Artist: Altare Thotemico
Label: Ma.Ra.Cash Records
Release: 2009
Length: 61:25
Rating: 4/5
The RPI (rock progressivo italiano, or Italian progressive rock) sound has always been hugely respected and loved among prog connoisseurs. Premiata Forneria Marconi, Le Orme, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Area … There’s no “proger” whose ears don’t happily perk up at the mention of those bands, because they’re one of a kind on the prog scene and in its history. These Italian artists built such a distinctive, one-of-a-kind sound that today it’s easily equated with their country’s musical history and recognized as a subgenre of progressive rock. And of course the musical legacy of the RPI sound is worth keeping alive, which a whole crowd of Italian and foreign (French, for example) bands are doing today. Among them, definitely, are Altare Thotemico, the new RPI heroes of Italian music.
Altare Thotemico, a band from Ancona, are a mix of musicians from every generation: veterans with a vision of so-called classic prog, which blossomed in the seventies of the last century, and youngsters with fresh neo-prog ideas. The ideal balance in the lineup shows progressive rock in a 21st-century light, one that draws heavily on psychedelic music, blues, avant-garde and jazz too. Unlike their peers, Altare Thotemico don’t bet on virtuosity and “show-offing” but on music with soul, feeling and heart. A big share of the responsibility therefore lands on the shoulders of singer Gianni Venturi, whose vocal technique adds a sense of euphoria to the music: he sings “with balls” when he needs to, but also sweetly, mysteriously or darkly.
The album has nine tracks whose length doesn’t vary much, with about six minutes being the average. The songs themselves are wildly different from one another: the Italians show off all their musical know-how, present progressive rock through all its related genres, and try to create every possible mood. Prioritizing the ambient effect on the listener, and avoiding the urge to force crazy solos and generally terribly loud arrangements on us, makes for a much better end product. Venturi of course contributes a lot to the feel of the individual songs. He doesn’t use his voice just for singing; it’s a stronger, deeper approach, because Gianni uses his voice as an instrument.
That makes the singer of Altare Thotemico a kind of bridge between the listeners and the band itself. He sets the mood, whose pattern is already imprinted in the music of the songs, but with the lyrics and the color of his voice it’s easy to tell in an instant what the musicians are aiming for. For the most part it’s tougher prog rock, so the extremely soothing album cover, with its motif of a river valley full of forests, endless meadows, birds and ziggurats, matches only the opening track “Il canto che sprofonda”. It opens up the world of Altare Thotemico with a pleasant folk-rock melody of flute and the natural sounds of classical guitar; but the whole album is much tougher and stronger than that first illusion. The second track, “Lo Sciamano”, is already packed with psychedelic sounds and Venturi’s powerful vocals. “L’interessante vita del topo”, the third song, has its roots in blues, though you can’t ignore the occasional detour into a groovier melody. “Demon” is an extremely strong track, with distorted riffs and an experimental melody reminiscent of King Crimson; as the title says, Gianni sings about Lucifer, the fallen angel, lord of hell. “Computer Organico” is Venturi’s real highlight: this is where he makes use of his vocal range and proves he’s a true master of controlling his voice. A fantastic track, whose power comes from the absurdity of the vocal experiments and a major-key melody. “L’addormato” already moves a bit closer to jazz standards: a much more relaxed song with interesting keyboard arrangements and even nicer guitar passages that bring maestro Steve Howe to mind. “Le mente mia” is the album’s mightiest track, with the whole band in a fierce instrumental gallop that later breaks apart into a magnificent guitar solo, accompanied by the virtuoso Caligiuri on keyboards. “Suite per Marianna” serves up memories of the first track, as it’s more acoustic, with excellent flute playing from the aforementioned keyboardist. The stormy finale comes courtesy of “Oltre”, which again breaks away from the other songs with an extremely “spacy” sound, jazz experimentation, almost a jam. An incredibly coherent ending, even if it doesn’t look that way at first glance.
These Italian oddballs are sure to surprise. They keep the historically important RPI sound alive, but they’re still innovative and distinctive enough to appeal even to “progers” who don’t care for the Italian prog scene (if there even are such people). With their excellent debut they instantly reaped fame in Italy, and it carried on through their touring around the world; they were received brilliantly absolutely everywhere. By combining the RPI sound with a modern take on progressive music, they’ve managed to create a project that can easily write itself into not just Italian but world music history.
Lineup
Gianni Venturi – vocals
Valerio Venturi – bass guitar
Leonardo Caligiuri – keyboards, flute
Enrico Scaccaglia – guitars
Davide Zannotti – drums
Production
Ma.Ra.Cash
Tracklist
1. Il canto che sprofonda (7:20)
2. Lo sciamano (7:47)
3. L’interessante via del topo (7:12)
4. Demon (4:39)
5. Computer Organico (7:32)
6. L’addormato (6:42)
7. La mente mia (7:03)
8. Suite per Marianna (6:34)
9. Oltre (6:36)
