SEI LACRIME D'AMBRA

Sei Lacrime d'Ambra (2007) is the second album by contemporary Italian band NotaBene. The album runs for over an hour and contains only 6 tracks. That running time allows for plenty of detailed arrangements on the long multi-part epics, and means it's tailor-made for fans of Italian symphonic prog. Lead singer Andrea Alberici has a fine voice, deep and confident, but there are plenty of extended instrumental passages such as the jazzy improvisation on LE MISTIFICAZIONI DELL'OMBRA. The music generally has a nostalgic feel that harks back to the '70s, but it's not just a re-hash of the classics that seemingly influenced it. It has a fresh, modern sound with sections of LA REVOLUTION BOURGEOISE (PARTE II) reminding me of alt-rock and even synthesizer-pop. There's also the seemingly obligatory folk influence in the mandolin and accordion of SEI LACRIME D'AMBRA.

As far as the other songs go, LA REVOLUTION BOURGEOISE (PARTE I) is dominated by a metal-tinged guitar riff, MASCHERA DI CERA is a catchy mainstream song, and the multi- section IL TRENO DI OBUDA contains one of the album's best melodies. This is another of those albums that sits somewhere between good and excellent. It's accessible yet interesting, varied yet cohesive. Given that there's a dedication to ProgArchives (among notable others) in the cd's booklet, I think the band deserves some attention here so I'm going to go with 4 stars. Hopefully they can win over a few new fans thanks to this great place.