SEI LACRIME D'AMBRA

This great Italian band produced another beautiful album. Their second one.

It is so nice to be able to listen to such wonderful music. Bearing in mind that "Nota Bene" is such a new band only adds more greatness to their work. The central song of this album is the epic "La Révolution Bourgeoise" which is spread over twenty-four minutes (but in two parts).

The first is as magical as one could dream of. Italian prog at its best. One could think that the genre died in the late seventies, when the three major (Banco, PFM, Le Orme) turned from their excellent original music into some sort of electro pop or related stuff. When you listen to "La Révolution Bourgeoise - Part I", you instantly know that something special is going to take place.

The band shared the bill with the great "Maschera Di Cera" during some touring in Italy and the influence from this fantastic band is of course very much present. Not only during "Il Treno." but globally upon their entire work. There is even a track called "Maschera Di Cera". Could they be more grateful? I guess not.

While one listens to "Sei Lacrime D'Ambra", there is only one word that comes through my mind : CHAPEAU. Hats off. Music like I was listening in the early mid seventies. No wonder that I love this marvellous band so much.

Two epic numbers close this beautiful album. Just to confirm that the epics days are not gone. But the great "Maschera Di Cera" already confirmed this recently.

"Il Treno Di Obuda" holds everything a lover of this genre is found of : wonderful instrumental passages, inspired vocals, glorious keyboards play, lots of theme changes. Not to forget the sumptuous drumming from Gustavo Pasini. Of course, musicianship has always been a characteristic of these gifted Italian band, but I can't be laudatory enough about "Nota Bene" to encourage you to discover how good they are.

Fortunately, such band as "Nota Bene" do still exist to catch up and hold the prog flag pretty high. I can't think of such a great English band nowadays. I honestly believe that the Italian genre is the only one to keep on producing such great Symphonic prog talents as "Nota Bene".

The music proposed might not be love at first sight (although it was for me), but please : keep on digging into their work. You will be rewarded with so much diversity, skilled performance and clever compositions. But of course, I might be biased since I am so in love with the sounds of all these great Italian bands. If ever you have some doubts about my feelings for "Il Treno", let me confirm that it is a masterpiece of progressive music.

This is an immense album. Five stars? Yes! It is a shame that so little reviews are posted for such a great album on a prog site. So now, you know what you have to do. Just listen to this superb album and talk about it.

Very few current bands (as I used to call them), do produce such emotional, powerful, beautiful, inspired and creative music as "Nota Bene". A gem.