Unreal City are a band from Parma who offer symphonic prog-rock heavily contaminated with gothic and dark elements. Founded in April 2008 by keyboardist/singer Emanuele Tarasconi and guitarist Francesca Zanetta, they were later joined by bassist Francesco Orefice (in 2010) and drummer Federico Bedostri (in 2012). A self-produced EP released in June 2012 allowed them to get in touch with Fabio Zuffanti (Höstsonaten, La Maschera Di Cera, Finisterre…), who decided to produce their first album “La Crudeltà di Aprile” (The Cruelty of April).

Here, we are facing an excellent debut, long out of print and now reissued by AMS Records in the label’s classic papersleeve format, that immediately captured the attention of Italian progressive rock enthusiasts. Recorded at Hilary Studio in Genoa under the expert guidance of the sound engineer Rossano “Rox” Villa, “La Crudeltà di Aprile” contains surprisingly mature music at the service of present-day-themed lyrics, written in English first and subsequently translated into Italian: the common thread that firmly binds the stories told in this album is the corruption of things and people, the mutation and the becoming.

Unreal City make wise use of real vintage musical instruments such as Hammond and church organ, Mellotron, Moog, Clavinet, Rhodes, combined with particular effects, reverbs and tape echo. The rhythm section has the undoubted merit of carrying the band’s ’70s-inspired music towards a more modern and captivating context. A debut that left its mark, the beginning of a career that still continues today, ten years later!