L'ULTIMO VIAGGIO

When the guys of Nuova Era debuted with 'L'Ultimo Viaggio', they were seeing themselves as mere heirs of a glorious prog time passed: what they couldn't foresee by then was that they were actually pioneering an era of, as some label it, prog revival in Europe. Since this is the starting point, Nuova Era has not managed yet to achieve its own voice, that is, they are still very dependant on the peculiar sounds that their old predecessors created. Nuova Era articulates a prog with a hard rock leaning, infused with a melodic sensibility (like Alphataurus, Biglietto per l'Inferno, and to a lesser degree, Museo Rosenbach) and a sombre romanticism (Apoteosi, E. A. Poe). Their repertoire comprises plenty of excellent musical ideas, such as catchy melodies, well crafted textures on keyboards (the main factor), a tight confident rhythm section, interesting guitar and synth solos; the performances are skillful and sensitive, without meandering in the excesses of self- indulgence (that's actually a real danger inherent to the pretentiousness of the prog genre). 'L'Ultimo Viaggio' is a concept-disc, centered on a heroin addict's struggle to kick off his terrible habit in order to assume a more constructive attitude towards life. The story's happy end is properly reflected on the enthusiastic two final numbers: 'Ritorno alla Vita' is a splendid testimony of self-redemption, while 'Epilogo' celebrates the sense of hope regained with excellent bombast. But before all that, some stuff had already kept the listener's interest. For instance, the namesake track developed the opening track's main line and added a lot of melodic and mood shifts, depicting in this way the addict's danger of dying; the two 'Cattivi Pensieri' numbers are fiery instrumentals full of creative pyrotechnics, yet keeping themselves very structured; 'La Tua Morte Parla' exhibits the more obscure side of the album, in an almost nightmarish horror-movie-esque ambience - this is the crucial moment where the addict character ultimately faces the prospect of his own death. While not perfect, it is clear tha 'L'Ultimo Viaggio' is the initial testimony of a band that had a lot of good stuff to offer,... and so they did, eventually!

(I dedicate this review to myy friend Aldo Buscaglia, whose generosity allowed me to become familiar with Nuova Era's music)