(EC)CITAZIONI NEOCLASSISCHE (AS MAURY E I PRONOMI)

Maury e i Pronomi (now known as Aquael) are a band of old friends formed in the late 1970s, though they did not record until decades later. This album was recorded in Turin between 2001 and 2003 and featured Maurizio Galia, Enrico Testera, Nicola Guerriero, and Sergio Ponti. Marco Giacone Griva is listed as one of the many non-band special guests, but deserves a mention for contributing almost all of the outstanding lead guitar work. All words and music are the contribution of keyboardist Galia, who also did much of the booklet artwork. .

The album's music is a long and dreamy adventure and it often has that slower, deliberate pacing draped in melody, which I associate with neo-prog bands like Pendragon. But it has some RPI vibe via the mood of the music and an abundance of wonderful piano and flute. There's also plenty of Hammond. It unfolds slowly and with patience, one of those titles you can get lost in. The vocals are not spectacular and the sound quality is a bit on the low-fi side, but there is a genuine joy and sincerity to the music that is invigorating, just as there is with bands like Coral Caves, Mindflower, Prowlers, or David's Lodgers. Nods to Floyd and Genesis are there, I'm certain these guys were big fans. As the music builds from the rich keyboard textures, it inevitably explodes into lovely and soaring electric guitar leads. Really airy, beautiful moods with occasional bits of "fire." I know mentioning Gilmour in prog reviews is akin to food-speak's "everything tastes like chicken" phenom, but it's a way to convey the lush feel of the guitar work here.

This is far from essential RPI nor is it as closely reminiscent of the early 70s RPI scene as some believe, in my view. But if you enjoy melodic symphonic and neo-prog bands with a bit of the Italian flavor, and you understand that this is not Banco or Balletto, you may be richly rewarded for tracking this down. I really enjoyed it.

Share this AQUAEL / EX MAURY E I PRONOMI review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Finnforest
• Report this review (#468917)
• Buy AQUAEL / EX MAURY E I PRONOMI music online with PA partners
• Show all AQUAEL / EX MAURY E I PRONOMI MP3/Stream
• Go to AQUAEL / EX MAURY E I PRONOMI page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to (Ec)citazioni Neoclassische (as Maury e i Pronomi) page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for AQUAEL / EX MAURY E I PRONOMI related discussions