My Old & New Interesting Progressive Bands Thread

 

 

                               These exciting new progrock albums can use some support here on PA:

 

 

 

 

- Incredible how many legendary Classic Italian Progrock bands have reunited in the last decade, after bands like Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Le Orme, Banco, New Trolls and Osanna, here is Latte E Miele featuring 3 members of the original line up on their debut album Passio Secundum Mattheum (1972).
- This live CD was recorded in Canada in 2008, it sounds good and the band plays very inspired songs from their three Seventies albums. The first part concerns a selection of their first album, we can enjoy a great blend of classical and symphonic rock with awesome vintage keyboard work (Grand piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, synthesizers and some splendid harpsichord runs), wonderful moving guitar solos, warm Italian vocals and lots of variety, from a tender Grand piano solo or classical guitar with flute-Mellotron to mid-tempo with powerful organ and bombastic with a choir sound, propulsive drum beats and beautiful interplay between guitar and piano. Then three songs from the album Papillon (1973): a mid-tempo with Emerson-inspired Hammond work and classical orchestrations in Ouverture, lots of variety with brass instruments, classical guitar, church organ and a jazzy acoustic guitar solo in Primo Quadro and a dreamy climate with warm and sparkling Grand piano, flute-Mellotron, wonderful Italian vocals and compelling classical orechestrations in Rimani Nella Mia. Next is the song Fantasia Pere Chandra (I am not familiar with this track) that contains virtuosic classical guitar, followed by the suite Pavana from the album Aquile E Scoiattoli (1976). It often sounds similar to The Enid featuring a classical keyboard sound, blended with fiery electric guitar, a strong rhythm-section and again great work on keyboards, especially in Pavana Parte Terza (Hammond, church organ and Bolero-like accordion sound on synthesizer), very impressive! The band concludes this live CD with a new song entitled Vision Of Sunlight, it starts a bit polished but then we can enjoy strong work on guitar and keyboards in a more bombastic and compelling atmosphere, is this a prelude for a new album? I hope so!
- My conclusion: great musicians, great music, great album!

 

 

- Did you think Il Bacio Delle Medusa is the best new Italian progrock band in the last five years? Well, check out Italian four piece formation Pandora, what an exciting sound! The band is rooted in 2006, inspired by Genesis, Yes, PFM, New Trolls and Dream Theater. After a serie of concerts in early 2008, Pandora got a record deal with the known Italian label Btf., specialized in progressive rock.
- On their debut album Dramma Di Un Poeta Ubriaco (7 tracks, running time 63 minutes) Pandora is scouting the borders between Classic Italian Prog, symphonic rock, Heavy Prog and prog metal in a very exciting way. We can enjoy lots of bombastic and compelling atmospheres, loaded with heavy guitarplay, sensational keyboardwork (3 members play on keyboards!) and thunderous drumming like Il Giudizio Universale (exciting break, great wah-wah guitar and passionate Italian vocals), the instrumental March To Hell (swirling Hammond organ solo, fat Minimoog sound and obvious Dream Theater elements), Pandora (the piano is wonderfully blended in the heavy sound) and the titletrack (beautiful Grand piano intro and a splendid grand finale with compelling keyboardwork and a very moving guitar solo, goose bumps). But in other songs Pandora also deliver great build-ups like Così Come Sei (from dreamy with soaring keyboards and acoustic guitar to compelling with a strong electric guitar/synthesizer duet and bombastic with furious drumwork and heavy guitar) or mellow like Breve Storia di San George (wonderful blend of acoustic guitar, flute-Mellotron, warm Italian vocals, classical orchestrations, delicate harpsichord runs and a pleasant flute solo in the end). The most elaborate composition is the final track entitled Salto Nel Buio (close to 14 minutes), it sounds very varied and contains lots of captivating, very flowing shifting moods and surprising musical ideas, from a short interlude with acoustic guitar and choir-Mellotron to a piece with prog metal overtones and a jazzy vibraphone solo. The final part is very exciting featuring fat synthesizer flights and propulsive drum beats, slowly fading away, I am in Progheaven!
- My simple conclusion: highly recommended and ... play it loud!

 

NEMO – Barbares

 

