The late 80s were an exciting time for progressive rock, as all the signals were there for a renaissance. It had successfully moved to the underground, and there was still a market hungry for new talent. Italy was one country that hadn't seen much activity, and so when Ezra Winston arrived on the scene in 1988, happy days were ahead. Trouble was, they were more UK and Dutch influenced than what one would expect from Italy. Ah, but the cavalry was on the way. And leading the charge was Nuova Era. By their second album Dopo L'Infinito, the band had found their footing, and released the first bona fide Italian prog album in many years. Two side long tracks, going through a myriad of dynamic and meter changes, all sung in glorious Italian. As with any great prog band from Italy, the best parts are the breaks, the sudden change that is loudly announced via guitar or keyboards, followed by a barrage of heavy rhythm. And Nuova Era is relentless on this front, making the second side the stronger of the two. Make no mistake though, Dopo L'Infinito is definitely an early 70s styled prog album from a composition standpoint, but the instrumentation is very much that of 1989. So analog purists may still scoff, but for fans at the time, it was manna from heaven.
Ownership: LP: 1989 Contempo. Gatefold with lyrics in the centerpiece.
1990; 1/28/22 (new entry)
No comments:
Post a Comment