FRONTIERA

One of the main attractions of the RPI scene is the wide variety of styles and originality emanating from that scene. For the better known acts like PFM, Banco and Le Orme we can trace references to ELP and VDGG, but those references only capture part of the magic that lies contained within.

When it comes to Procession we have another RPI band for which I can't come up with any obvious references to UK acts. The band can be roughly placed on the wilder side of RPI acts such as Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Cervello, Semiramis or Osanna but actually we have something entirely unique here. This band plays a kind of hard rock, but with lots of atmospheric acoustic guitar sections balancing out the raw and jagged parts.

With each of the 9 pieces marvellous in their own right, the band really excel at writing memorable tunes. The singer's emotional wail is downright excellent. The music is not symphonic but sure progressive, as evidenced by its intricate arrangements and short but adventurous song structures.

There's a lot to discover on this album so it will need its time to fully reveal itself, but the nice part is that it is also very immediate and will rock its way right through your heart from the first listen. If you really want some UK references let's give one that is both absurd and at the same time not too far-fetched really. This is the 1972 RPI version of In Absentia! Good luck now.