•
Rating: The title is self-explanatory: we are dealing with a rock opera, that is a record featuring a progressive rock structure accompanied by monumental arrangements. A way to describe in a few words a truly unusual album for 2005: in fact, and I couldn't believe it, the album has just been released.
It's a concept about the story of Dracula, and indeed the album could be a splendid soundtrack for one of the many films on the subject. We start with the overture, a nice dive into the 1970s, with the instruments, technology, and innate attitude of Di Cioccio & Co. With "Ho mangiato gli uccelli" they give us a great example of what it means to "play like it should be", while "Non è un'incubo è realtà" represents the most visionary and romantic part of the work. Also noteworthy is "Il castello dei perché", one of the most marvelous tracks on the album, which I must recognize for its considerable musical greatness, though perhaps coupled with an excessive pomposity. The style is that of the good old days, indeed we (prog-maniacs) needed something like this: otherwise, we would have been condemned to a lifetime of listening to music in the time span [1968-1979], and goodbye. . . I won't mention the other tracks to keep this review light: just know that. . not a single one of them is subpar! Choirs, symphonies, mellotron, riffs & solos aplenty, Di Cioccio's voice always perfect, the virtuosity of each group member abundant, not forgetting an immense emotional charge. . . do I need to add more?
Tracklist
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Logic Probe
"Inside us, good and evil are inseparable, two lips of the same wound."
Dracula sounds like a PFM album in its best form, a fascinating and pleasant album despite the prog virtuosity.
By FLOYDMAN
An acoustic guitar, very light, paints in our minds right from the start a cursed yet damnably fascinating castle.
"It is a story from another era but it is the mirror of reality because good can never free itself from evil."
