodic. After a few verses of this, the track suddenly veers off in another direction with a heavy guitar riff and developing intensity. Keys also begin with a melodic passage. After 4 minutes, the rhythm stops and things become tense with sustained synth notes and drums playing in a improvised manner. Things calm even further as a solo electric piano plays. "4,000 Anni" (4,000 Years) starts off with a majestic organ backed by drums and guitar. A standard beat is established and heavy guitars and organ continue when shaky vocals come in. They are somewhat processed which actually makes them quite abrasive. The stateliness of the track continues and actually takes on a symphonic edge later on.

"Raggio Vitale" (Vital Ray) continues with the tense feel of the previous track, maintaining a dark and heavy sound. The vocals has a slightly rambling feel and are more of a narrating, sing-song style, not really melodic, but still tonal. Nothing really stands out on this track. "Apogeo Azimut" lightens up a bit with a catchier rhythm and a combination of guitars and keys playing a melodic passage. The music is starting to sound a bit messy with more rambling vocals that don't always fit with the heavier tone. There is some nice guitar there, but the meshing of the instruments and vocals seems a bit rough. "Magia di un Momento" starts off with a solid moderate beat accented by piano chords. The music is a bit less heavy this time, but the guitars play in the background. The chorus has a more passionate melody, and the vocalist handles it well, but seems to stretch for the higher notes.

"Volero' Via" (I'll Fly Away) starts with a nice piano flourish and ticking cymbals producing a jazz feel with some dissonance in the piano chords. The rhythm becomes a bit trickier and supporting instruments come in and an organ announces the vocals. Again, the music sounds quite rough with what could have been an impressive beginning, but the beat seems off, the supporting vocals and instruments feel clumsy and don't meld with the keys very well. The track just comes across sounding messy and amateurish. "Contatto Finale" (Final Contact) has a steadier beat accented by guitars and keys and more vocals. The song has a cleaner feel to it with a nice guitar solo, but the drums seem mixed a bit too loud. The track has a more standard feel to it, but other than the guitar solos, it doesn't really connect. The album ends with the second part of the bookending track "Samsahara of Mr. Jackson". The first part acted more as an introductory track and didn't leave any real impression, but the 2nd part is a little longer. It starts off rather abruptly and the messy feel is back as the entire band plays, but everyone just seems a bit off.

As much as I would like to say different, the album is quite uneven when it comes performance and production, and it seems quite amateurish on most of the tracks. In some cases, it is quite obvious that the band isn't very well gelled together. The music is mostly rough with not a lot of memorable sections. There are places when it seems the are playing together well, but it is on the more accessible tracks, and even then, there is that feeling that things are just not connected together very well. Time doesn't seem to have been helpful to the band and it sounds as if they are just not well practiced at working together with each other. If there are fans out there that have been following the band, then this album is for them, but I can't see how they wouldn't be a bit disappointed.

I have tried for years to give Scolopendra a chance. Its dated production, lackluster composition and plodding musicianship prevent me from enjoying it. Gli Alluminogeni were headed in the right direction but by 1972 their brand of heavy Italian Beat had long since worn out its welcome. And although there are some psychedelic influences and unconventional ideas here and there, they are few and far between and can't save this thing from being dead on arrival. It doesn't help matters any considering the band basically disowned the album upon release, citing label Fonit's mix tampering as "too commercial." Ironically, the poppier moments such as "La Stella Di Atades" succeed most. My opinion is Fonit weren't given much to work with, and did the best with what they had. The most glaring oversight being bass. Not bass guitar; bass frequencies. This album has none. A shrill, trebly mess describes much of Scolopendra, an album fundamentally third-tier and for collectors only.

As "La Natura e L'Universo" begins, you notice immediately something just isn't quite right. The sound is phasey and disorienting, but not in a good way. This is not space rock. Despite its length, the song never really goes anywhere or does anything. I guess the silver lining is Daniele Ostorero's drumming, but even that becomes annoying by the 8-minute mark. The titular "Scolopendra" sounds a little better, adding Mellotron and acoustic guitar to flesh out the stereo image a bit more. The opposite is true of "Che Fumo C'e." A flanger effect has been added to the drums, relegating them to the background and ruining an otherwise decent track. "La Stella Di Atades" may be the best song on side one, but even it never gets off the ground and simply deteriorates.

Side two starts with the excellent "Thrilling," by far the best song here. Gli Alluminogeni sound serious, determined and actually interested in what they're doing. A heavy tandem of molten guitar and overdriven Hammond organ lead the charge while Ostorero shows power and restraint in equal doses. Vocals enter near the end and give the song a haunting vibe, amply supported by some epic pipe organ. "Thrilling" sees a band fulfilling their promise, albeit briefly. "Cosmo" returns to a kitschy ELP-inspired sound. "Pianeta" ends this uneven and unsatisfying album. If nothing else, "Thrilling" is worth repeated listens, but the ratio of bad to good is too high to really recommend Scolopendra.

