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TGM: Orb ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: October 21 2007 Location: n/a Status: Offline Points: 8052 |
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Ordered Darwin!, Crac and Uomo Di whatever? As well as a couple of other Italian albums. Mean to review AMF and L'Isola Di Niente sometime, but still not quite sure what to make of them.
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micky ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 02 2005 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 46838 |
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awesome.... you'll love them...
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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DamoXt7942 ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Joined: October 15 2008 Location: Okayama, Japan Status: Offline Points: 17493 |
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Welcome Baaaaaccckkkk! Mandy! ![]() Your inputs 'bout RPI are too awesome for us proggers to wait! ![]() |
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DamoXt7942 ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Joined: October 15 2008 Location: Okayama, Japan Status: Offline Points: 17493 |
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ALPHATAURUS...this album has got to be one of my faves...
And I could write my re-review. Please watch! -- Alphataurus - A shooter of Italian progressive rock! ![]() So sadly, ALPHATAURUS is a single bomb-shooter of Rock Progressivo Italiano. The only one exploded work dropped in 1973 is now shooting a brilliant flash all around the progressive rock world. Come on and look at the sleeve. There's an eagle dropping lots of bombs...this art is, I think, a symbol of such a heavy Italian band. Furthermore, it has double doors opening outward (Kan-non-biraki in Japanese). And, pleasantly, Vinyl Magic label should keep double-doored sleeve on their CD reissue. ![]() ![]() My first listening to the album could let me consider ALPHATAURUS as one of Italian heavy progressive bands, and now (after listening again and again), my thought where I'd position the band has not altered. No, no, their heavyness can always knock me away still now. The first track Le chamadere(Peccato d'orgoglio)...from the very beginning, deeply deep sound and hopped feeling are grinded up, and subsequently, heavy & passionate voice and dreamy mellotron can make echoes and waves. This stream is very hard for kiddies and adolescents. Of course, most of adult fans can be hit away at last. :-P Following this stream, a sudden change should come. Loud bass & keyboard plays, and shout-style voice to the heavy riff can kick us listeners to the bottom and stairway to heaven. Rhythmical guitar and percussion are here, there, and everywhere. Hit this passion into ourselves! And don't get your stomach full by only the first track. On second track Dopo L'uragano, thunder storm plus melancholic acoustic guitar will wait you. Sadly bluesy voice can make us impressed...very heavy number I'm sure. Croma is the shortest song called as a "rock drama" by me. (!) Eccentric keyboard and percussion, and mysterious sound with brass and strings will go around us. More splendid and more orchestrated sound! Please be absorbed. La mente vola has two parts...harpsichord's beautiful wave and strict percussion plus heavy bass, added high-tone keyboard. Particularly, keyboard-bass sound is heavier. After this, double-tracked voice and beautiful piano sound can move us strongly. Good beat and brilliant groove, you must realize! Ombra Muta should be a really blue and gloomy heavy rock. Especially, heavy percussion and overforced voice can blow us. For the strict rhythm, drumming is the most important point I think. And can slightly kind flavour be thrown by streaming keyboard play? Yes, it's a very complex and very hard & stiff song and I wanna say ALPHATAURUS is a group of only the song Le chamadere. Listen to the album from start to end. ALPHATAURUS history is never ended and now in our mind. |
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Captain Capricorn ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Joined: February 21 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1085 |
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I love the synth work on that first track |
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Finnforest ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 17324 |
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And a couple hot off the press.............
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Riflessioni: Idea d'Infinito
Dalton Italian Symphonic Prog Review by AdamHearst ![]() A lot of the songs have a strong 'Spaghetti Western' atmosphere... i can picture cowboys wearing dusty clothes heading for a shootout; roaming arid landscapes full of tumbleweed. I don't speak Italian so i have no idea if that's the intended imagery, but from the music (and the band name, and album cover) that's what i see in my head. The album starts off very strong with two hard and heavy songs laced with gloriously flauting, fuzzy rock guitars, and sporadic Moog and organ all mixing together perfectly and giving the impression that this will be one great rocking album. Sadly, near the end of 'Stagione che Muore' things start falling apart... there is a decent flute solo but it's backed alone by dreadfully shabby drumming that sounds like a rickety mining car about to fall off a rusty track. There are some very weird and/or bad transitions from song-to-song; one songs fades in as the last one fades out... it gives the impression that the songs were all unfinished and hurried through a rough splicing process in a weak attempt to make it flow like one long suite. The album is less than 30 minutes long, which adds to the feeling that the band must have been rushed to complete this album and didn't have enough time to flesh out each song. 'Cara Emily' is a beautiful heartfelt ballad which features very nice piano playing. This song reminds me a lot of a 'Rolling Stones' ballad, but i can't recall which song it is... i'm thinking 'She's Like A Rainbow'. It doesn't sound exactly like that, but it's similar in approach and mood... and i really quite like it, though it isn't very 'Proggy'. 'Riflessioni' is a bad Boogie Woogie track that reminds me of old Country-fied Electric-Blues and features some very annoying metallic clangy keyboard sounds that are way too loud in the mix. This is not my cup of tea at all... and the rest of the album isn't much better honestly. It's sad that such a poor second half has tainted an otherwise very good album. This album would be a good addition to an already large RPI music collection, but it's not essential nor is it a great investment if you're new to the genre. I wasn't sure whether this was worthy of '2' or '3' stars... but i'll award it '3' for the strong opening half.
