4 out of 5 Stars!

Back in the mid-’90s, when I started delving into the Italian Prog-Rock scene thanks to a renewed interest in PFM, I stumbled across the 1992 debut by Il Castello di Atlante, and after savoring the album, immediately deemed the talented group one to watch.

Now, more than two decades later, with the arrival of Arx Atlantis, the band’s sixth (I believe) studio collection, I’m still impressed. The group continues to create some grand and often-complex material, with the vocal melody lines ever-enchanting and the instrumentation dynamic and laden with exquisite solos and background accompaniment.

And with the violin beautifully weaving its way in and out of the five songs on offer here, and the old-style keys and synths acting as a lush foundation for the band’s symphonic style, Il Castello di Atlante continues to remind me of a happy and fruitful marriage between acts such as PFM and Kansas.

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