Launched by Giorgio Fico Piazza, a historical member of PFM and having toured in support of Italian Prog legends Le Orme, the young band Tal Neunder brings us their debut album. Entitled “L’Albero Della Vita,” it was released by Hi Qu Music and distributed by Warner Italy on July 26, 2024 and contains eight tracks around four minutes long each. The opener and title-track immediately shows us the band’s incisive Progressive sound, characterised by solid guitar and keyboard interlacing, elaborate drumming that ties in well with the load-bearing bass lines in the rhythm section. The vocals are an added value to the sound, very dynamic and expressive, dynamically interpreting the lyrics and alternating with the instrumental sections that enhance the band’s compositional and performing technique, an excellent calling card for this first track. Influences from bands like PFM and Italian Prog classics manifest themselves in “Herenev,” a deep and emotional track. The vocals add value by interpreting the lyrics with pathos, while the track builds in intensity as the minutes go by. The instrumental section in the finale with the electric guitar in evidence is interesting, ending with dreamy atmospheres and guitar arpeggios. “Algoritmo,” explores sounds close to the Italian song, with a fresh, modern structure, choral refrains and positive melodies. The keyboards are unimpressive, merely accompanying in the background. A track that deviates somewhat from the prog sounds that opened the album. The band’s first single and a track we have already come to know, “Sirima,” is a track with influences from modern Italian Prog music. Melodic and with a good vocal test, after a long sung part in the finale it ends with a more Progressive section with keyboard and guitar interlacing. An engaging track “Il Cacciatore Di Balene,” which alternates more symphonic openings with acoustic guitar arpeggios and more heavy passages with distorted guitars. The vocal performance is good, but leaves little room for the instrumental developments that sounded promising in this track. In the finale, the band offers a short instrumental section that explores more interesting Progressive. The album’s shortest track “Marla” opens with electric guitar work, then the rhythm section kicks in with a hypnotic bass line. The tempo changes and vocals add to the sound, offering a pleasant track with engaging melodies and good guitar work at the end. A prolonged acoustic intro opens “Dov’è Il Sole,” before developing into an intense and emotional track with late 60s reminiscences. The vocal test is of a high standard, accompanying us for almost the entirety of the track and being one of the positive aspects of the piece. The album ends with “Dolce Luna,” featuring a dreamy intro of keyboards and guitar arpeggios that evolves into a solid piece of Italian music with forays into Prog. References to the music of the past are evident, but proposed in a more modern style. A young band with a sound that weaves together Italian and Progressive music, with excellent vocals and good songwriting. The instrumental sections are less incisive than the vocal parts, with little space given to solo cues and the development of musical textures. The album is nevertheless enjoyable, the band is young and certainly a promise for the future, and this release bodes well. We will continue to follow these promising artists.
Tracklist
01. L’albero Della Vita (4:27)
02. Herenev (4:56)
03. Algoritmo (4:58)
04. Sirima (4:30)
05. Il Cacciatore Di Balene (4:32)
06. Marla (3:55)
07. Dov’è Il Sole (4:23)
08. Dolce Luna (4:59)
Lineup
Pier Randazzo / Bass Guitar
Aurora Pardi / Drum, Percussion, Keyboards
Stefano Vallino / Organ, Synth, Mellotron
Christian Castelletti / Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards, 12-String Acoustic Guitar
