Phoenix Again
Unexplored

The cover of the new album by Phoenix Again Unexplored immediately transports us to an enchanted and tranquil, very impressionist atmosphere: it features an oil painting by Claudio Lorandi entitled Riflessi d'autunno. The Phoenix Again are a band from Brescia that was formed in 1981 as Phoenix. This is their third work and reveals a respectable compositional maturity. The references, as mentioned, can be found in the classic historical prog of groups like Genesis, Camel, Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash, and many others. Unfortunately, the founder Claudio passed away in 2007, but Phoenix Again had the strength and spirit to look forward, and what emerged is certainly a commendable album distributed by the ever-attentive Black Widow. The opening “That Day Will Come” is a beautiful piece that benefits from a splendid Mellotron intro and is characterized by moments that are at times calm and at times more intense. “The Bridge of Geese,” an evocative title, is one of the best moments in “Unexplored” with its medieval settings and its typically prog mood. The love for certain hard-rock sounds also emerges at times, as in “Silver” and “Whisky.” But elsewhere, the music is decidedly more calm and tranquil as in the short instrumental for acoustic guitar “Close to You” or in the long “Valle della luna,” with acoustic guitars and a very Genesis-style Mellotron prominent. “To be afraid – Ansia,” the other sung piece besides “That Day Will Come,” leads us to pastoral territories not far from the Camel. Overall, we are faced with a good inspired album, even if perhaps it lacks some compositional peaks and there's a bit of underlying monotony. In any case, Phoenix Again is a group that deserves your attention if you're a fan of prog. Available on Bandcamp: https://phoenixagain.bandcamp.com/album/unexplored.