In the world of Progressive Rock music, there really seems to be no end of variations on a theme. Artists will approach the genre with their own inspiration and set of influences. Such is the case with the Italian multi-instrumentalistMarco De Angelis. His new CD entitled The River - Both Sides of the Story offers up an interesting mix of sounds that are at once familiar and yet delivered with a fresh take. The River features not only De Angelis but also Marcello Catalano (vocals), Cristiano Micalizzi (drums) and then Désirèe Petrocchi, Simona Rizzi, Susanna Stvali, Fabiola Torresi, Sara Berni all on backing vocals. The music will have instant appeal to fans or melodic prog.
The River - Both Sides of the Story is a collection of 12 tracks, 68-minutes of music written, arranged, produced and performed by De Angelis. This is clearly his show even though he enjoys the help of other talent on drums and vocals. This is also his story, a loosely based concept with songs reflecting the dualism of humanity: male – female, life – death, good – evil, hence “both sides of the story.” These tunes are all more or less mid-tempo and on their own come across as nice catchy tunes, but what elevates them into the prog-sphere is their arrangements and structure. Sound effects are layered-in creating a sense of place or environment and reinforcing the concepts at work. At the same time it’s possible to imagine each tune out of context and hear its melody and hummability. The musical reference point would be Pink Floyd reinterpreted through RPWL. The music is melodic and transitions smoothly from one musical idea to the next. While not every track is connected to the next, many do slide into one another which contribute to creating a larger than life musical pallet.
For a guy who started to play music the first time he picked up an instrument at the age of ten back in 1972, it’s taken Marco De Angelis quite a few decades to bring his musical vision to fruition and while it’s not the most complex progressive rock you’ll ever hear, it is a very satisfying listen. Fans of Barclay James Harvest, RPWL of course Pink Floyd will find much music here to appreciate and enjoy.
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The River - Both Sides of the Story is a collection of 12 tracks, 68-minutes of music written, arranged, produced and performed by De Angelis. This is clearly his show even though he enjoys the help of other talent on drums and vocals. This is also his story, a loosely based concept with songs reflecting the dualism of humanity: male – female, life – death, good – evil, hence “both sides of the story.” These tunes are all more or less mid-tempo and on their own come across as nice catchy tunes, but what elevates them into the prog-sphere is their arrangements and structure. Sound effects are layered-in creating a sense of place or environment and reinforcing the concepts at work. At the same time it’s possible to imagine each tune out of context and hear its melody and hummability. The musical reference point would be Pink Floyd reinterpreted through RPWL. The music is melodic and transitions smoothly from one musical idea to the next. While not every track is connected to the next, many do slide into one another which contribute to creating a larger than life musical pallet.
For a guy who started to play music the first time he picked up an instrument at the age of ten back in 1972, it’s taken Marco De Angelis quite a few decades to bring his musical vision to fruition and while it’s not the most complex progressive rock you’ll ever hear, it is a very satisfying listen. Fans of Barclay James Harvest, RPWL of course Pink Floyd will find much music here to appreciate and enjoy.
The progressive rock files Home Page