Sintonia Distorta was born in 1995 in Lodi, Italy as a cover band of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock tracks, then after a few years and several demos and a split album in 2013, the turning point with the entry into the stable of Lizard Records. In May 2015 the first official album was released, entitled “Fragments of Charm,” obtaining excellent critical and public acclaim, offering a more personal Prog-style sound. On 29 February 2020 the Lodigiana band publishes “A Piedi Nudi Sull’Arcobaleno” also for Lizard Records, which boasts the artistic production of the Genoese producer and musician Fabio Zuffanti (Finisterre, La Maschera di Cera, Hotsonaten), as well as the presence of some special guests. An album containing 6 medium-long tracks that confirms and improves the good things heard in the previous release, offering a mature sound inspired by the Italian Progressive of the ’70s with personal characters and an excellent vocal. The album opens with “Solo Un Sogno (… Dimmi Che Ti Basta)” which sees the first guest, Roberto Tiranti, who duets on vocals with Simone Pesatori. A song that immediately immerses us in the pleasant atmospheres of their sound with warm and engaging and very inspired lyrics and vocals, the music is halfway between the Italian-style Symphonic Prog with excellent wind inserts of the new entry Marco Miceli. Excellent layers of keyboards reminiscent of historical bands like Biglietto Per L’inferno and Museo Rosenbach, perfectly duet with distorted guitars and melodic openings and a high-level vocal. Follows the title track “A Piedi Nudi Sull’Arcobaleno,” with guest guitarist Luca Colombo, a track with a dramatic and unfortunately current theme such as violence against women. Once again the layers of keyboards by Giampiero Manenti and the guitars duet creating perfectly the structure on which the narrating voice stands out, always precise both in the melodic and in the most aggressive parts. The woodwinds create excellent inserts, precise and punctual, as well as for the delicacy of how the difficult topic is addressed, the development and execution are of excellent workmanship. “Alibi” that begins with a pleasant duet between piano and dreamy flute and then increases the intensity with the passing of the minutes, between constant tempo changes and phrasing between keyboards, winds and high-level guitar. The rhythmic session here dictates the times, in constant load-bearing change and very well elaborated, with woodwinds and keyboards that create melodies that take the sound to another level, assisted by a guitar that adds power and fits precisely into the sound textures of the song . “Sabri” is the shortest track on the album, unlike the others it is softer and in the form of a song with a pleasant structure focused on the acoustic guitar and a very warm and evocative vocal. The singing qualities come out in this sweet song that dampens the tones among other more powerful tracks. “La Rivincita Di Orfeo” sees the presence of another guest on guitar, Paolo Viani, a track in which the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is narrated, returning to the style that characterized the initial pieces. The electric guitar and flute duo stand out on a really powerful rhythm session with fast rhythms, the vocal is warm and perfectly narrates the text, alternating also choral moments. A heavier piece, which still leaves room for more symphonic openings and carpets of keyboards, but the true protagonist of the piece is the flute that recalls Ian Anderson and his Jethro Tull. In the final part, the intensity increases an orchestral insert and a tight guitar solo, to then return to the main theme and close, a really valuable song. The album “Madre Luna” closes another very interesting passage, where in addition to an excellent structure full of time changes always hit the spot, an always warm voice embellishes the sound, the sax of Miceli and a choral insert from I Musici Cantori di Milano directed by Mauro Penacca. A mix between Symphonic Prog and harder guitars, where both the chorus and the keyboards and the sax mix, creating a more unique and rare atmosphere and where the sharp guitar solos merge with the synth in the final, a high level closure, like everything else. A truly top-notch album for Sintonia Distorta, where there are all the ingredients so dear to fans of Prog and quality music in general. Hovering between multiple genres, from the Symphonic to the Heavy passing through the Italian Prog of the golden years, all the influences of the band are well mixed with personal and original distinctive characters. An album to listen and listen to again, revealing pleasant ideas each time, firmly anchored to the Italian Progressive tradition and at the same time projected into the future of the genre, a really successful album, a masterpiece.
Tracklist
- Solo Un Sogno (… Dimmi Che Ti Basta)
- A Piedi Nudi Sull’Arcobaleno
- Alibi
- Sabri
- La Rivincita Di Orfeo
- Madre Luna
Lineup
Simone Pesatori / Vocal
Claudio Marchiori / Guitar
Giampiero Manenti / Keyboards
Fabio Tavazzi / Bass
Giovanni Zeffiro / Drum
Marco Miceli / Flute / Sax
1 thought on “[Review] Sintonia Distorta – A Piedi Nudi Sull’Arcobaleno”