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"Having already being around the prog and metal scene with Sicily-based Grey Owl, Nicola Randone emerges now with this epic, brain-feeding monsterpiece. To him, going solo meant complete artistic control and a license to experiment. The result is astonishing. In Morte di un amore (A Love's Death), his rather poetical debut album, Nico(la) shows an incredible vocal range and style. He uses distinctive tecniques to decorate each performance. A proof? Listen to the vocal pyrotechnics in the inspiring "L'Infinito" (play it loud!) or in the exquisitely heart-wrenching "Un cieco". Nine beautiful tracks highlight Morte di un amore. Combining the gamut of emotions of Grey Owl's La parete di ghiaccio (The Ice Wall: a tremendous example of the actuality of progressive rock) with his own pentagram-wielding existentialist feeling, Nico Randone reaches a level of songwriting and electronic experimentation which is highly above the previous Owl stuff and even pleasant to listen. The sophisticated melodies are wisely mixed with some brilliant guitar chords, beat drums and waving synth sounds. The lyrics deal with love and war, power and sexuality, Weltschmerz and religion. "Visioni", "Tutte le mie stelle", "La Giostra" and "Morte di un amore" alternate oppressive atmospheres and joyful moments, "Il pentimento di Dio" ("God's repentance") is a catchy reggae-like song, "L'infinito" and "Un cieco" are elegiac tunes which might be able to enter the commercial circuits, "Strananoia" is a nasty folk-tinged ballad echoing the artist's archaic homeland, "Amore bianco" is the freudian product of a laid-back aesthetic. But "Tutte le mie stelle" and "Morte di un amore" are the tracks I prefer most of this album because they are truly complex, luxuriant, eccentric and nicely melodic. In the booklet notes, Nicola Randone thanks a lot of people for their cooperation and/or support. Among them Aldo Taglialapietra of Le Orme, notorious prog rock band from Italy. Prog? Let's say that Morte di un amore is a work of superior pop music. An awsome achievment. For every age-group" from
a my great friend |