Limited Edition Digipack 2-CD (including live disc)
- My first musical experience with Nemo was a few months after the release of their second album entitled Présages (2003), I was blown away by their dynamic and varied blend of several styles, topped with the slightly theatrical French vocals. Meanwhile I have become a huge fan and, apart from Si Partie I (a bit too experimental and fragmentic in my opinion), on every album you can notice progression, new ideas and more and more an own, very unique progrock sound. So I was very curious to this new effort, high expectations!
- Well, I quickly got excited, very excited and after a few listening sessions I already took the conclusion that Nemo has delivered their best album and I will tell you why I am that euphoric about Barbares. My main conclusion is that on this new CD Nemo sounds very well balanced, there is a great ‘flow’ in the compositions and the band even sound pretty accessible for ‘Nemo standards’, despite the frequent shiftings moods, many breaks and huge variety. But I also would like to emphasize that three elements are on a level I have never heard on previous albums. First the interplay between the guitar and keyboards: both musicians are founding members, have played together for many years and on Barbares their musical understanding is mighty close to identical twins, amazing how they follow, challenge and stimulate each other, this gives a captivating and often exciting extra dimension to the music. Second the way JPL uses the vocals, it has become an instrument in the sound of Nemo and colours the music with a very special flavor, slightly theatrical and often with strong expressive undertones. An third ‘captain’ JPL his abilities to drive the music with his powerful and varied guitarwork, from biting wah-wah drenched runs or fat guitar riffs to funky rhythm-guitar and sensitive solos (fueled by an outstanding, very flowing and adventurous rhythm-section). My highlights on Barbares are the early Eighies Rush inspired Ldi (awesome interplay, exciting guitarwork, great dynamics and a very surprising break), the great tension between the powerful drums/prog metal riffs and acoustic rhythm-guitar/piano, embellished with passionate vocals in 19.59, a swinging rhythm with bombastic organ and wah-wah guitar in Faux Semolancs and the magnum opus Barbares (25 minutes) that presents Nemo at their best featuring spectacular synthesizer flights, exciting interplay between guitar and keyboards, lots of great changing climates and some strong musical ideas like the blend of an acoustic guitar solo, tin-whistle and sparkling piano into the music, culminating in a compelling grand finale, what a band!
The bonus disc (500 copies limited edition, 15 songs, running time 71 minutes) is a live registration from 2007, you can enjoy their great power and dynamics with lots of awesome solo work on guitar and keyboards, strong interplay and a captivating live atmosphere, this is a perfect way to experience Nemo on stage, unfortunately I miss the song Une Question De Temps, one of the highlights of their Progfarm 2008 Festival gig I witnessed a few months ago.
- Despite the language gap, during the years Nemo has made more and more friends, I hope this new CD Barbares will be their breakthrough to a wider audience, they fully deserve it, what a splendid effort!

 

ALY – Hypotesis Ubicua

 

 

- Aly is a musical project of Alonso Romero, he was born in Mexico (1979), started to study piano when he was 8 and he is playing guitar since his 13th. He has a varied taste: with the band Toccata he released the album entitled Circe (2005) on which he plays guitar in the progmetal vein but he also made a classical album with flute and guitar.
- We can find back this captivating contrast between rock and classical on Aly their instrumental debut album Hypotesis Ubicua. Alonso has invited a wide range of musicians featuring drummer Adolfo Ramundo who recently toured with the new line-up of Italian progrock legend Il Balletto Di Bronzo. On most of the nine compositions Alonso delivers heavy guitarwork with obvious hints of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, fueled by a thunderous rhythm-section evoking Metallica and Opeth, very exciting and I am impressed by Alonso his furious, blistering and biting guitar runs and propulsive fat guitar riffs. The most interesting element of Aly their music is in my opinion the way he blends the sound of varied keyboards with the powerful guitarwork, often this evokes a lot of tension in the Aly sound: dazzling interplay with synthesizers (El Aspecto Sombrío De La Desinhibición and Sirenas Poseídas En La Mente De Omicrón), lush organ waves (Necesidad Ilimitada), dreamy piano work (Instinto En La Nostalgia) and orchestral keyboards (Ocular). Another wonderful contrast on this album is the short track Ocaso Inesperado that contains classical guitar, it sounds very warm. But the highlight is the ‘magnum opus progressivus’ Meh - Lahn - Coh - Lih – Ah, a 25 minutes composition that is divided into six alternating parts: from a majestic violin-Mellotron intro, soaring keyboards with howling guitar runs and an interlude with dreamy keyboards to an exciting wah-wah drenched guitar solo with populsive drums, powerful Hammond organ with heavy guitar work, a bombastic prog metal climate and a beautiful final part delivering acoustic rhythm guitar and a choir-Mellotron-like sound, goose bumps!
- What an exciting debut album, I am sure the progmetal – and Heavy Prog fans and heavy metal guitar freaks wil be delighted about Aly their music!

 

                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

                Well Paul, let's start to discuss the abovementioned bands and your comments ...  !

 

 

                                 To end this day in style, here's another recommendation of an overlooked

 

 

 

 

                                                                                   

 

 

http://www.progwalhalla.nl/index.php?language=en 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Good idea Paul, I am proud at this promising new Dutch progrock formation and curious or

    you will share my ideas about Crusader after our musical disagreements about my latest reviews  ...

 

 

 

                  Well Paul, thanks from Holland, I hope Survival will be added to Prog Archives,

                                it is a very interesting new Dutch progrock band 

 

 

            At this moment I am preparing several articles, one of my projects is named

 

 

ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO - The Complete Discography

 

By Paolo Barotto & Marco D'Ubaldo

 

Indeed Paul, this is a great introduction to the varied and captivating world of the Italian Prog and I am very pleased with the combination of the book and the CD that contains so many legendary Seventies Italian Prog bands with lots of pictures from bands with Hammond organs

 

 

 

How was the gig?

 

Looking forward to your 40 years of Italian Prog article.

 

Getting back to all things Italian I have been placing an order with Hans at Progwalhalla for the Pandora CD , though at the moment I can't get his Paypal to work and am waiting for him to get back to me.