LORD CROMWELL (PLAYS SUITE FOR SEVEN VICES)

Opus Avantra is considerated one of the top avant prog bands from Italy from the old school. The second album of this discret band, issued in 1975 and named Lord Cromwell (plays suite for seven vices) is an odd treat for me, even not bad overall. The music offered is among the most avant prog I've listned recently and quite difficult to grasp on one spin or two, combining elements from aformentioned genre with classical music, weird arrangements and operatic vocal passages here and there. Lots of flutes, cello , violins combined with more traditional instruments makes Opus Avantra music quite a chalenge for my ears. There are some great songs here that I like , Flowers on Pride or Gluttony, but are some that I really can't get into like Ira or My Vice, to avant and experimental for my taste. Anyway I do consider this album fairly decent and most of the time enjoyble, but I can't find myself listning to this odd music very often. 3 stars is best I can give, good but hardly essential or groundbreaking for me. Strange gatefold cover aswell as the music.