IL PAESE DEL TRAMONTO

This band from Parma has got it all! I will now waste little pretense and gobbly-gook by anointing Unreal City as the next BIG THING in prog, now that the Porcupine has fled the Tree. Their 2013 debut album 'La Crudelta di Aprile' was received by glowing praise and general trepidation by the progressive community and that acclaim was richly deserved. But what really seemed so impressive is that for a band of youngsters barely in their twenties, they seem to have incorporated mountains of hours in reliving the RPI greats of the past and simply learned from their glorious history and forged a new form of RPI. A land where history is evident on every street corner, in every town, this should come as no surprise. Not much has changed on this sophomore release except for a new bassist in Dario Pessina but the maturity of lead singer and keyboardist Emmanuele Tarasconi has already leaped forward by a Mao Tse Tung mile, while guitarist Francesca Zanetta has now assumed much more confidence, once showing timid tendencies both on the previous work as well as in a live setting. She literally smokes on this album, her fuzz-laced tone mindful of past greats like Franco Falsini (Sensations Fix) and Franco Mussida (PFM). Now Tarasconi showed off some incredible piano and synth chops but here he includes incredible organ ramblings as well as astute harpsichord and clavinet where needed. His singing has quickly evolved into greatness, a combination of speed and substance, full of theatrics and sustained emotion. Drummer Federico Bedrosti is a fine basher, masculine and complex when prompted which is often as this gleaming Maserati has an engine that can rocket with the best in the business. All of the tracks are bathing in pubescent exuberance and talent that verges on genius. Within the confines of one track, there is an abundance of diversity, feeling, mood swings and technical know-how that will make your head shake/quake in disbelief. Not even a bum second on this piece of plastic, just a sheer pleasure ride.

"Ouverture" opens the show with a terrific synthesizer fueled instrumental that has classic RPI stamped all over it, imagine modern non-vocal version of Banco at its prime, with Tarasconi doing some weird things to his electronic instruments. Exalted, eruptive, turbulent and sizzling, the mood inducer is just a proper introduction to all the 'sturm und drang' that follows.

The first one to hit you between the ears is the enormously appealing "Onoromanzia" that gets you grooving right from the get-go, good sound and a suave delivery. Yes, classic RPI expedited with flair and passion, the vocals simply divine, somewhere near Aldo Tagliapietra meets Francesco di Giacomo. The introduction of funky clavinet within such symphonic confines is irresistible. This is followed up by a tight organ flurry, sensationalist flute and a rollicking electric guitar and synthesizer duet, mellotron haunting the back alley. Needles to repeat again, the vocals are simply off the charts!

The creepy 10 minute "Caligari" starts off in a solemn mode, slowly building up into a frenzy, winking at Roller- era Goblin and then infuses some lovely 'la la la' moments, respectful of their Italian canzone folk roots, with a divine mandolin-like buzz. The stage is thus set for some tight mini soloing where everyone takes a brief turn, combining the past with the future, the fast with the slow, the soft with the hard, all done with immense precision and yet fueled by that peculiar Italian talent of effortless class and natural style. A mind-blowing roller coaster experience where Tarasconi does another fab job on the vocals. The last two minutes in particular are gently awe-inspiring, going from serene to volcanic in a Pompeii heartbeat! Let the lava flow!

On the 9 minute "La Meccanica dell' Ombra", a trilling synthesizer and choir mellotron are both propulsed by the tight rhythm section, while Zanetta shows off some slick licks and guest violin does the Italian 'dolce vita' soundtrack circa 1961 (another reviewer wrote about a Jewish dance style of music, which is not a bad analogy). This then seamlessly morphs into a more somber affair with gloomy guitars serving a stark mood. But when Tarasconi sits down at the piano and adjusts his tuxedo tails, cracks his knuckles and gets it done with expressive piano ornamentals. Then he grabs the mike and delivers a haunting vocal, gauzed in that gorgeous language we all love so much. As if that was not yet enough, he then masturbates his synthesizer into gurgling out effervescent liquid bubbles of sonic madness. He then lays the screws to the organ and tortures it courteously. Finally, Zanetta pushes this into the ether with her celestial guitar foray. Mamma mia, this is dramatic and so hot!

The heat is kept on with the enchanting "In Nome di Lei", a perfect template for Unreal City's vision of new RPI, a clash of Titans, with harpsichord and violin ushering in electric guitar themes that seem to come from heaven, mellotron haunting in the forefront (why stick it in the back, eh?), an endlessly evolving style that leaves no stone unturned, and then infusing modernisms that identify the current times, mostly found in the youthful and powerful vocals. Zanetta flashes a lovely bluesy lead that has that Falsini feel mentioned earlier and combines with the melodic voice to simply kill it. Wow!

Check out the video for "Lo Schiermo di Pietra" and you will immediately understand where these crazy Italians are coming from and just how close they are to being the next big thing! Emmanuele looks like a fiendish madman as he assaults his keyboards but his facial and corporal expressions are a tribute to the theater and the drama stage, otherworldly, bizarre, punky and slightly deranged. Please remember that old adage 'Italy is not a country but a series of civic theaters"! The delivery goes from insane, speedy and fiery to the opposite end, lush, symphonic and intense. And then back, of course! What a ride!

They ended their debut with an epic, the gripping Goblin-esque "Horror Vacui", so why change the successful menu, bring on "Ex Tenebrae Lux" (out of the darkness, light)? A 20 minute rampage that spares no prisoners, pillaging everything in sight with magical displays of technical fire, showing their mastered progressive rock heritage with unabashed pride and inventive creativity. Sweeping synths enter the room, almost ambient in nature as a distant drum beat announces the road ahead. The mood then shits to symphonic/gothic and then, much to my surprise into a funky, clavinet-led jazzy exploration that is just jaw-dropping! The synthesizer then takes over and rolls the train forward, mellotron, bass and drums in tow, in a truly classic prog motif, traversed by another violin scratch that hits the spot. Tarasconi embraces his microphone with confidence, singing his heart out, old-school organ burning the pace, then nimble piano, slippery Moog runs. In fine prog tradition, he mentions the debut album 'La Crudelta di Aprile' in words and then propels the whole into an entirely new atmosphere that brings images of ELP, Deep Purple and all the classic RPI paragons out there.

The cover art is drop-dead beautiful, the sound ecstatic and musically, a glaring omission of any kind of occasional blandness or prog-by-the-numbers. The end result is possible the finest RPI album in recent and past memory, full of bravado, courage, balls and delight. A classic prog album.

5 Lands of decline