La Coscienza Di Zeno - La Coscienza Di Zeno

Since then, one of the groups I’ve championed is a group called La Coscienza Di Zeno, who have brought the RPI (Rock Progressivo Italiano) scene back with a vengeance after hearing their second album, Sensitivita released this year from the Fading Records label which is a part of the AltrOck family and it’s a mesmerizing yet astonishing listenable album from start to finish. However, their first sole self-titled debut album released in 2011 from their previous label, Mellow Records, is one of the most hypnotic and electrifying albums they released to give the Prog sound the full and mighty force like no other.

And they have a lot of power and energy in their music and it shows a lot of true passion and a lot tension in their debut release. There are touches of Yes, Le Orme, ELP, PFM, Genesis, Banco, and Murple combined in their music. The seven compositions including a 13-minute track, shows a lot of the orchestral, dark, haunting, and sinister touches in their music.

At times, you can feel some uplifting tempos and pastoral movements that just come out of nowhere that gives a journey on a world into the unknown that is unexpected. There are times where you are at the sessions for these six guys who are about to unleash something that is going to take the listener and the audience by surprise from the moment they get their hands on this mind-boggling album.  A good idea comes for another to show where they would go next, whether it’s fast, slow, driven, and at times difficult time changes that comes around, it’s almost as if they were paying tribute to Fabio Frizzi and his scores for his work with the late great Lucio Fulci.

They go through the voyages of Prog, Funk, Classical, and Jazz Fusion to get you into the groove and at times its catchy thanks to the organ, piano, guitar, accordion, and bass.  As I’ve mentioned, Davide Serpico has the mind and spirit of Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp rolled into one and Andrea Lotti along with Stefano Agnini are almost dueling one another to see who can come up with the most powerful keyboard and piano fingering they would come up with.

And of course Alessio Calandriello’s vocals are spiritual and touching as he can go through various moments in his vocals as if he could have been a member in Locanda Delle Fate. And he can sing very well. Their debut album is for me, is a traveling fantasy experience that will make you understand how they are going to hit the Prog Festivals one day in the States and they have received word-of-mouth and hopefully a following they are going for to give the Italian Prog scene a jolt.

This is my third time listening to La Coscienza Di Zeno’s debut and they have not disappointed me and it’s a highly recommended album for the Progressive Rock and Italian Prog fans to sink their teeth into. They can take you to different places and the music is dramatic and thunderous. They are already a huge favorite of mine and they are already in my book of the most amazing new Progressive Rock bands to come out of the 21^st century. 

And in the words of Uncle Ben who gave his last words to Peter Parker before becoming Spider-Man, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”