Zenit
– The Chandrasekhar Limit/Cristiano Roversi – AntiQua
It seems that prog rock is alive and well in Europe
again, which is a fantastic thing. And two of the countries that were most
feverish about the original bands in the ’70s here prove their worth with these
two releases from Galileo Records.
like a stripped
back Topographic Oceans.
Zenit (from
Switzerland) begin their album with with “Awaken” – not a cover of
the Yes song,
but an opus of their own. Acoustic guitars and gentle vocals open, before organ
and drums hit in and the song take flight. Some wonderful Moog playing takes us
through to a quiet piano section. The is very reminiscent of
early Marillion at
times; at other points, as in the lead guitar section, it feels sometimes we are
knocking on the door of Rush.
This hints more in the direction of the ’80s prog revival acts such
as IQ.
“Cub Lady” is a bittersweet acoustic interlude with a majestic bass line. Next
up is “PiGreco,” a jaunty 9/8 style drum patterns scattered around underneath
jazz piano chords. When the staccato chorus comes in I am reminded of
early Magma.
Some quite moving lead guitar feels out its more reflective middle section. The
track ends with some epic Moog and guitar and an almost Steve
Howe flourish.
“Matrimandir”
has tribal drums and a sparkling Rick Wakeman-like lead
keyboard line for its intro. From here on in we venture in to Yes eastern tonal
territory, like a stripped
back Topographic Oceans. Chanting vocals also help this analogy,
and the vocals at time do sound like Mike Heron from
the Incredible String Band. A lovely jazz workout middle
section takes the track elsewhere with some guitar licks sounding like the
late Peter Banks. When it moves into its acoustic section you
can breathe in the influence of Trick of the
Tail-era Genesis. Over its 17 minutes, the track takes you
through various different landscapes but works best when it gets pastoral.
“Pulsar” starts with a skiffle type shuffle that blends in with Howe-style
atonlisms on guitar and some steady piano work. When the rhythm breaks through
we are taken on a Asia style ride of how to play prog.
it’s great to hear some
proper Vocoder vocals
The
last track on the album is “The Daydream Suite,” the bands 24 minute magnum
opus. It opens with some rather pretty Tony
Banks-style
piano playing before we move into the song proper. With some rather uplifting
singing and chords we move back into Marillion territory by way of Pink
Floyd.
The sections build into an apotheosis of light with touches of shade
and it’s great to hear some
proper Vocoder vocals as
well. The album as whole is wonderfully well played with a lot thought going in
to the arrangements especially on ‘Daydream…’ This is proper Prog from its
lilting quieter moments to the bombast of its louder sections.
Italian composer Cristiano Roversi’s
album almost seems like a concept record. The opening track “Morning in AntiQua”
is quite beautiful, all shimmering Anthony Phillips pastoral
acoustic guitars and subtle piano. When the rhythm comes in the electric guitars
take us skyward and its here that I hear the influence ofSteve
Hackett. “Tales from Solitude Suite” plays out like a marvellous
atmospheric score for a Lord of the Rings-style movie, as uplifting
chords move into a shadow aspect of darkness while the vocals spin their tragic
tale. Here we touch upon early Genesis, especially with the acoustic guitars and
Mellotron mixture. “L’amore” is a more straightforward love song similar in feel
to Rush’s “Closer to the Heart,” with its lovely acoustic guitar and organ
combination. “Nessie Revealed” piles on the atmosphere with Oberheim-sounding
synths that create lush
landscapes of other worlds.
lush landscapes of other
worlds
“Falling”
has some female vocals singing over crystalline synths, and she sings of butterflies and
spacecraft that gives the sound of LSD-induced dreams that
meetFrank
Frazetta-style
fantasy. The acoustic and flute part conjures up images ofTrespass-era
Genesis. “Dimlit Tavern” carries on the album’s fantasy theme as the music
guides us into a Tolkien-style
Middle Earth and the melody conjures up the images of dwarves and Hobbits
drinking in a secluded ale house. A drum machine heralds in “Nirayed’s Secret
Diary” and the track builds with its lush melancholic strings. Here again we are
verging more into soundtrack territory as some of these pieces could fit
exceedingly well within a fantasy film.
sings of butterflies and
spacecraft that gives the sound of LSD-induced dreams
“AntiQua”
is an elegant instrumental lead by strings and oboe and touched
uponAnthony
Phillips’ The
Geese and the Ghost album
at times. In fact I could almost imagine Phil
Collins singing
over this track, especially by the time theTony
Banks-sounding
lead keyboard comes in. “AntiQua Evening” is a beautiful piano coda to end the
album and bring the entire record to a full circle, satisfying climax. Again the
album is beautifully played and especially some of the more subtle numbers work
very well. If you like Peter
Gabriel-era
Genesis this one is definitely for you.
These
are two fine prog releases from Galileo, with fantastic artwork adorning both
albums and a lot of care taken over both titles. If you are a prog fan check
them out.
-Gary
Parsons-
CRIS ROVERSI AT GONZO
AntiQua
CD - £9.99
CRIS ROVERSI AT GONZO
AntiQuaCD - £9.99
ZENIT AT GONZO
 | The Chandrasekhar Limit CD - £9.99 |
Weedists will appreciate Jefferson Airplane’s work especially because many of their songs referred unashamedly to drug use. They were one of the first bands to thumb their noses (mostly) at their record company’s pleas to take out “drug lyrics”, and this in a time when most of the country was still pretty conservative and records would be banned from the radio for little or no reason whatsoever.
