All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Finnforest View Drop Down

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Posted: July 17 2010 at 07:29

Chris, that's actually a band I've never pulled the trigger on, and I love vocals that are described as harsh usually. On the list. Tongue

Nice reviews lately Chris, good work!

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Posted: July 17 2010 at 07:09

I'm tempted to buy Nuova Idea's Clowns but the descriptions of the vocals are putting me off. Anyone got an opinion on them:

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1018

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Posted: July 15 2010 at 20:39

Vault Pick. Interesting obscurity!

Studio Album, 1974
2.97 | 5 ratings
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Hero
Hero Heavy Prog

Review by b_olariu
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Hero is a forgotten italian group from mid '70's who plays heavy prog. Their selftitled only album from 1974 bring nothing new under the heavy prog flag, but holds good pieces, that needs maybe a better attention by prog listeners. This album is so rare that took me ore than 4 month to find it, on Cd, the original release on vinyl from 1974 is lost somewhere in dust of time and worth fortunes for collectors. Anyway is pretty rare even on Cd, and not many listeners heard about this italian band. Their music is heavy prog with keyboards arrangements and nice shifts between guitar and predominant instrument keys, but don't expect to another ELP influenced album. The most uninteresting thing here is the voice of Robert Deller, who is not a bad vocalist, but don't shines at all, he only sings the notes. Now the music reminds me in places with early german bands Walpurgis and Dull Knife, and on piece Knock, the manner of interpretation of Robert Deller on voice is like on any Vand Der Graaf Generator album from early'70's, he realy is one on one with Peter Hammill here. The music as I said is heavy prog but very vague in contrast with what other bands done it in that times, seems they didn't manage to create something really great, that's why this album is a good one but nothing special. This band remains unknown even for italian scene not to mention the rest of the planet. Influences are from german heavy prog scene and in places from Van Der Graaf Generator and even that dark atmosphere from King Crimson music mostly in arrangements. Finally the best pieces are Childrens game, the longest track from here Clapping and Smiling and Dew drops, the rest are only ok. I will give to this album 2.5 rounded to 3, not realy bad but nothing to talk about either. One of those bands that for one reason or other goes into oblivion.

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Posted: July 15 2010 at 07:11

^ You've caught my attention with the Anekdoten reference Jim. I'll check that out.

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Posted: July 14 2010 at 18:30

Awesome, Paul. Even though I prefer the saucier side of RPI over the refined, I though it was a lovely piece of work.

I'm chewing on the latest Areknames, quite interesting, my first impression is that Anekdoten fans will want to hear it. Less dark, less VDGG-like than their last one. I hope to start work on a review soon.

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Posted: July 14 2010 at 17:01

Been enjoying Madame Zelle, the new Conqueror cd.

I'll do a review shortly.

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Posted: July 12 2010 at 19:34

Vault Pick from Andrea

Studio Album, 2006
4.83 | 3 ratings
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Madri senza terra
Abash Heavy Prog

Review by andrea
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Abash is an Italian band from Puglia that was formed in 1998. Looking for their own musical identity, they tried to blend African obsessive and tribal rhythms and Oriental melodies with Italian traditional folklore (especially Salento's ethnic and popular music like Taranta and Pizzica) and rock. The result is a very peculiar and atypical "Mediterranean progressive rock". "Madri senza terra" (Mothers without land) is their third album and was released in 2006 for the label "Il Manifesto". It's really a mature and interesting album, with a good artwork and a paper sleeve package... It's a kind of concept album where the character of "the mother" becomes a metaphor for love, peace, land, roots, tradition... On the cover are printed the following words: "The roots, the land, the mothers / It's there the spirit, the truer and deeper way of living / Pure instinct, perennial love, blood and sweat / Music from the heart without borders"...

The opener "Intro (Madri senza terra)" is a short track that features only an evocative melody sung without words by Annarita Luceri in a way that reminds me of Noa and an "exotic" recitative part that leads to the "heavier" "Niuru te core" (Dark heart) where you can appreciate the contrast between aggressive guitar parts and more relaxed moments, between the raw vocals of Maurilio Gigante and the beautiful melodic voice of Annarita singing the "poetry of a red sunset / red like blood "... The lyrics, in dialect, are about parents' love for their children in a dark and difficult world.

