Short Reviews [Il Balletto di Bronzo - 2023 - "Lemures"]

As with many other bands in the early Seventies RPI scene, Il Balletto Di Bronzo burned very brightly for a short while before disappearing, leaving behind two albums – the second of which is still highly regarded today, ‘Ys’. Two of the founders finally delivered another album only 46 years on from the debut, using the name Il Balletto di Bronzo di Lino Ajello & Marco Cecioni to differentiate this band away from the version of Il Balletto di Bronzo being led by Gianni Leone who had appeared on the debut but came into his own on ‘Ys’, providing both lead vocals and keyboards. He also appeared on a couple of tracks on that album as well but come 2023 and we find him leading his own trio as he is accompanied here by Ivano Salvatori (bass) and Riccardo Spilli (drums). If someone had given me this album and asked me where it had come from and what label had released it, I am sure I would have got both answers correct as this is traditional RPI being given a new twist and is solid Black Widow all the way. I am not sure how long I have known Massimo, but certainly well over 25 years, and he continues to drive the label to be at the forefront of releasing great Italian music and this is no exception. This never sounds like a modern album, but instead is packed full of the layering of keyboards and styles one comes to expect with RPI, and there are plenty of nods to Emerson within this while also looking more closely to home and the likes of Goblin. Leone has a great voice and is also a very accomplished keyboard player who is not afraid to take classic Mellotron and Hammonds and then mix it up with sounds which are more recent to create an album packed full of depth. At just under an hour in length he has given himself plenty of time to show off all his skills, and there are times when it sounds as if he was performing in the studio, as opposed to just recording with the introduction to “Napoli Sotterranea” being very much a case in point. This is an album which sounds aged and matured, containing plenty of depths and hidden secrets which only come to light when given repeated plays. Sheer class from beginning to end, let us hope that Leone delivers us another album soon and that this is not the last we have heard from Il Balletto Di Bronzo.