IO NON SO DA DOVE VENGO E NON SO DOVE MAI ANDRÒ, UOMO È IL NOME CHE MI HAN DATO

De De Lind date back to the late 60's and were named after Playboy's Miss August 1967, an odd choice for a 70's Italian prog band, but she was the most popular centerfold in the magazine's history at that point, so......

This loose concept album (war and battle vs individuality) opens with tympani and crashing cymbals while bass and guitars weave a quick hypnotic early Amon Duul II acoustic instrumental. (Fuga e Morte) But with a roll of the drum kit we are suddenly off with some stuttering heavier guitar and the powerful vocals of frontman Vito Paradiso.

Fans of Capitolo 6 and Procession will like the guitar heaviness herein but the general dearth of keyboards (there's some in there) will turn off some fans expecting an organ heavy RPI ride. Second song Indietro Nel Tempo builds slowly and then bursts into a jam that bears more than a passing resemblance to No Time Left For You by the Guess Who from 1969. Perhaps this was in their setlist back in the day and the riff melded into their psyche. Nevertheless, this is a strong rocker with not a lot of RPI in it. Third song Paura Del Niente contains some unaccompanied vocals that are starkly beautiful (Paradiso is a very appealing Italian vocalist, a less gritty Ivano Fossati perhaps). The song proceeds in an early Focus fashion (flute is prominent on this album) before building to an electric moment from Amon Duul's Dance of the Lemmings or Hawkwind's debut album with a frenzy of drums and bass unleashing a hurricane while a guitar tears apart the firmament. And then....some beautiful unaccompanied flute work leads to a classical influenced guitar and flute end to side one.

Side two begins with a 'very Thijs Van Leer' flute solo in Smarrimento. Guitars crash in and slow martial styles duel with the flute-some exciting stuff. Paradiso shows an ability to sing delicately and powerfully with equal panache, something rare in RPI vocalists. Acoustic guitars lead us into a different section of perhaps the best song on the album. Folk elements and heavy riffs complement each other in a fashion that first album Procession fans will like. Electric guitars take over and this sucker starts to really rock. The nearly unnoticeable subtle transition to the second song Cimitero Di Guerra (cemetery of war) is suitably grim and even non Italian speakers will understand a lot of what is going on. Funereal themes lead to a jam the recalls Aphrodite's Child's more adventurous heavy prog with hints of traditional Mediterranean stringed instruments that create a unique atmosphere. Voglia Di Rivivere is a delicate acoustic ballad, effective in a way that some of their contemporaries are just not. Uh oh, the No Time Left For You jam rears its head once again. But it finishes off in a new direction with sharp syncopation before giving way to the last song's gentle vocal, the entirety of the album title: 'Io Non So Da Dove Vengo E Non So Dove Mai Andro, Uomo ' Il Nome Che Mi Han Dato', the longest album title I have ever encountered. With a Tull-ish acoustic strum and flute cadenza hybrid, we are at the end.

A pretty rocking experience that is recommended for guitar prog people. The lack of keyboards might be a sticking point for some symphonic fans, as it veers fairly far from that category. If you've acquired some of the bigger names in RPI, this should be a stop for your next batch. I like this album a lot. That Guess Who thing though? Weird.

Great sounding vinyl pressing on Mercury Records reissue, a strange label for an Italian prog band to land on. Check out their t shirts in the cool band photo on the inner gatefold promoting a couple of clubs and a homemade De De Lind shirt. Nice.

3.5 stars

Reference points: Focus if they grew up in Italy and were on their heavier side of rocking.