I had a hunch something interesting was going down when the band began to push the new album on their FB page way before the release date. They clearly seemed genuinely excited about what they had created, and that's always a strong signal. I just loved Coffee In Neukölln, an album that took me totally by surprise and bowled me over, so I tuned my radar to the BP frequency with high hopes.
The news: Skyline goes and exceeds its predecessor. Kudos, guys, congratulazioni!
The two things I found most remarkable about Coffee... are very much present here as well: the band's strong own identity (they sound like no one else, which is a medium sized miracle these days) and the stunning self- assurance in their musicianship. This is not a flashy prog metal virtuoso stance, it's more a steady "yes we can - and we will" kind of attitude.
So, during the course of the album we're treated to myriads of moods and styles, and I absolutely love the way they can shift from classic prog to hard rock to classical to piano jazz within a song and still keep the song coherent and together all the way. Sometimes they take conscious risks of going overboard with this multi-genre approach, but those moments (e.g. "Overture") are so joyous and in-your-face bold that I cannot but be delighted with every musical logic defying stunt. Waiter, I'll have what they're having, please...
The entire effort is so focused and so well produced (the soundscape is alive and vibrant enough to please even the analogue enthusiasts) I get a sense I'm listening to a concert instead of an album. And that's a compliment, a very strong one.
To summarize: Skyline continues where Coffee... left off. The basic style is pretty much the same but there's much more variation, the band's confidence has gone through the ceiling, the string arrangements are simply gorgeous and the distinctly Italian melodic sense is the icing on the cake.
If this is not a classic-to-be, I have pretty much misunderstood prog.
"Skyline" at bandcamp.com