"Salentu e Africa" was the title track of Abash's first self-produced album and this is a new powerful version... Here every now and again the voice of Annarita reminds me of Teresa De Sio while the song has a strong "ethnic flavour" with Mediterranean rhythms and "Plato and Marrakech" inside the heart. Words and music invite you to "jump and beat on the drum"...

"Madri" (Mothers) is one of my favourite tracks on this album... The beautiful voice of Annarita sings "I'm your strength, your spirit / your memory, your coherence / I'm your mother, your root / your shelter, your comforter... With my voice I sing a war anthem to the world / That does not listen to me and dies / swept away by the waves...". In the beginning the melody reminds me a little bit of Mecano's "Hijo de la luna" but then the music develops in an original way and the band showcase a great musicianship with keyboards and guitars in the forefront.

"La corsa di Assan" (The run of Assan) is about an African boy running away from his land animated by a "thirst of hope and justice". Tribal rhythms and evocative keyboards passages here are intertwined with a sweet lullaby giving the image of a desperate dream... "Here I am / Flying over the sea / Like a black angel / With spread out wings / Over your cities and your dirty miseries / I will blow my wrath / I'm the black power / Africa won't lend its hand anymore / And my dream will be a land / saved by the cry of God..."

"Canto alle nuvole" (Song to the clouds) is a song of universal love and hope, hope that "poetry and love will change the world"... On an evocative musical carpet the voice of Annarita sings "I will be the music for your song to the clouds / Fire that melts the snow-fields / With words that nobody will never listen to anymore..."

"Oltre" (Beyond) is delicate and sweet, featuring good harmony vocals inviting you to listen to the dreams and the silences of the night...

"Otranto 14 agosto 1480" is another great track with strong traditional influences... The lyrics, in dialect, are about an attack of the Saracen pirates against the city of Otranto in 1484 and the music tries to describe it.

"Maràn Athà" (Come, lord Jesus) features a delicate guitar arpeggio and flute... Lyrics are an Aramaic prayer. Excellent the instrumental finale...

"Non gridate più" (Do not scream anymore) was inspired by "Il dolore", a poem by Giuseppe Ungaretti... It's a mix of modern sounds, heavy rhythms and dreamy vocal passages... "Stop killing the deaths! Do not scream anymore / If you want to listen to them / If you hope to live!..."

"Scale fino al cielo" (Stairs to the sky) is another great song of peace and hope with a strong Oriental flavour featuring a good "heavy" guitar work...

On whole "Madri senza terra" is a very good album, without really weak moments. Abash are not stuck in the past and their personal way to blend progressive rock and ethnical influences is absolutely interesting... This work is a must have if you want to experience something musically fresh, full of poetry and an amazing female voice...

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 22:56

Guldbamsen wrote:

Originally posted by Evolutionary Sleeper

Evolutionary Sleeper wrote:

Kojak wrote:

Evolutionary Sleeper wrote:

Will do thanks! I actually think I saw one of their releases available for free (legal) download somewhere. I'm going to have to look.

Here it be: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/SADO_Societ_Anonima_Decostruzionismi_Organici/La_Differanza/

Thanks for this!

You're very welcome, I think it was progkidjoel that originally brought that to my attention.

Sorry to be such a sneak - but you got me to download the album as well Big smile

Thanks a bunch, man!!! This is crazy stuff - like rolling down a mountain, karatedrunk with some delirious jazzbyrds, and all kinds of musical instruments tumbling about..
Great for cooking or doing the dishes.

Ah! Sharing is caring,...you're very welcome.

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 21:40

Vault Pick from brother Linus - cool eclectic prog

Studio Album, 2007
4.33 | 3 ratings
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Déntrokirtòs
Akt Eclectic Prog

Review by LinusW
Special Collaborator Italian Prog Team

If a band instantly intrigues you with their sound, you know they're on to something. If the same band at the same time manages to surprise you with bits and pieces from music you are familiar with and like, that band should have secured a big and varied audience of prog fans.

