The Italian Prog Appreciation den

This came as a big surprise for me, an unknown band (for me) that really got my interest. I read about them as a progressive metal band with lots of heavy guitar and piano and I found some mp3-clips that sounded good so I decided to try them out, and bought their CD. And what a surprise it was.

First, in my book, this is not progressive metal. I'd say these are in the progressive symphonic vein with lots of heavy guitars but also lots of keyboards and mellow parts. The band are heavy sometimes but so are also a lot of other bands labeled progressive rock. The album reminds me about fellow italian proggers Malibran and Calliope, although I consider this album superior to these mentioned bands.

The vocals are fantastic and the singer sings in italian (thanks, I prefer bands to sing in their native language) and the album is full of symphonic melodies with tight arrangements throughout the album, the longer the song, the better it is.

Lots of great vocals, melodies and all types of interesting twists and turns wich makes this album on my top list of 2008, I bought this at the same time as Phideaux - Number seven and Beardfish's - Distined solitaire and this albums is easily as good as those albums.

If you're in to italian progressive rock and like fellow italians like Il Bacio Della Medusa, Pandora and the two I mentioned earlier, this is a must buy!

4 stars, very, very close to 5. Say 4.5!!

Who says innovation is dead ?

Three Monks did not listen to this claim and neither did All Over Everywhere, another band who has released a highly innovative album this year.

This album, Three Monks debut album, could had been recorded and released just as Christopher Columbus set sail for India, ehh..... make that America, in 1492. The pipe organs is that old. But then again, I don't think anyone back then would had been able to come up with a drum kit and a bass guitar. The 1900'th century rhythm section is very much a part of this album. The pipe organs is not. This combination makes this a first within the recording industry, my research has revealed.

The music is, well, the name on the tin does not lie. The music is Neogothic Progressive Toccatas. No less, no more. There is no vocals. Just heavy gothic music performed by pipe organs, bass and drums. Forget about gothic rock and all those goths with black leather and black lipsticks. Three Monks is the only real goths in town.

The music is all and all out cathedral music, with some excellent support from the bass and the drums. Put yourself in a big cathedral when you listen to this album. Or even better, take your MP3 player or Iplayer and go to a cathedral and then play this album (remember headphones). Which is exactly what I will do this weekend, btw. That will be an interesting experience.......

The quality is excellent throughout. The drums and bass adds texture to the dominant pipe organs and everything swirls around each other in perfect harmony. The music is also very dynamic in most places. Which is surprising, the music being performed with pipe organs. There is no doubts that Three Monks has rewritten the ABC of pipe organ playing with this album. A couple of killer tracks would had given this album a classic status instead of a mere cult status. But this is still an album fans of.......... well, everyone who visits ProgArchives will probably find this album interesting. This album is one to savior in the coming decades.

4 stars

Arti & Mestieri are one of the best known Italian prog bands and have been active since 1973. They come from Turin and were formed on the initiative of Furio Chirico (former drummer of The Trip) who met with keyboardist Beppe Crovella (former member of a band called The Mystics) and four musicians coming out from a jazz rock band called Il Sogno di Archimede, Gigi Venegoni (guitar), Giovanni Vigliar (violin, vocals), Marco Gallesi (bass) and Arturo Vitale (sax, vibraphone). In 1974 they released their debut album for the independent label Cramps, "Tilt ? Immagini per un orecchio" (Tilt ? Imagines for an ear), a brilliant mix of rock, jazz, classical, Mediterranean influences and melodic passages. The art cover by Gianni Sassi, featuring a flying funnel in a blue sky among white clouds, in some way describes the overall sound of this work where many influences floating in the air are caught and channelled through this conical utensil having a narrow tube at the apex to be blended and conveyed on the tracks of the album.

The title of instrumental opener "Gravità 9,81" (Gravity 9,81) is inspired by the law of gravity formula. Ignoring air resistance, an object falling freely near the Earth's surface increases its velocity with 9.81 m/s (32.2 ft/s or 22 mph) for each second of its descent. As gravitation causes dispersed matter to coalesce, on this track the creativity of the band perfectly blends the Mediterranean touches of colour evoked by the violin with a pulsing rhythm section and a jazzy sax solo. This piece is an authentic trademark of the band by now.

Next comes "Strips", where the dreamy and romantic mood of the music contrasts with the bitter disenchantment of lyrics condemning a reality of empty conventions, of absurdities filling your head, of languid songs and artists whispering useless words, of faded stories about planets, wizards and gods...

"Corrosione" (Corrosion) is a kind of short bridge leading to the beautiful instrumental "Positivo / Negativo" (Positive/Negative) where a first solar and dreamy part, featuring acoustic guitar and violin, gives way to a second part full of energy, featuring a great rhythm section and a good electric guitar work.

"In cammino" (On walk) is another excellent instrumental that opens with a melancholic sax introduction, then rhythm takes off and melancholy melts in joyful passages where the members of the band showcase their musicianship. On the original LP it was the last track of side A.

Next comes the short instrumental "Farenheit", where the rhythm goes slowly up like the temperature of a thermometer introducing "le plat de resistance" of the album, the long and complex suite "Articolazione" (Articulation), a piece about the necessity to live the present facing the reality. There's no time you can waste waiting dreaming for better days while the Death is leading into the grave all her dear lovers... "It's not because you think to have understood / That your future is going to change / In the mirror you must see / What is harder seeing...".

The experimental "Tilt", almost an example of concrete music, concludes an excellent album where music flows away without weak moments. A must for every Italianprog lover!