Between the end of the ‘90s and the beginning of the 21st Century there has been a real Italian progressive rock renaissance, with many new bands dedicated to a sound that was believed to be irretrievably lost in the folds of time. One of the biggest names of this new beginning was La Maschera di Cera, a band that gathered members of the already well-known Finisterre (Fabio Zuffanti, Agostino Macor, Marco Cavani) with the expressive voice of Alessandro Corvaglia, former collaborator of Zuffanti in the project “Merlin – The Rock Opera”, and Andrea Monetti’s flute (Alhambra, Ku, Embryo).
“Il Grande Labirinto” (The great labyrinth), originally released in 2003, is La Maschera di Cera’s second album: in the wake of the previous year’s eponymous debut, this second work emphasizes the dramatic tones of the proposed themes, bringing the group’s sound closer to the dark and twisted one delivered by Van Der Graaf Generator in their most grandiose moments. In this regard, the powerful suite “Il viaggio nell’oceano capovolto”, divided into two parts for a total of about 34 minutes, is a modern version, including its magic and mystery, of the famous “Plague of Lighthouse Keeper” by the already mentioned Van Der Graaf. The other three tracks on the album are clearly inspired by ‘70s Italian prog, reinterpreted through the unmistakable style of La Maschera di Cera.
This album therefore manages to further improve what was expressed in the band’s debut record, for which we can use the term ‘masterpiece’ without hesitation. Not to be missed at any cost!
Papersleeve CD edition with two bonus tracks!
Tracklist:
1.Il viaggio nell’oceano capovolto (Parte I)
2.Il Grande Labirinto
3.Il canto dell’inverno
4.Ai confini del mondo
5.Il viaggio nell’oceano capovolto (Parte II) Bonus tracks:
6.La consunzione (single edit)
7.Il Grande Labirinto (alternate)