Akt isn't quite there yet, but deserves to be - and what's even more important - have the potential to grow even better. Déntrokirtòs feels fresh, inventive, experimental and mature. And yet it is Akt's first album, something that makes the future very bright for this group.

Playing the sort of music that is more prone to be classified solely on subjective interpretation and refuses to bend to subgenre definition; eclectic is a natural home for this record. The many different layers and highly computer-processed music gives it all an experimental edge, with sonic landscapes that are lush and cold at the same time; spacey and futuristic are words that come to mind, but always in a digital and electronic way. Heavy sampling such as this brings in an element of surprise and mathematical precision to the music, with an amazing ability to pinpoint down to the level of singular notes, and Akt does this with great care and skill on Déntrokirtòs. One can of course have different points of view about whether that is a benefit or not, regardless of the technical and musical skill involved. I remain ambivalent, but in this case most of it just feels natural. The textures are exquisitely interwoven and there's rarely any dominant instrument (when they're all involved) in the mix, which gives the sound a great amount of tightness, very close to the rhythm section all the time.

So even if the pseudo-electronic soundscapes are dominating, there is a whole lot more to be found here. Tranquil acoustic piano and guitar parts that serve as a reminder of Italy's prog heydays in the '70s make repeated appearance, coupled with a vocal style (and sound for that matter) that is just distinctly Italian, sometimes delivered more like talking, as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's Francesco Di Giacomo occasionally does, and sometimes with a liberating laissez-faire craziness that just makes you happy.

'90s King Crimson have most definitely been an influence on guitarist Marco Brucale, and the opener Spazzadiluvi feature a guitar part that most likely serves as a tribute, but almost comes too close to pure imitation. It's that KC-ish, yes.

The bulk of the songs move from segment to segment fast and seamlessly, bringing the record an organic feel against all odds, one that is made stronger by recurring waltz-rhythms, accordion, dramatic tempo changes and an intriguing, often clever and trance-like use of instruments.

Déntrokirtòs is an album for people that like and people that dislike progressive electronic music, because Akt adds something extra to all songs, especially by combining the energy of rock music with the atmospheric, mood-inducing and enigmatic qualities of electronic in a way that captures the fun in the process of making music - the freedom of expression. The music on this record ranges from alluringly stripped to incredibly rich in a matter of seconds, and that's what you can always count on when it comes to Italian prog rock - fabulous dynamics.

4 stars.

//LinusW

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 15:07

^ The first couple of songs are killer, and being a drum freak, I just love the power of the drummer.
Excellent release already, but I´ve only had it for about 2 hours.
And how brilliant are these guys compared to some of the old dinosaurs turning back after 30-40 years? I am not naming any names...

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 14:57

^ Indeed it is, album of the year so far for me.

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 14:55

new Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno is so good, love it, italian prog never stops amazing me

www.last.fm/user/angelmk

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 14:37

Evolutionary Sleeper wrote:

Kojak wrote:

Thanks for this!

You're very welcome, I think it was progkidjoel that originally brought that to my attention.

Sorry to be such a sneak - but you got me to download the album as well Big smile

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 13:31

Not me Todd, apart from that classic debut I know little of them. Sounds like it's worth hearing though.

Edited by Nightfly - July 08 2010 at 13:32

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Posted: July 08 2010 at 13:22

Last night I was browsing my eMusic lists, and I came across a new release by REALE ACCADEMIA DI MUSICA, entitled "La Cometa," released by Pinball Music in May 2010. I began listening to the samples and thought it sounded like the old band, not the new incarnation led by Monteduro. As I began searching for information about it, I realized that this is the old recording from 1974 that Croce talks about on his site! I emailed Augusto and asked him about it, and he said that the bootlegs of the recording have been circulating for a while, but they've never been released. He doesn't know if this release by Pinball is legitimate or a bootleg, but it's available on lots of download sites, from eMusic to Amazon to iTunes. I don't know if there's a hard copy available or not.

The lineup (I think) features the majority of the original members, although I don't know if the original bassist and guitarist are on this one, as they were replaced for the Monteduro album. This album is somewhat closer to the Monteduro album from 1974 than the self-titled 1972 release, unfortunately, but it's still very good and well worth looking into!

Does anyone else know anything about this one?