Fiamma Dallo Spirito
Sabba

THE REVIEW

Finally seeing the light of day, thanks to Black Widow, is the ideal follow-up to Tardo Pede in Magiam Versus by Jacula, namely Sabba by Fiamma Dallo Spirito, recorded on November 14, 1975. Fiamma Dallo Spirito was credited as a singer on the renowned album by Jacula while Federico Bergamini was the author of most of the music. Now, after nearly 50 years, Sabba can finally shine in all its dark and esoteric allure. In the Jacula album, certain pulses of Italian '70s horror culture, which a director like Mario Bava had well captured in his films, shone through. Tardo Pede in Magiam Versus has always been shrouded in a dark and cursed aura that we fully find in this Sabba. From the listening of the opening track “Initiatio Sagae,” one immediately gets the impression of taking a journey back in time towards certain occult atmospheres full of damnation, mystery, and magic typical of the period. The following track “Povero lui” should not be unfamiliar to those who have listened to Ralefun by Antonius Rex as the late Antonio Bartoccetti reworked the music in the track “Incubus.” Both “Agonia per un amore” (with the title “Agonia per un amore”) and “Profezia” (known in Ralefun as “Magic Sadness”) were reinterpreted by Antonius Rex. The title track begins by alternating rhythmic and convulsive moments and then becomes calm and occult with supernatural sighs and a mysterious piano, while “Dannazione” starts in a mystical manner with a choral, church-like element and then transforms into a sinuous ballad in pure Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus style. The album concludes with the piano versions of “Povero lui” and “Agonia” (here renamed “E dio creò l’amore”). Ultimately, we are faced with an essential album for collectors of Italian prog, a sort of missing link that rewrites history. The record is printed from the original tapes and was released on November 14, 2022, exactly 47 years after the tape recording of the time.