Label: Mellow Records

Tracks:

1. La Maschera di Cera (19:21) a. il tuo volto, b. la tua gente, c. il tuo
2. fugio, d. la tua irrealta, e. la tua guida, f. la mia fine...
3. Del Mondo che Crolla (6:00)
4. Del Mio Abisso e del Vuoto (9:41) a. il vuoto, b. l'abisso, c. e senza
5. u peso io salgo
6. Del Mio Volo (7:07)

Musicians:

• Fabio Zuffanti / bass, acoustic guitar
• Marco Cavani / drums, timpani, percussion and compressor
• Alessandro Corvaglia / voice
• Agostino Macor / mellotron, piano, prepared piano, organ, moog, rpsichord, VCS 3
• Andrea Monetti / flute

Guest musicians:

• Nadia Girardi / voice on "Del Mio Abisso E Del Vuoto"

La Maschera di Cera offer us a trip to the past, to the first 70s, when a big number of Italian prog rock bands were capable of emulating the English ones, creating equally wonderful recordings. La Maschera di Cera sound like those Italian bands, but without copying anything. It is a Fabio Zuffanti's tribute to the bands that taught him much of what he knows now, from his point of view. Especially bands like Le Orme, Museo Rosenbach, Biglietto per l'Inferno and Il Baletto di Bronzo, that are possibly the groups that easily come to our mind when we listen to this album.

I think the purist fans of the 70 have here a disc they mustn't miss, although they were not interested in works that have not been edited during the 70. Likewise, current prog fans can't accuse Fabio of living in the past, something that denies his main band, Finisterre, whose "In Ogni Luogo" already is a classic current prog-rock work.

The suite "La Maschera di Cera", can compete with any of the long pieces of 70's Italian bands, pure symphonic-progressive rock with totally analog sound, great vocals, flutes, mellotrones and hammonds. Many melodies and positive feeling, energy and some hard moments, kind Biglietto per l'Inferno.

It is possible to say the same thing about tracks "Del Mio Volo" and wonderful and enigmatic "Del Mio Abisso e del Vuoto", in a similar line in sound and quality.

It seems incredible that Fabio Zuffanti could have given us two albums so good as this one and Hostsonaten's "Springsong", in the same year. But don't you think he's going to take a rest. In 2003 he wants to record albums with Finisterre, Hostsonaten, and La Maschera di Cera, besides another new project.

A great album, all fans of 70's Italian prog, should buy it.

Rating: 8/10

Ferran Lizana