Here we have an Italian group from the town of Savona. They are a quartet consisting of Piergiorgio Abba (keyboards, piano), Bruno Lugaro (vocals, bass), Fabio Sanfilippo (drums) and Daniele Ferro (guitars). On this album they were assisted by Marco Milano (piano), Monica Giovannini (backing vocals), Mauro Brunzu (bass) and Davide Rivera on flute. I hadn't heard of them before, but they deliver a quite pleasant and very accessible kind of Italian symphonic prog with warm vocals (as often from Italy - I just love them). Let's just look at some pieces. The first highlights are the fluent melodic guitars on the second track Diluvio and this piece also reveals clear influences from Genesis. And do I also hear some IQ there in the keyboards? Resto Qui first brings wonderful David Gilmour-like guitars and after that some delicious widdly keys. And I must also mention the solid bass that wanders a bit in the background, but plays an important supportive role on the entire album. Nel Profondo is a short floating spacey synth-oriented piece. I wouldn't have minded if it had lasted for another 7 minutes! A Ferro E Fuoco is a long one, and another highlight with some awesome keyboard work and triumphant melodies. Just wonderful. The flute adds some nice accents too. The 8 minute Il Tempo Dei Miracoli treats us once again to some great Pink Floyd kind of guitar parts and then those keys that many neo/sympho fans will go bonkers over - before we get some bombastic choir Mellotron (or at least something that sounds like a Tron) only to return to melancholic piano and voice again. Il Fiume Sa is the longest piece. Interestingly the band uses some keyboard sounds (and arrangement) here that reminds me of the great French group Minimum Vital. There's another wonderful Genesis-like middle section before organ and guitars take things towards a fantastic climax. The disc comes in a nice gatefold paper sleeve. I like those. As a whole this album is warmly recommended to people who like symphonic prog, in particular those with a love for the Italian brand. ***+ Carsten Busch (edited by Astrid de Ronde) Where to buy? |
