La Coscienza Di Zeno - Sensitivita - 2013
“Brilliant album full of spectacular and sensitive Italian Symphonic Rock.”
(One of the best progressive rock albums of the year 2013!)
intro
In my efforts to introduce this wonderful Italian band to the people who are in charge of the programming of the Dutch venues who have a warm hart towards progressive rock, I noticed that La Coscienza Di Zeno is still seen as an unknown Italian band. So it is still difficult to convince them that we are talking about one of the most talented new Italian progressive rock bands who deserve to get the chance to present themselves to a broader audience. Wake up venue programmers ... La Coscienza Di Zeno, a progressive band from Genoa founded in October 2007, has made one of the best symphonic/progressive rock albums of the year 2013. The band has already finished the recording of their third album “La Notte anche di Giorno” that soon will be released by Fading Records (AltrOck). But first progVisions will give some attention to the wonderful “Sensitivita” album in an effort to introduce the band to a broader audience who after listening to this great album for sure will demand gigs in the European (prog) venues!
line-up
Alessio Calandriello - Voce; Gabriele Guidi Colombi - Basso elettrico; Andrea Orlando - Batteria e Percussioni; Stefano Agnini - Solina, Sintorchestra e Synth analogica; Davide Serpico - Chitarre elettriche, classiche e acustiche; Luca Scherani - Pianoforte, Synth analogici, Mellotron, Fisarmonica e Bouzouki
Guests:
Joanne Roan - Flauto; Sylvia Trabucco - Violino; Melissa Del Lucchese - Violoncello; Rossano Villa - Mellotron
review
The second La Coscienza Di Zeno (CDZ) album “Sensitivita” opens with the song “La Citta Di Dita” (6:46). After a short classical piano intro the band goes full power with up-tempo keyboard drenched symphonic rock with a seventies atmosphere. In the slower second part of this track you will be impressed by singer Alessio Calandriello. Alessio who is also the vocalist of that other great Italian band Not A Good Sign (remember this name), shows us immediately that he is a great singer with a good feeling for this kind of music. The band will have got your attention now, and if not ... you will be floored by listening to the title track of the album “Sensitivita” (12:22). “Sensitivita” has a wonderful and melodic slow opening with sensitive and emotionally sung vocals. The song develops into one of the highlights of this album with tasteful keyboard sounds and fat synth and guitar solos. The beautiful vocal refrains are just amazing. The track is diverse and the tension of the music is slowly building up towards a great climax. I just love the Mellotron and fat synth solos in the music of La Coscienza Di Zeno. Only for this composition you have to buy this album. The band is slowing down with the short ballad “Tenue” (3:31) which has beautiful vocal melodies and tasteful piano played by keyboardist Luca Scherani. Also in the next slow track “Chiusa 1915” (7:04) you can find beautiful classical piano parts, emotional sung vocals and melodic guitar parts on a bed of tasteful keyboards. The melodies you can find on this album are often of pure beauty. The next track is called “Tensegrita” (7:18) and singer Alessio Calandriello is finding a place in my progressive rock hart, what a great singer he is. He is singing the first slow vocal melodies with great passion and emotion. “Tensegrita” is for me another highlight of this album. Not only because of the great vocal parts but also because of the diversity of the music and the beautiful classical piano parts. “Pauvre Misère” (7:50) has great diversity in rhythm and has real strings (violin and cello) played by some guests (see above). The album closes with the track “La Temperanza” (10:39) in which we hear in the classical opening besides the violin and cello also the flute and the accordion. After the classical opening the song develops into a great symphonic rock piece of epic proportions. All the members are showing their musical skills in this track. Guitarist Davide Serpico plays a very nice melodic guitar solo in the end. It is a worthy composition to close this amazing album.
conclusion
Need I say more? “Sensitivita” is a masterpiece, an album full of great Italian progressive rock music drenched with vintage keyboards. You can find beautiful melodies on this album. The music could be classified as symphonic rock with a lot of classical influences ... it feels like an Italian album out of the seventies but then with a great sound quality and production. The music is diverse and the album has no weak points. Above all this, the band is blessed with one of the best vocalists in the scene. For me it was one of the best progressive rock albums of the year 2013. Hopefully the band will get that chance to perform their music live for a broader audience. I'm very curious about the new music of La Coscienza Di Zeno ... can't wait to hear their new album “La Notte anche di Giorno”.