Yugen
Iridule

Altrock Records is undoubtedly one of the best record labels for true modern Prog, boasting groups like Aranis, Finnegans Wake, Rational Diet, MiRthkon, but above all the project Yugen by Francesco Zago, former guitarist of Night Watch, with whom he produced a single album named "Twilight" in 1997, where he displayed distinctly Neo-Prog sounds. With the ambitious Yugen project (a name derived from an artistic terminology of the Land of the Rising Sun), he presents a markedly different style, marking a clear departure from the melodic parts that characterized his previous band, in favor of a very original and convincing musical exploration, creating a balance between Rock and chamber music.

They immediately made a name for themselves with the splendid debut "Labirinto d'Acqua" in 2006, followed by "Uova Fatali" two years later. Zago and company returned in 2010 with "Iridule," featuring an extraordinary lineup composed of seemingly ordinary people like Guy Segers (bassist of Univers Zero), Michele Epifani (keyboardist of Areknames), and the presence of members from Thinking Plague.

The project represents a kind of continuity of the 80s Avant-Prog, a stylistic quest ranging from the Belgian chamber rock (Univers Zero, Present) to the eclectic sounds of Miriodor and Thinking Plague themselves, all in a song form not far removed from what was offered by the Gentle Giant, with the gift of essential Frippian compositional perfection.

"Iridule" can be considered as a kind of unsettling and introspective sonic journey, enriched by almost fairy-tale-like interludes, in which there is the splendid voice of Elaine Di Falco, in the title track and in "Ice." Tracks like "The Scuttle of The Past Out of the Cupboards" and "Overmurmur" are stylistically somewhat akin to the latest works of Present, but not devoid of Crimsonian references both in structure reminiscent of suites like "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" and in the use of the Mellotron. "Becchime," which features influences not too distant from the previously mentioned pieces, is certainly the most convoluted and complex piece of the lot. The closing track "Cloudscape" is, for me, the best moment, contrasting with the rest of the album and representing the more symphonic side of the group, a possibly foretelling stylistic anticipation for future works.

An album that represents a further stylistic maturity for the "homegrown" ensemble, it hardly strikes at first listens, but after that, it becomes impossible to stop listening to it.