LA MONTAGNA SACRA

This one-shot Italian act from Bologna appears to be the continuation of the Folk Rock band Amanita.It was led by ex-Amanita members Andrea Monetti (flute, saxophone), Salvatore Turco (drums) and Massimiliano Iannotta (bass) with the addition of Goffredo Fioravanti on keyboards/piano, Vincenzo Nick Le Rose on guitars/vocals and Giuseppe Turco on guitar/sitar.Their sole release ''La montagna sacra'' was released in 1998 on the band's FlyAgaric! label.

From a specific point of view Arjuna sound a quite interesting group.Their trippy, semi-improvised style with the long, psychedelic instrumentals seems very close to the experimental stylings of Kraut Rock bands like MYTHOS and SAND, while they sound like coming straight out of the early-70's.The strong use of flutes and the presence of acoustic guitars add also something out of JETHRO TULL's style in the music.The most dreamy and ethereal passages recall also the legendary Italian band PANGEA.On the other hand the intense, psychedelic soundscapes and the mood for creating trully acid textures seem not to lead the music somewhere.The album is rather directionless with stretched instrumentals and very loose executions, featuring extended flute solos, unimpressive electric guitar moves and some standard lead parts with no evident signs of personality.The self-titled track with the monotonic sitar and the trippy flutes is reminiscent of the most experimental Kraut Folk acts, while the big line-up does not always guarantee a rich sound, on the contrary sometimes the music tends to be quite minimalistic.Fans of psychedelic, pastoral instrumentals have a chance to appreciate this though.

Arjuna eventually evolved into the Psychedelic Rock act Alhambra, always characterized by the leading figure of Andrea Monetti.The same guy participated also in the sole release ''Fragments from the alterated'' of the Psych/Stoner Rock band Ku in 2000, but his most important contribution to the Prog scene comes as a regular member of La Maschera di Cera.

Unoriginal Kraut-like Psych/Folk Rock with Italian vocals.Not very impressive structurally, still containing a few nice soundscapes for fans of the more psychedelic and nostalgic side of Rock music...2.5 stars.