IL PAESE DEL TRAMONTO

Second album from these talented Italians and a late (better than never!) review from my part. I have now spun this album more than a few times and it always leaves my ears satisfied: retro- (almost medieval in a way) Italian progressive rock, also influenced from the Brit scene, but maintaining a peculiar dark/gothic, and, at the same time, 'Italian-optimistic' character. To this largely contribute the mellotron and lush keyboards in a plethora of different formats e.g. organ, high-pinched, piano etc.

Somewhat reminding me of my favourite "Eternity" album from Anathema, the album kicks off with a 'dream sequence' sample and a lovely piano intro, followed by a much more dynamic keyboard section which alternates between grandiose and 70's electronica, before setting off to a pure progressive tempo and improvisation. Traditional Italian music, symphonic a-la Genesis progressive rock, jazz/fusion and middle-eastern passages comprise a purely varied album where fear for experimentation is non-existent. Within this mix, there are enjoyable heavy references to Sabbath and Atomic Rooster (see e.g. the closing sections of ''Caligari'' and ''Lo Schermo di Pietra'' or the beginning of ''Ex Tenebrae Lux''), which work exceptionally well with the gothic atmosphere and the revolving theme of dreams.

Despite its long duration (ca. 70min), the variation and ideas of the album are more than enough to maintain interest at high levels. Perhaps a small potential for improvement is the vocals of Emanuele, which are full of energy but at times sound rather rough around the edges or rather too flat. A bit more colour would lift the compositions even higher, but appreciate the youth element here!

Most likely one of the top-10 prog releases in 2015. The 70's RPI pioneers would be proud of their children. Personal highlights: Ouverture, Caligari, Ex Tenebrae Lux