La Torre Dell'Alchimista's 2002 Nearfest performance is presented in its entirety on the strangely titled USA…You Know and while we eagerly await the band's studio follow up to 2001's self-titled debut, at least there's a live album to tide us over. Hailed as perhaps the finest symphonic rock album to come out of Italy in years, La Torre Dell'Alchimista duplicate most of that album here as well as a few short improvisations and a couple of new (at that time) pieces called "Concetto Virtuale di Viaggio Nel 2500 D.C." and "Risveglio, Procreazione e Dubbio (Pt 1)".
La Torre Dell'Alchimista's music doesn't contain many musical surprises if one is familiar with classic Italian progressive rock. Influenced by bands such as PFM, Banco and Celeste, as well as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, La Torre keep the symphonic rock spirit alive and well on USA…You Know. Heaps of Hammond organ and analog synthesizers as well as flutes, acoustic guitars and delicate Italian language vocals are the order of the day here.
If you enjoyed the band's excellent studio debut, you'll like USA…You Know as well. If you've never heard the band before, this new live album would make a fine introduction as the sound quality is top notch. While USA…You Know is an excellent release, it still begs the question: will a new studio album ever see the light of day?
Track Listing
- L'apprendista
- Intermezzo
- I Figli Della Mezzanotte
- Il Volo
- La Torre Dell'Alchimista
- Risveglio, Procreazione e Dubbio (Pt. 1)
- Delirio in C
- Pa Persistenza Della Memoria
- Concetto Virtuale di Viaggio Nel 2500 D.C.
- Eclisse