N.T. ATOMIC SYSTEM [AKA: UNA NOTTE SUL MONTE CALVO]

After the release of the good Ut, the problems started in THE NEW TROLLS, while Nico di Palo wanted to move the bands towards the Hard Rock camp, Vittorio De Scalzi refused to abandon Prog, so the band split and Vittorio along with Giorgio D'Adamo formed THE NEW TROLLS ATOMIC SYSTEM, in order to give priority to the Symphonic sound the band had achieved in the fantastic Concerto Grosso Per I New Trolls.

So almost immediately the release , a very good LP, in which his guys try several different Prog sub genres, including Symphonic, Heavy Prog, Folksy Pastoral and Jazz, and even when the album doesn't have a single weak moment, seems as this guys were never able to find a determined sound that could identify them.

The album is opened by La Nuova Predica di Padre O'Brien (The New Sermon of Father O'Brien), a song that shows the eclectic nature of the album, being that after a short Symphonic intro, they move towards some sort of folksy passage with a JETHRO TULL inspired Prog, Hard Rock and even Jazz. A very good musical piece in which the band combines perfectly so different genres.

Ho Visto Poi (I have Seen Them) begins with a heavy intro in which a strong Hammond in the vein of URIAH HEEP and turns into a precious Power Ballad with some radical changes and great performances with a hint of Psychedelic jamming and a very confuse Free Jazz section.

Tornare a Credere (To Believe Again) starts as a mainstream Rock song with excellent vocals and choirs, but about the mark of the 4:30 minutes, anything can be expected, from jazzy sections to some Symphonic moments with an extraordinary guitar work.

Una Notte Sul Monte Calvo (A Night at the Bald Mountain) is one of the best versions of Mussorgsky's classic, being that the band dares to be innovative and assumes risks, but at the same time they respect the rebellious spirit of the Mighty Handful represented by Mussorgsky. I'm sure that if the composer was alive, this would be one of his favorite versions.

Ibernazione (Hibernation) is a really strange song, after a Medieval introduction they jump to Rock territory with some ELP keyboard based passages, a nice contrast with the melancholic Quando L'Erba Vestiva la Terra (When the Grass Dressed the Earth), without doubt the most Symphonic track of the album with an amazing organ performance.

The album ends with Butterfly, a fantastic Blues oriented song with an obvious influence of the first JETHRO TULL albums, not Prog but who cares, this is simply brilliant.

Even when N. T. Atomic System is not in the level of the wonderful Concerto Grosso Per I New Trolls (Very few albums in Rock history are in this level), we are before an essential release that deserves no less than 4 solid stars.