Entity - Il Falso Centro - 2013
“... an amazing debut album that stayed probably under the radar ...”
( Face Book page Entity: https://www.facebook.com/Entityprog )
intro
It is now time to introduce the readers of progVisions to a debut album that stayed probably under the radar of most of the Prog fans. The label Open Mind (Lizard Records) released in the year 2013 the debut album “Il Falso Centro” of the band Entity; an Italian band from Sardinia. It is one of the projects of keyboard player Mauro Mulas. At the moment he is working on the successor of this overlooked debut album. “Il Falso Centro” deserves the attention of the open minded Prog fan because it is a fine album full of intelligent progressive rock with some classical and jazz fusion accents.
line-up
Mauro Mulas - keyboards; Gigi Longu - bass; Marco Panzino - drums; Marcello Mulas - guitar; Sergio Calafiura - vocals
review
The album opens with the track “Davanti Allo Specchio”. After a rhythmic classical piano opening the track develops into a fine jazz piece full of delicate piano parts with a brooding atmosphere. In the end an electric guitar solo gives the music an atmosphere that reminds me of the Dutch band Focus. And then suddenly you are not listening to a jazz fusion album anymore. This is because the long next track “Il Desiderio” is full of keyboard dominated progressive rock, electric guitar solo's and complex rhythm changes. The band will have your full attention now! And when after eight minutes of instrumental bliss Sergio Calafiura adds melodic vocal lines to the music, you will be flabbergasted. The keyboard dominated music sometimes reminds me of the Japanese band Kenso. If you know the music of that band you will understand the high quality of this complex music that I try to describe. In the end the symphonic keyboard sounds reminds me of bands like Bruford and UK. What a great composition ... And what an amazing discovery Entity is!
In “Il Tempo” the band slows down and we can hear some delicate and melodic vocal lines. Slowly the tension of the music is building up to a climax before it slows down again with tasteful and melodic synths. Then the passionate sung vocals return with an amazing melody. This is a very diverse and intense track with great moments full of passion and amazing melodies. The next track is called “Il Trip Dell'ego” and has a more experimental character. After all those great keyboard and guitar parts you suddenly notice the amazing drumming of Marco Panzino. The closing part of this piece has passionate vocals and soaring electric guitar parts. In the slow opening of “*ANT*” the jazzy piano returns. The music sounds romantic before the passionate vocals are returning with great intensity. You can hear the most beautiful melodies in this wonderful track. This music can only be made by Italian musicians ... There is so much passion in the music. This is why I love Italian progressive bands so much. The piece ends with a romantic and classical piano tune. For me me this track is one of the highlights of this wonderful album.
“L'armatura” has a nice groove and great drum work that sometimes reminds me of Porcupine Tree. On the other side the Hammond organ is more in ELP and After Crying vein. The emotional vocals are sung with great passion and the atmosphere of the music builds towards a climax. We can also find beautiful guitar parts of Marcello Mulas on this diverse track. “La Notte Oscura Dell 'anima” ends this album in a romantic way with classical piano, delicate synths and emotional vocals.
conclusion
What a pleasant surprise from Italy. The debut album “Il Falso Centro” from Entity is an album full of great symphonic rock with some jazzy and classical influences. Most of the album is keyboard dominated. Mauro Mulas is an amazing keyboard player. But in overall the musical craftsmanship on this album is of a very high standard. The music is powerful, intense and sounds fresh. The compositions are diverse and besides the complex character of some of the music there is a lot of emotion and passion in the music. Highly recommended for the open minded music lover.