La fabbrica dell'assoluto
1984: L'ultimo uomo d'Europa

The epic of the glorious Italian prog never ceases to fascinate and influence numerous bands: obscure names like Museo Rosenbach, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Metamorfosi, Alphataurus, Pholas Dactylus, Un Biglietto per l'Inferno have become the object of true cult. Simply listen to La Maschera di Cera, Il Segno del Comando, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, La Coscienza di Zeno to realize how the spiritual legacy of that legendary period has fortunately not been lost. Labels like the essential Mellow Records have contributed in the past to revive these splendors with reprints and new proposals. Besides the aforementioned Mellow, we must not forget the mythical Black Widow of Genoa which, over the years, continues undaunted in its sacred mission to spread the progressive word across the peninsula.

Now it's the turn of La Fabbrica dell'Assoluto, a Roman band that authored an admirable concept titled "1984: The Last Man in Europe" inspired by George Orwell's masterpiece. The cover is by painter Cesare Modesto. The lineup features Claudio Cassio on vocals, Daniele Fuligni on keyboards (with a wide array of instruments at his disposal, including Mellotron, Hammond, Minimoog, piano), Marco Pilono on bass, Michele Ricciardi on drums, and Daniele Sopranza on electric guitar. Pino Ballarini from Rovescio della Medaglia is also featured on vocals in a track - "La canzone del Castagno" - to confirm the indissoluble connection with Italian prog. After an atmospheric and unsettling beginning with sampled voices, we are immersed in a "journey" back in time, reliving the ancient exploits of the knights of the Italian progressive season: thus, we see the return of the ghost of Balletto di Bronzo in "I due minuti dell’odio". After the moving "April 4, 1984" comes "Chi controlla il Passato controlla il Futuro. Chi controlla il Presente controlla il Passato", an aggressive and hard track with clear references to Rovescio della Medaglia. The brief tracks follow one another without interruption: thus after the epic "O'Brien" and the experimental "Bipensiero", we can hear "La ballata del proletario", with keyboards in great prominence, and the explosive "L'occhio del Teleschermo". As in all respectable prog albums, there couldn't be a lack of a suite, namely "Processo di omologazione", divided into four articulated sections. In "La Canzone del Castagno", as mentioned, Pino Ballarini is on vocals. The concluding "Amava il Grande Fratello" closes the circle by linking back to the initial track with noises and sampled voices. Ultimately, we have an excellent album that manages, compared to other similar attempts, not to be impersonal and succeeds in capturing the spirit and atmospheres of the era.