? (Ibis)
Canti d'innocenza, Canti d'esperienza

The gigantic question mark that towers over the cover of this album might be a reaction to what an allegedly authoritative site publishes, according to which "Colpo di Coda" by Litfiba is the best example of "Mediterranean" hard rock (an adjective thrown in just not to use "Italian"): indeed, one wonders how one can claim to write the history of the aforementioned genre and forget that in Italy albums of great respect have been produced such as "Sirio 2222" by Balletto di Bronzo, "La Bibbia" and "Io come Io" by Rovescio della Medaglia, "Dies Irae" by Formula 3 (which, however commercial they may have been, knew how to hit hard with their psychedelia tinged with hard blues), up to works by lesser yet interesting bands ("Francesco, ti ricordi" by Atlantide, for instance), or certain very beautiful things from the '80s (Elektradrive, Gow...).

The question mark, however, only expresses the confusion of the most troubled period in the life of another group that has really done a lot for our country's hard rock, the New Trolls. It happened around 1973 that the two leaders of the group, Vittorio De Scalzi and Nico Di Palo, could no longer agree on anything, splitting the band into two factions each of which wanted to claim the successful trademark. Facing a Solomonic verdict from the court of Genoa, which prohibited both parties from using the name, De Scalzi circumvented the obstacle by founding the "NT Atomic System" with the historical bassist Giorgio D'Adamo, where everyone knew what the acronym "NT" stood for (and in fact, with the album "Tempi Dispari" of 1974, De Scalzi would use the full name without many qualms). On the other side were the remaining members of the New Trolls, namely, in addition to Di Palo, the keyboardist Maurizio Salvi, the bassist Frank Laugelli, and the historical drummer Gianni Belleno, with an album already ready for publication and undecided about what to do. With a certain elegance, the group chose to hide behind the enigmatic black and white symbol (a decent design example, by the way), releasing "Canti d'Innocenza, Canti d'Esperienza", one of the most intense hard rock works ever to come out of our country.

The concept setting of the LP is only marginally inspired by Blake's masterpiece, instead outlining the concepts of "innocence" and "experience" through the description of certain characters (the elderly and slightly out-of-world lady, Nico's daughter, an old man) or life experiences (drug addiction, extramarital affairs). Although, however, the lyrics are interesting and never trivial, it is the music that takes center stage, intense, dynamic, and original. Music certainly recorded and mixed with little care, like most Fonit productions of the time (take, above all, the splendid "Palepoli" by Osanna): in the opening track, "Innocenza, Esperienza", you can even hear Nico Di Palo missing the vocal entry, almost as if the track were recorded live and everything was published in a hurry. Yet, the same track already showcases the album's qualities: the monumental and epic riff, the very dynamic and precise accelerations, Di Palo's voice in top form (especially in the high tones). Hard rock returns in great form also in the aggressive "L'amico della porta accanto", a drug tale narrated with fury in a muscular and dark track, supported by effective, complex, and monolithic riffs, almost a meeting between Deep Purple and Black Sabbath with a tormented vocal interpretation that fears few comparisons (one wonders what impact a guitarist/singer of Di Palo's caliber would have had if he had been born in England: at the time Melody Maker ranked him among the ten best guitarists in the world). In the album, there is also time for a softer approach, as in the short and intimate ballad "Simona" or in "Signora Carolina", a track that opens with the pleasant intertwining of overdubbed acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies so dear to the New Trolls and which, after a neoclassical piano intervention by the prodigious Salvi, changes tone to settle halfway between hard rock à la Uriah Heep and a certain fusion (especially in the keyboard solo). A semi-ballad is also "Vecchia Amica", where over Belleno's excellent drumming work, Di Palo's Hendrixian guitar lines unfold, showing his mastery in solos here, sometimes tending towards hard rock, sometimes in a more jazzy style. Even a surely minor episode like "Angelo Invecchiato" ends up being of certain value, almost managing to anticipate certain typical sounds of Soundgarden's calmer works.

Di Palo's new project would then have its own rather troubled story, with only Di Palo and Laugelli representing the stable members. The first to leave, immediately after the release of this album, would be Belleno, replaced by Rick Parnell on transfer from Atomic Rooster. For the occasion, a referendum on Ciao 2001 would finally find a name for the band, which from then on would be called Ibis. But, as they say, that's another story.

In any case, those eager to know what answer lies behind the question mark can be sure to find in "Canti d'Innocenza, Canti d'Esperienza" a quality album, intense and convincing. To the editors of other sites, however, nothing remains but to brush up on some history - and this could be a good starting point (and then one might wonder what purpose reviewing past albums serves...).