Unsatisfied with the Fonit's production on ''Scolopendra'' Gli Alluminogeni split up after the release of the album with Patrizio Alluminio recording a single in 1975, which was actually a leftover from the ''Scolopendra'' recordings.Many years later the original trio returned recording two albums for the Vinyl Magic label, ''Geni Mutanti'' (1993) and ''Green Grapes'' (1994).

Of the two release ''Green grapes'' seems the one to fit better with the group's legendary past.It contains 13 old and new recordings of smooth Prog/Psychedelic Rock with also plenty of Melodic Rock tracks.Not every track in here sounds inspired with the old recordings sounding close to the style presented in ''Scolopendra'', while the new ones are closer to the likes of modern Italian Rock.The standard organ-driven Psychedelic Rock pieces of the album are decent with a dramatic atmosphere, good vocals and a nice rhythm section, a couple of them are even great as the opening ''Lauda Dell Amore Mistico'' or the instrumental ''1969'', with the instrumental parts shining, led by Alluminio's massive Hammond organ waves.The new recordings though are far from the beautiful style established by the band in early-70's.They appear close to cliche melodic Italian Rock, far from the word progressive, based on easy tunes, plastic synths, catchy refrains, soft pianos and accesible rhythms, but some of them even sound pretty dull compared to the vintage-sounding tracks of the release.

At this point the story of this legendary Italian trio comes to an end.It is strongly recommended to stick with the band's fantastic debut, but if you are among those collecting everything related to Italian Prog, ''Green Grapes'' has still some good moments to offer...2,5 stars.

Scolopendra is the debut album of the italian trio "Gli Alluminogeni". The band got the name from the leader, Patrizio Alluminio, student at the academy of music of Vercelli and graduated in piano.

The main feature of the seven compositions is the typical sixties flavour of both vocals and instrumental passages. This gives the impression of a dated work, unlikely to the band's other contemporaries.

Notwithstanding, the music is very well composed, recorded and arrenged and it's based upon the majestic hammond organ of Alluminio (sometimes church organ as in the heavy psychedelic "Thrilling") and raw electric guitar. It's not a concept album but the recurring themes are nature and cosmos. The title track is a wonderful soft-blues ballad.

Would be more impressive coming from '66 than '72

Gli Alluminogeni is another RPI band which began life in the mid 1960s as a beat band, this one from Turin. After going through a few guitarists and releasing some early singles, the band recorded their lone album (aside from the reunion stuff two decades later.) Despite coming out in the classic period "Scolopendra" is an album that does not stand up that well today. In fact some reviewers claim it was outdated the day it came out, hearkening back to 60s blues-psych as opposed to grasping the wave of advancements other Italian bands were surfing by 1972. I tend to agree, this is not first tier RPI and not a huge priority.

That's not to say there is nothing enjoyable here. I think blues/psych rock fans who love early Purple and worship the Hammond will find plenty to enjoy. Chunky power chords, trippy sound effects, and muscular drumming all contribute to an album for the jam aficionado. The band is reasonably tight, the vocals just average. I enjoy organ with a dark and desolate tinge and that is the main selling point in my opinion. The guitar work is acceptable but nothing special. One notable track is "Thrilling" which mixes some gothic organ with Sabbath-like doomy power chords. Average songs, reasonable performances, a bit behind the times. That's about it. Oh, don't forget the hideous album cover art.

"thick layers of quasi-classical keyboards (mainly Hammond organ and piano), turgid falsetto vocals a la New Trolls, imaginative guitar textures (with a heavy use of fuzz and Leslie effects) and busy drum patterns (in a rather unusual style)....reminiscent of the first albums by The Trip (or even Vanilla Fudge), and were psychedelic classical rock concertos for organ, piano and guitar." -Scented Garden

With all that is out there from the RPI classic period to pillage your bank account, Gli Alluminogeni should be way down on your list of acquisitions. It's not all that representative of the best attributes of the genre in my opinion. More for hard-rock, psych/blues-rock fans. 2-3 stars, I'll round them up.

After a very long hiatus, this Italian band got back together and released this album which is a mix of old and new unreleased songs.

I can't say that I am pleased with this mix. Some songs sound quite outdated ("Lauda Dell' Amore Mistico", "La Casa Dei Riflessi", "Eravamo Alla Fine Del Mondo") and just average. No wonder that most of this material was never released before. On top of this, the production is quite loose.

I wonder who could be attracted by such an album in the middle nineties... Nothing to be compared to the great old Italian bands of the early seventies, nothing complex to be considered interesting in terms of "modern" sound. So, what's left?

There is a weak instrumental ("Opera"), a fine rock-folk ballad with a decent emotional aspect ("Antichi Riti Di Magia") which is probably the best song out there. A vague rock-tinted simulacra ("Sulla Soglia Del Peccato"), a melodic and syrupy ballad ("Nuove Speranze"): all this being more embarrassing than joyful.

