Presence
Black Opera

I must acknowledge the merit of metal magazines for having served as an important window, not so much on purely metal works but on those of "parallel" genres, even if the distance was often considerable. Thus, alongside offerings like Dream Theater or Shadow Gallery, you could find mentions of bands like Spock's Beard, Flower Kings, Anglagard, or even a historical revisitation of classic progressive music.

These "fellow countrymen," Presence, stood out in a review alongside individuals with less recommendable names and genres diametrically opposed, but the curiosity about the proposal, which according to the reviewer was extraordinary, and the proximity to me led that initial curiosity to become a true obsession. We are talking about times when speaking of the internet would get you labeled as crazy, and hence, the famous pre-listening sessions could only be done at your trusted store, with the shopkeeper huffing as they had to remove the cellophane from the only copy of that record, not considering that perhaps I would be the only possible and sole buyer. And if you had to write the name "Presence" on a piece of paper for the shopkeeper, because not only did they not know them, but they also had an English knowledge comparable to that of an unexplored Amazon tribe, and the same shopkeeper, after about ten days, smiling and satisfied, would present you with a copy of "Presence" by Led Zeppelin, then the idea that I had to look for it directly with the record label, the Genoese Black Widow, became an absolute certainty.

Was it real glory? What I like and find endearing is that any metal reviewer, accustomed to massive doses of guitars, double pedals, sharp notes, and dragon fire, when faced with a completely different proposal, is almost always generous with compliments, praise, and kind words for those sounds so different from what they are used to. In short, even if metal is often a genre stubbornly closed in on itself, at least its listeners have broader visions.

So, can I agree with that reviewer about Presence? For the most part, yes.

I must say upfront that this record is not so far from being appreciated by listeners of bands like Nightwish, Evanescence, and similar with female vocals (even though back then, in 1996, they probably didn’t exist yet), as well as those who get lost behind the twilight and November-like sounds of certain gothic metal.

In perfect line with Black Widow's production, Presence offers symphonic progressive with strong dark veins, with a wall of keyboards boosted to the extreme (played by Enrico Iglio, the composer of all the music), with vocals sometimes theatrical, sometimes lyrical by Sophya Baccini, and with always wise and never intrusive guitar insertions by Sergio Casamassima.

From the opener "The Bleeding" to "On Travel", you can admire magniloquent and evocative sounds, at times dark before opening up into wide-ranging melodies supported by Baccini's considerable vocal range (listen to "Eye Master"). Often, the singer's voice becomes so high-pitched that you get the impression of facing the enchanting song of a siren...

This journey, at times sepulchral, at times dreamlike, concludes with a tribute to Giuseppe Verdi, with four areas taken and interpreted in the unique style of Presence ("Tacea la notte placida", "Cortigiani vil razza dannata", "Pace pace mio Dio", "Un dì quando le veneri"). While remaining essentially faithful to the originals, the band's ability to adapt them to their sound is surprising, or perhaps it was Verdi's works themselves that were easily adaptable, who knows...

I admit, I have lost track of Presence. It seems they have continued to make records (albeit few of them), but for those who manage to find this one, I am sure they will be pleasantly impressed.