Let me first admit that I have been a regular listener of this fine Italian bands output for quite some time, and hold their mid-70’s albums near and dear to my heart. However, I was totally unprepared for the power and sheer symphonic nature of this new recording, the first in almost five years that I nearly fell out of my chair.
Many of the classic Le Orme records of the 70’s were lush, sometimes pastoral settings containing gorgeous Italian vocals, symphonic keyboards, flutes and acoustic guitars, and often compared to PFM, or an Italian ELP. On Elementi, the band has aged like a fine wine, and cranked the symphonics and complexity up a notch. Basically a concept album with fourteen movements, the band explodes from the opening bars with an in-your-face keyboard assault, raging guitars, and powerful drums. Aldo Tagliapietra’s vocals are as tender and beautiful as ever, showing he has lost nothing in 25 years. Classic keyboard sounds zap in and out of the mix, consisting of Hammond, piano, and a wide assortment of synthesizers. A good portion of the album is instrumental, so many of the vocal sections are separated by extended instrumental passages, all highly melodic but much more complex than anything the band has done previously.
Here’s hoping that Le Orme continues to record on for the long term, as this CD is obvious they have much left in their tank to offer. They even had the legendary artist Paul Whitehead (Genesis’ Foxtrot and Nursery Cryme) draw the CD cover-what more could you ask for?!
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