Osanna
L'Uomo

Battitori Selvaggi, Volti di Pietra (with Gianni Leone, later in Balletto di Bronzo), Città Frontale: three names that precede the birth of the band. After the entry of multi-instrumentalist Elio D'Anna (ex Showmen), the name is changed to Osanna (randomly flipping through the dictionary). The rest of the band consists of Danilo Rustici and Lino Vairetti (singer/keyboardist and guitarist, authors and founders of the group), Massimo Guarino (drums), and Lello Brandi (bass).
They debuted in 1971 at the Caracalla festival and then at Viareggio Pop. In the meantime, they recorded their debut album, the one reviewed here, "L'Uomo".

It's an album only partly progressive (at the time of its release, bands like PFM, Banco, Area had not yet appeared on the scene) where it mixes with hard rock, traditional influences, and a few jazz touches.
The lyrics (sung partly in English and partly in Italian) are all focused on the misery of the human condition. A feature that struck me about the sound is the unconventional use of wind instruments, played in an aggressive manner to create piercing sounds, aiming to recreate the physical and psychological suffering of human beings (examples being the accordion and flute solos in the "Introduction").

After the aforementioned intro, it's the turn of the title-track, a signature song of the group. On a base of acoustic guitars, Vairetti recites the poetic lyrics ("Moments of peace not always exploited/They rendered good hearts frozen/We live and die/In mud and horror/In vain moments of love are sought") followed by a dissonant sax solo. "Mirror Train" is one of the best tracks: after the hard start and the exchange of guitar/flute solos, it moves to a more blues-like phase, then concludes with the guitar citing "Bandiera Rossa". "Non sei Vissuto Mai" and "Vado Verso una Meta" are 2 less elaborate tracks (the outro of the first is noteworthy, as it reprises the theme of the title track). Then comes "In un Vecchio Cieco": the first part seems like a real traditional song, while the second is a pure sound assault by the sax, also pushed to the extreme of its tones here. "L'Amore Vincerà di Nuovo" is the longest song (6.13 min), sung in both Italian and English, it starts slow and melodic, but in the middle presents a harder part with always beautiful flute solos, dominating the final part with a background of strange vocalizations. More straightforward hard rock in "Everybody's Gonna See You Die", with a catchy guitar riff, and in "Lady Power" which closes the album.

SCORE = 8