My favorite from this album is the solid and psyche "1969". This is a very good instrumental track which features a great beat and some powerful organ. It is just too bad that the band didn't investigate a bit more into this direction.

The quite Floydean "Incubo" is another example. It is as crazy as ASOS and quite a decent number. It is a rarity amongst such a weak ensemble.

The only song with English vocals should have been remained unreleased really. "Cry For Me" is a pitiful exercise. You should n't really care about this album. I'll be generous for once: two stars (but this is really on the upside).

"Gli Alluminogeni" is an Italian band which took birth in the early seventies and was reborn some twenty years later.

This album is by far the best of their production and is a good mix between psychedelic music with an Italian accent. The former aspect is more on the front line. But it's OK as far as I'm concerned.

The great opener "La Natura E L'Universo" is the best example I can think of: some good drumming and of course this solid Hammond organ sound available throughout these eight minutes of good music.

In all honesty, the music featured on this album is not always really great ("La Stella Di Atades") but once in a while, some tracks do hold fine moments, like the intriguing "Thrilling" which features some hints of "Fools" from "Deep Purple" (on their "Fireball" album) during the instrumental intro. But the whole of this song is quite challenging: fine guitar and as usual a deep and heavy organ sound typical of the early seventies. This is another highlight with no doubt.

The music is mostly instrumental, dark and heavy oriented. If you like "Black Widow", there are great possibilities that you would appreciate this band as well. Especially during the great closing number "Pianeta". A gorgeous treat of Hammond fantasy!

Some weaker songs like the title track or "Cosmo" prevents me to rate this work with four stars. Seven out of ten really!

These guys originally started out during the 1960s as an Italian beat group called Green Grapes. They subsequently changed their name to Gli Alluminogeni (taking their new name from keyboardist & vocalist Patrizio Alluminio) and reinvented themselves as a melodic prog band at the turn of the 1970s. Like many other Italian bands of the period they had a short life span and disbanded with only one album under their belt. In their case the break- up was due to conflict with their record label over the quality of production on the album, which is a bit ropey to be honest. After the reissue of Scolopendra in 1991, the band reformed with a new guitarist and released a couple more cds in the following years.

Scolopendra's gatefold sleeve proclaims ''During a very strange journey... a cosmic dawn'', and the majority of the song titles are based on themes of Nature and the Cosmos. The album starts and ends with sound effects of nature and an explosion respectively, so there seems to be some kind of apocalyptic concept at play here. The overall sound is a bit dated for its time of release, and there's a fairly strong psychedelic influence with most tracks built around Alluminogeni's Hammond organ. The aforementioned production doesn't help in this respect either mind you.

So, after a moody intro with some sound effects of birds and insects, LA NATURA E L'UNIVERSO finally gets going around the 2-minute mark with some brief vocals and then a bluesy Hammond workout. This is a promising start to the album but there's an incongruous psych-pop guitar section tagged on at the end of this track. The next three songs all continue in melodic rock vein, and a couple of them include real orchestral backing. The title track is probably the best of these with its memorable Hammond refrains. By the way, the genus Scolopendra contains the largest and most dangerous of the centipedes, but I'll be blowed if I know how a centipede fits into the overall concept.

Apart from COSMO, which is a short no-frills instrumental blues-rocker, the second half of the album is more mature with greater thematic development and longer instrumental passages. The keyboards ebb and flow to good effect on the darkly psychedelic THRILLING, as the muffled tones of pipe organ alternate with swirling Hammond and meaty guitar licks. Closing track PIANETA's forceful guitar riffs, majestic organ, and damp squib explosion then round the album off nicely.

Scolopendra is one of the lesser-known RPI releases therefore it's not one of the places to start if you're new to the genre. However, if you can overlook the poor sound quality it's actually not too bad an album.

Next a bigger centipede, ALLUMINOGENI sent out bigger double-chained gene with their bridges.

Their previous work Scolopendra was a pop-progressive album. And after their 15-year split, ALLUMINOGENI could release an album with their real interests...I've heard. Really?

The first track Mass Media can start with aggressive keyboard sound and THE BEGINNING can hear exactly progressive but the content of this song is not like a progressive rock but heavy and catchy. Yea, not-technically-good Patrizio's vocal is very passionate and attractive, and their sound and melody are so pop, as Scolopendra is so. Some of the songs in the album are heavy, some are like a stream, and some are gentle and melodious. Basically their identity is heavy but pop...I guess. In this period, might this work be typical Italian Progressive Rock album...? But, especially Pat's voice has nice and happy taste so I love.

If you love Italian progressive rock everyone should think typical, I'm afraid you can't love this atmosphere. If you think this work as an Italian hard rock, it may be okay...I consider...