The Italian formation Il Cerchio D'Oro had already been founded in 1974. In 2006 they reformed in their original line-up and two years later they recorded their first studio album Il Viaggio Di Colombo (see review). The content of this concept album and what happened with the band between 1974 and 2006 has already been explained in the review of that debut. So I won't go deeper into that subject here. In 2013 Il Cerchio D'Oro released Dedalo E Icaro, the second official studio album. On this new CD you'll hear again an interesting return to their seventies sound created by the original line-up that consists of Franco Piccolini (keyboards), Giuseppe Terribile (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Gino Terribile (drums, vocals), Piuccio Pradal (twelve-string guitars, vocals) and Roberto Giordana (guitar). They invited some guest musicians to join them in the recording studios. These are Pino Sinnone (drums, Trip), Giorgio 'Fico' Piazza (bass, PFM), Ettore Vigo (piano, Delirium) and Martin Grice (flute, Delirium). Just like the first album, Dedalo E Icaro is a concept album dealing with the well-known Greek mythological story of Icarus who flew too close to the sun. Although the songs are sung in the Italian language you'll still understand the lyrics because in the booklet an English translation has been printed as well. While listening to the outstanding compositions on the album I noticed the same influences as on Il Viaggio Di Colombo throughout the album. It's easy to hear that their compatriots of Le Orme, Trip, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), New Trolls, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and Delirium inspired them. Obviously the musicians listened to foreign progressive rock bands as well because influences of these bands can often be heard on Dedalo E Icaro. Listen for instance to Labirinto, the finest song on the album. This strong instrumental piece contains a fine mixture of elements from bands as Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Moreover, all musicians master their instruments properly, that is: the way we like to hear them. They often treat the listeners to fantastic guitar and keyboard solos and that's how most prog heads like their daily portion of prog! People who listen to this CD on a desktop computer will discover a nice extra: three videos shot at different live concerts can be enjoyed. Thanks to the use of several cameras and the excellent sound quality these images are rather entertaining. First you see Ieri, Oggi, Ancora Niente taken from Il Viaggio Di Colombo, followed by a medley of Il Sole Nascerà (New Trolls) and Squardo Verso Il Cielo (Le Orme) and finally an adaptation of the PFM classic piece Impressioni Di Settembre. All songs are worth watching and thus a fine addition to this album. Il Viaggio Di Colombo got three stars; it was a good album to listen to containing beautiful songs. However, to me Dedalo E Icaro is a better album especially because of the stronger compositions and therefore this CD deserves an additional star compared to the previous one. I hope Il Cerchio D'Oro keep writing excellent songs in the future and maybe someday an album will get the highest possible rating of five stars! **** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
