Zarathustra

Really an original idea. All records are made for money; nobody makes records without being interested in selling them, and rightly so, I would say. Then there are the rubbish, the beautiful things, the masterpieces, and so on. This must be nice; I am surprised by the meager rating you gave.

Does a duet even deserve a review? With Carmen Consoli, no less? Poor Sting, his eardrums must have shattered listening to that drag.

Bah, not even if the Doors had come to Italy with the reincarnation of Jim Morrison... And then they talk about the Theater...

Beautiful review. I would like to make some scattered considerations.
1) I don't believe that "L'Abbattimento dello Zeppelin" refers to Led, of course I could be wrong, but I don't see anything in the song's lyrics that makes me think of this, especially since the album is from '73, the year when the Zep were at the height of their creative power—it's the year of "Rain Song," "The Song Remains the Same," "No Quarter," just to understand—so I really can't see the connection.
2) I believe that the music of Area is avant-garde with folkloristic inspiration, but it is so sophisticated (not so much in this album, but in the later ones it sometimes becomes excessive) that its popular connotation often seems to be "suffocated" by the cultural fusion explorations that are the basis of the band's artistic project.
Generally, they are considered among the standard-bearers of progressive music. This makes sense; many of the tenets of progressive are expressed: odd time signatures, tempo changes, melodies and harmonies far from traditional blues conception, destruction of song form, creation of complex instrumental interweavings, an abundance of solos, classical and jazz influences.
For me, however, the true progressive is that of Genesis, with its extraordinary emotional impact and the attention to the construction of what could be called architectural soundscapes. Nonetheless, labels are convenient precisely because they are generic, so it's fine to say Area = Progressive.
3) Regarding the album: truly extraordinary, one of the pride of all Italian music. A milestone.
The only comparable album (and perhaps superior) to this is "Maledetti." The others, even if great, are a notch below. Stratos, then, is unique, a real added value.

Oh my God, the cover doesn’t really drive me crazy... the music, well, I find it a bit unimpactful.

Well, all the so-called progressive groups have experienced a dreadful decline starting in the late 70s... PFM is no exception: a truly bad album. However, I won't rate it less than two; they still are PFM, and class, after all, is not water.

Great review, clear, well-written, flowing, essential, not a word more than necessary. You can't ask for more (and I'm surprised it's not among the recommended ones). Well done.
I generally share your opinion, Are you Gonna go my way is fantastic, a great hard-rock piece that, unfortunately, has remained a pretty isolated episode in its brilliance. After the last tracks, though, I really don't know what to say.

he he, I had already given....

I agree with the vote and the judgment, but the review is mediocre.

I agree with Grasshopper; just comparing with the aforementioned big names (to which I would also add Luigi Tenco and the forgotten Pierangelo Bertoli) to back you up.