Ifsounds
Apeirophobia

After the success achieved far from Italian shores with "Morpho Nestira", If change their skin and some bricks of their well-established structure. Drops of metal allow them to assume a "prog baptism" by changing their name to Ifsounds, also to distance themselves from the latent appearance of the shadow of that homonymy with an English band that sailed the same waters in the first half of the '70s.

The members remain the same except for two significant changes: Enzo Bellocchio on drums replacing Luca Di Pardo, while a new lead vocalist, Elena Ricci, replaces Paolo De Santis.

The metamorphosis is also taking place in their musical identity, style, and with due skill on this album, Ifsounds break away from that status that labels them as "too similar to...". It's undeniable that everyone, in the boundless source of progressive rock, cups their hands to gather as much substance as possible and then shape it in their own image. Everyone did it in the past, and it's still done today. This time, however, in my opinion, Peter Pan has been craftier than his fleeting shadow and Ifsounds, crafting Apeirophobia, stitching it onto themselves, can rightfully impose their own style.

Apeirophobia is a journey, a difficult attempt to escape the terror of finding oneself alone and being stared at by many eyes. It can also be an apnea, a desire to explode that never seems to come. The lyrics, deep, cerebral, where occasionally sneaks a necessary apoplectic nature, blend with certain wisdom and extraordinary intensity to orchestrations that, despite everything, never appear noisy, but free of dirty riffs and heavy sounds. The masterpiece is undoubtedly "Summer Breeze", in addition to the closing composition that bears the album's name, unfolding into one of those rock symphonies that hasn't been heard in quite a while.

Interesting are the alternating incursions from acoustic to electric of Dario Lastella's guitars, which marry with an apt alchemy to the penetrating, scratchy voice, with necessary nods to the contralto of the latest arrival (and what an arrival) Elena Ricci. The velvety keyboards of the already acclaimed Claudio Lapenna, as well as the bass sometimes "protective" sometimes pressing by Francesco Bussoli, break the sterile schemes of normal accompaniment or the limited functions of a metronome, offering the listener a sound dimension absolutely to be discovered, eager and capable of escaping the canons imposed by the pioneers. The new drummer, Enzo Bellocchio, does not make us miss the good Luca Di Pardo (nothing against him) and the percussion comments, devoid of predictable structures or redundancies, manage to follow, highlighting his skill, the difficult line defined by the songs' metrics.

Globally, Ifsounds produce an album by Ifsounds, presenting their style hoping that some more authoritative ear will push them towards intercontinental success.

I wish them this and allow me a piece of advice: you should do the same.