Report this review (#204123) | Posted Monday, February 23, 2009, 17:03 EST
Il temporale e l'arcobaleno Corte Aulica Italian Symphonic Prog
Review by
tszirmay
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...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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Finnforest ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 17324 |
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One man’s spiritual journey through music
![]() Born in Genova in the mid 1960s, Giorgio Neri is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer whose influences range from Orme and Osanna to Zeppelin and Yes, from Gong and Tangerine Dream to Vivaldi and Bach. He was once a member of the band Agarthi Sound Factory but decided that for an album this personal, it needed to be a solo work. While Neri plays almost everything on the album it does not sound like some of those one-man, one-dimensional album, but instead feels like a full band with a wide range of styles and variety. He described the album to me as a “personal spiritual journey” and that “Logos” is in its very essence, a prayer. “Logos” has a most curious sound indeed, a combination of appreciations for the classic Italian prog scene mixed into a drive up spacey rock avenues. In fact the two influences are both well represented, there are long droning guitarscapes that will bring Ozric or Karet to mind mixed right in with the classic Italian symphonic sound on other songs. Neri proves himself adept at bringing these two different, wild horses into the same shed and the result is a unique experience. What can’t be discounted here is the weight that the personal vision brings to this. Rather than having many writers in a band collaborating on songs, you have here a composer working through a most intimate approach, creating a concept album about his own way of understanding the spiritual universe. That means there is nowhere to hide, it’s all one man pouring his heart out and Neri has done well. It opens with a sound collage of city sounds broken by the cry of a baby, the beginning of an existence in a hectic world--the second track is modern jamming space guitar noise with full band sound and drums of Roberto Maragliano. This rocking side of the album is explored in several tracks where the electric leads are up front and pushing the keyboard jamming. Djam Karet is what most comes to mind when I hear these songs which range from quiet, more ambient spaces in “Godinus 7a” to some more droning areas to the culmination in “L’ultima Danza” with its soaring electric leads. There are shorter little pieces and soundscapes which serve to link things together and give a concept feel, like the violence and then choirs in “Guerra” and the beautiful closing piece “Curtains” with mournful guitar emotion. My favorite parts of the album lie in the Italian prog portions of the work. “Seconda Navigazione/Addio” are both a real treat that reminds me of Jacula and make me wonder if Neri enjoys Bartoccetti. It is a somewhat spooky sounding spoken word followed by a great short piano piece. The highlight of the classic sound here is “Tuona il Cannone” which has a grand mystique and folkish feel, with beautiful piano, flute, mandolin, acoustic, and vocal. The only thing I didn’t like of the album was a rather shrill high pitched effect in one or two tracks, I’m not sure if it was a synth or guitar effect but it drove me a little nuts. This however is a very minor complaint and certainly nothing that detracts from the experience of “Logos.” Another special mention goes to “Le Braccia e le Ali” which is a dramatic instrumental, classical guitar and piano with fervent electric leads and great drumming. It’s a wonderful album which comes in another gorgeous Black Widow tri-fold digipak, the cool space-scape painting covering all three panels when folded out flat. This album is recommended to space-rock fans with a crush on Italian progressive. [Jim Russell, Feb 23 2009] Edited by Finnforest - February 23 2009 at 18:30 |
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...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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Thanks Men... Second Notturna's review is on the way!!!
Edited by Mandrakeroot - February 24 2009 at 03:40 |
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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My 2nd Notturna's review:
Le Tue Ali
Notturna Progressive Metal Review by Mandrakeroot — First review of this album —
![]() In first I note that 'Sorridi' (eng: 'You Smile') is a sort of good Rock with Prog Metal intro (extreme good) and this is the base for all the song more Heavy. Sure this is good for who love the melodic Prog Metal because makes the songs enjoyable. But with AOR refrain and Neoclassic guitar soli is extreme difficult to judge if this type of songs is Prog Metal or not. In my opinion this type of songs are Prog Metal, obvious, also if I note that almost totally lacking the Prog component. But this is just a detail, since the whole songs, mixing different music styles become Prog. The more melodic songs as 'Sonno Di Luce' (eng: 'Light Sleep') are all Rock ballads that with the AOR arragements seems POP songs. This is also the approach of version 2 of 'Le Tue Ali' (that is acoustic) only that in this case the final result is extreme good, also in the electro acoustic Rock ballad/ song 'Apri Il Cuore' (eng: '(You) Open Your Heart'). Since Michele Rizzi is not Satriani but have the same approach for technique the guitar parts are extreme good and the vocal parts are extremely simple. 'Cogli L'attimo Che...' (eng: '(You) Seize The Moment That...') is a powerful Rock song... Pure Rock song. This is another aspect of Notturna's music, also if more representative of the first album. 'Madness For The Braincell' is an instrumntal song and this song is a great Prog Metal, not symphonic or other. I think that 'Madness...' is a goos Satriani/ Vai's style song with more (and true) Prog Metal approach and ingredients. Michele Rizzi is simply magical in this song, as in the bonus track 'Czardas' by Monti. Czardas is a form of Hungarian dance (if I think correctly) and this composition is a great start in this album. Also because with this instrumentation become a great song in Prog Metal field. 'Czardas' is from the first years and demo of Notturna and he is playing by Rizzi (that have re-recorded their guitar parts), Willy de Mattia and Tom Hemljak. In conclusion I do not think that 'Le Tue Ali' is better than 'Illusioni' but the final result designate a better album respect to 'Illusioni'. But also in this case I think that is better to judge 'Le Tue Ali' as a good Tech Metal album, also because not 100% Prog Metal. I have my opinion but Notturna is a good band with good ideas, also if the majors have not seen all of this. And so we missed this band. |
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DamoXt7942 ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Joined: October 15 2008 Location: Okayama, Japan Status: Offline Points: 17493 |
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DamoXt7942 ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Joined: October 15 2008 Location: Okayama, Japan Status: Offline Points: 17493 |
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Thanks Italian progressive rock gang!
