IL FAUNO DI MARMO: CANTI, RACCONTI E BATTAGLIE

Il Fauno Di Marmo an italian heavy prog band founded in 2001, initialy they were named The Rebus but chanced in Il Fauno di Marmo in 2012. The Rebus released 2 little known albums Homonymous in 2002 and Acroterius in 2005, both good but gone under the radar in prog circles.

In 2012 they changed their name into Il Fauno Di Marmo after making a deal with the Italian label Andromeda Relix. Currently the line-up consists of Francesco Bonavita (keyboards), Alberto Ballare (bass), Luca Sterle (vocals, flute), Luca Carboni (drums) and Valerio Collella (guitars).

Il Fauno di Marmo released so far a single album in 2013 named canti, raconti e battaglei. Well, I like lot this one, this type of heavy prog I can listen every day, mellotron, hammond all over, bands like Delirium, Abiogenesi or A Piedi Nudi are certenly similar, Ossana is another influence. Nice vocals, nice flute, all musicians shine from start to finish

The opening piece Benvenuti Al Circe is a great up-tempo prog rock track lots of a Hammond organ, emotionally sung lyrics by Luca Sterle and second voice Frederique Sterle, and with lots of tempo changes and a nice violin solo. Madre Nature is a short but nice folk rock song in the vein of Jethro Tull. There is also an instrumental Nova Res, who is quite intresting, the longest Hop Frog is killer, 11 min of Biglietto per L'Inferno meets P.F.M. but all done in Il Fauno di Marmo style nice flute and sophisticated hammond.

All in all, more then great release, at least for me, excellent art work aswell, one of the most intristing heavy prog albums I've heared in last years from italian school, still little known in prog circles, even the album was released 5 years ago. 4 stars for sure.