Henri Strik @ Background Magazine

Whilst browsing the Internet, I stumbled upon an album made by the Italian act Logos. Their album L’Enigma Della Vita grabbed me by the throat from the moment I first heard the music. Strangely enough, the band was totally unknown to me. Strange, when you do know I’m a lover of Rock Progressivo Italiano, as many of you would like to label this kind of progressive rock style. Well, I soon found out they originate from Verona, and started out as a kind of cover band in 1996. Like many other musicians in their country, they copied the music of bands like Le Orme and Banco De Mutuo Soccorso. In 1999 they released their eponymous album, which was followed by Asrava two years later. This album is their third release and, surprisingly, was released thirteen years after their second.

It appeared line-up changes and problems to find suitable opportunities to perform delayed it’s completion. Well, I guess it didn’t harm anyone, because what Fabio Gaspari (drums, bass), Luca Zerman (organ, Mellotron, synthesizers, vocals), Claudio Antolini (keyboards), Maoli Massimo (guitars) and their special guests delivered on this, third, album is simply outstanding. The years of waiting to get everything sorted out the right way were certainly well spent, because all eleven tracks are of a very high level and most of all ,very enjoyable. With two keyboard players in the band you might expect a very keyboard-orientated album and in a way this is true, because throughout the entire album you can hear very charming, lush keyboard arrangements, with lots of room for synthesizer solos and Mellotron and organ parts. However, the guitar parts never stand in the shadow of said instruments. Every now and then, a fantastic electric guitar solo can be heard, or wonderful chords are played on the acoustic guitars. As many of the other acts who can be labelled as Rock Progressivo Italiano, Logos has a retro sound and is a band that finds it’s inspiration in the Italian progressive rock bands of the seventies. Their musical heroes, without a doubt, are the aforementioned Le Orme and Banco De Mutuo Soccorso. Of course, Premiata Forneria Marconi belongs to their musical heroes as well. Those band, in their turn, take their influences from British bands which ruled in the seventies. I’m referring to bands like Yes, King Crimson andGenesis. This certainly is the case with Logos too. Besides the retro sound of the seventies bands, I also heard influences taken from classical music (piano parts) and Italiantraditional music (acoustic guitar parts); sounds that suit the band very well. It certainly helps make sure they have a kind of identity of their own, most of all when theymix it all together into amazing compositions, and there are more than enough of these on this release. Therefore, you could say Logos created a vey professional sounding album with L’Enigma Della Vita!

Their music, based on the classic progressive rock of the 70s will, without a doubt, be loved by many progheads. Most of all by those who enjoy albums made by the aforementioned bands, and who enjoy a good balance between guitar and keyboards, as well as the use of classical and folk elements. It seems the band’s two previously released albums Logos and Asrava, will be reissued very soon. If the music on those releases turns out to be as good as on L’Enigma Della Vita, I can only say:’bring it on!’, because I can never get enough of the kind of amazing progressive rock I’ve heard on this release!

**** Henri Strik (edited by Esther Ladiges)

http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/LogosLEnigmaDellaVita.html

Translate »