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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Tema (Italian Stars Collection)
I Giganti Italian Symphonic Prog Review by Mandrakeroot — First review of this album —
![]() But is great the idea of another Fabrizio De André tribute with the excellent 'Il Pescatore' (eng: 'The Fisherman') excellent in this suffering interpretation as the same level of 'In Paese č Festa' (eng: 'Village Is In Celebration'), extreme dramatic in this version. Good is also 'Blue moon' also if is a type of song... Not proper for I GiGanti. Not good this version of 'Summertime', that I not even describe you... Because it is a terrible Funky Disco... Good is, instead, 'Il Vecchio E Il Bambino' by Francesco Guccini (eng: 'The Old Man And The Child'). Well... This is an album for nostalgia and nothing more. |
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NotAProghead ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Errors & Omissions Team Joined: October 22 2005 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 7964 |
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Andrea, which version of 'Il Vecchio E Il Bambino" - I NOMADI or I GIGANTI - is better?
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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I have to go by memory because I have nothing of Nomadi. So I do not say you with 100% certainty which version is better. If I remember correctly the Nomadi version, the two versions are at the same level ... Edited by Mandrakeroot - February 25 2009 at 03:56 |
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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My last review of a fundamental compilation by Le Orme:
The Collection
Le Orme ![]() Review by Mandrakeroot — First review of this album —
![]() Of course, again the album 'Amico Di Ieri' (eng:'Friend Of Yesterday') is the only way to be able to have the 70's in a budget price compilation. And I must say that these new versions are really beautiful and magical. More piano and less organ. Or better organ is played with synths (sometimes) and in every case the new type of recording process change the ogan power. In every case all the songs are good, also if 'India' not please me many. In definitive... New version... New megic. And, in my opinion, the best Michi Dei Rossi at drums. The 2nd CD present 12 60's songs, 10 Beat and two Prog ('Concerto' by J.S. Bach and 'Blu Rondň' by Brubeck). In general this CD is good. The English sung song are all English version of another song of this CD and I prefer these versions, to be sincere and honest. Great compilation? Maybe. Of course with 'The Collection' we can compare the Orme in the period and the period Beat Prog (in new versions, but this is just a detail). I like everything. And I must say that I have found this a mere business operation. Not just for the curious and not just for lovers of the RPI. |
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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Another I Pooh review:
Contrasto
I Pooh Prog Related Review by Mandrakeroot — First review of this album —
![]() For Progster is great 'In Silenzio' (eng: 'In Silence'), great emotional ballad. For who love the evergreens 'Contrasto' present 'Piccola Katy' (eng: 'Little Katy'), melodic POP Rock and 'Resto Con Lei', Italian version of 'Baby Let's Wait'. For the rest good POP song that have a great dramatic ballad in 'E Dopo Questa Notte' (eng: 'And After This Night') that is one of my preferred I Pooh song. Also 'C'č L'Amore Negli Occhi Tuoi' (eng: 'There Is Love In Your Eyes') is a good complex POP song for those years. In definitive 'Contrasto' is not an album for Progsters. But 'Contrasto' is more than a POP album. The songs have tons of melody, Ok, but the songs have also tons of arrangenents and quintals of orchestra. And the songs are also good today. |
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NotAProghead ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Errors & Omissions Team Joined: October 22 2005 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 7964 |
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Andrea, where did you buy this compilation? Does anyone know is it possible to buy "The Collection" online in some store? As I know, the album "Amico di ieri" was out of print for long time. And this new collection is the easiest way to get it. |
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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See www.halidon.it (this site is also in english) (also for other good CD's). Edited by Mandrakeroot - February 26 2009 at 04:02 |
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NotAProghead ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Errors & Omissions Team Joined: October 22 2005 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 7964 |
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Grazie, Andrea!
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Mandrakeroot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Italian Prog Specialist Joined: March 01 2006 Location: San Foca, Friűl Status: Offline Points: 5851 |
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Non c'č di che!
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