1995 - "The Seduction of Madness" (appr. 55 min) [!]
1997 - "Chimica" (appr. 52 min)
2002 - "Forget the Colours" (68 min, "Mellow") [!]
All these are released at German prog-lable
"Music is Intelligence".
Most compositions are written
by A. Seravalle, the rest by M.Olivo.
Current line-up:
Alessandro Seravalle - vocals, guitars,
bass (in 1993, 1994),
keyboards (in 1993)
Mauro Olivo - keyboards
Camillo Calleluori - drums
Marco Ferrero - bass (ex-Asgard)
Previous members:
Fabrizio Zidaric - bass
Thomas Schaufler - drums (ex-Asgard)
No doubt, Garden Wall is the most underrated prog-band of the present day.
As a matter of fact, these very Italians are, in my opinion, the most innovative and original
contemporary progressive band. Led by the guitarist / vocalist, composer / lyricist
Alessandro Seravalle, Garden Wall has already four fully developped albums, each being
different from another, though all of them are made within the framework
of the band's own original stylistics. Up to now there have been no reviews on Garden
Wall in the net, except for Gibraltar, where you find just few lines that describe this band as "a sort of Neo compared to Asgard" (?!- it's possible, because ex-members of Asgard
from time to time are in Garden Wall's line-up: but what a comparison?).
Already their first album shows that this is a very original band with
a level of the complexity of compositions that can be quite compared to the most serious
albums of the '70s. However, Garden Wall sounds not like a band (so many of them!) recycling
the ideal, though old, structures, but really modern and fresh. I don't take into account a
slightly accented vocals of Seravalle here, because it's really original and impressive, though, I
think, Alessandro may have been inspired by Peter Hammill, in vocals as well as in lyrics.
Indeed, Garden Wall's lyrics are as profound and full of grotesque with a touch of
surrealism sometimes. "Principium" and the latest album "Chimica"
can be called stylistically as being somewhere in the middle between classic prog-rock
and prog metal, with the former nearer to the classic prog-rock genre.
The second album from Garden Wall "Path of Dreams" sounds unexpectedly after
the familiar "Principium". This is, on the whole, an album of the purest classic symphonic
progressive, full of polyphony, with equally prominent roles of guitars and keyboards so as
to create a full-blooded piece of art of symphonic rock. "Path of Dreams" is a more mature
work than the already distinguished debut, with countless innovative and complex
arrangements within every song, fantastic interplays between keyboards and electric
or acoustic guitars, energetic and dramatic vocals already without accent (only not
counting the pronunciation of the word communion). However, here more than
a half of the compositions are solely instrumental, including the most beautiful piece of the
album The Bride Of The Wind. Some instrumentals have been written only by Olivo
and played with piano and synth-clavecin and sound with a clear "breath" of the Middle
Ages. Maj di Muart is the only one from the whole discography where Alessandro
sings in Italian, his native language. So, already the second album from Garden Wall
turned out to be a true masterpiece of progressive rock.
The third Garden Wall's album "The Seduction of Madness" (their first with a full-bodied
line-up) sounds again too unexpectedly after a symphonic "Path of Dreams". With the
exception of Naia, where Alessandro sings only to the accompaniment of medieval keyboard
instruments, this is on the whole the heaviest album from these guys. However, you
are unlikely to perceive it as a prog metal album at all: this is simply a really heavy work of
symphonic progressive rock, another state-of -the-art album from such a young band.
I've never heard such a marvellous style! And it's not a mix of symphonic rock
with prog metal, no way! Just listen to the gems like La Chatea Fou, an incredible
heavy... waltz, and you'll understand, what a gem goes unnoticed up to now!
One and a half years later Garden Wall are back with their fourth album, whose release
is known, I'm sure, just to a handful of people, for there has been NO information on
"Chimica" on the net for 18 month since the release date. And if you the guys from Garden Wall, are reading these lines, please welcome to our "Progressor" site! Just write me
at e-mail: vit@progressor.uz, and you will be welcome guests on it. Coming back to
"Chimica", we learn that this new one sounds again differently from any of Garden Wall's previous albums, as always. The first 35-minute Chemotaxis is a major outstanding
composition here , as well as another long one from Seravalle La Belle Dame (over
10 minutes, they form the whole album together!). This time we hear an excellent mix
of both styles from "Path of Dreams" and "The Seduction of Madness", though the way
arrangements are made here is an absolute breakthrough. The rest 20 minutes contain
three short fine instrumentals and two songs. The first of the songs sounds original and
striking, though the main theme is based on a kind of rock'n'roll, but it's not my cup of tea. The second song complets the album with slight Hammilesque intonations (circa "Roaring
Forties"). Of course, it's just a matter of taste, but as for me, this album would have all the six stars of mine, if it weren't for the two abovesaid songs, and not just five and a half...
Summary is simple. Garden Wall is one of my dearly loved prog bands ever: Top
20 of all the prog-years. This is the best Progressive Rock band ever since "U.K."
and "Marillion" (and just due to "Brave", their only true classic (not neo) progressive rock album). I am just waiting for Garden Wall's next album...