Of all the Italian progressive rock bands of the 70s, Alphataurus was one of them. Not blessed with the chops of Area, the creativity of PFM or the unique musical talent of Banco, this Milanese band produced one perfectly decent self-titled album in 1973 before disappearing off the map. The five tracks on this album are fun prog excursions but are less complex and thought-provoking than the works by the more famous bands of the era. Perhaps the most remarkable part of this album was its exquisite triple gatefold cover featuring the ironic image of a dove of peace dropping bombs from its chest over a war-torn landscape. In this case, I wouldn’t say the music lives up to the promise of the album cover.
A decade ago, a resurgence in interest in the RPI genre brought about the resurrection of many long-defunct bands including Alphataurus, playing new live dates and producing a long-awaited second album, AttosecondO in 2012. While it’s lovely that these bands all experienced a new breath of life forty years after their heyday, I wish the genre’s interest had been sustained since the 1970s.
Twelve years on, Alphataurus is now ready to present a third offering, despite only featuring two of the original members: guitarist Guido Wassermann and keyboardist Pietro Pellegrini. As the title suggests, it’s a futuristic concept album about a journey through a wormhole, although my Italian is not strong enough to figure out what happens afterwards.
I must admit, I was fairly impressed with this solid offering from the ageing rockers. I’ve heard far too many albums by bands half a century old that are simply going through the motions, playing shapeless, forgettable songs that are easy to play for arthritic hands. 2084: Viaggio nel Nulla is not that. To my surprise, Alphataurus are pretty adventurous with multi-part songs that do indeed take their listener on a journey.
All the same, I was sceptical. The opening nine-minute Pista 6 did little to inspire my confidence as it was rather clunky with a slow tempo. It’s only when I reached Side Two that I realised that the guys knew what they were doing. If it weren’t for the story aspect of the album, I probably would have swapped Side Two with Side One as Wormhole is undoubtedly the best track on the album, and not only because it’s the longest at ten minutes. A menacing, proggy verse section bookends a lengthy, pastoral anthem. The transition between sections is nothing less than masterful, incorporating flute and delicately balancing the emotions of the disparate parts.
At the end comes the Einstein-inspired E=mc2, which closes the album on a soft, sweet, drum-free note. Rather saccharine, I think it could have done with being chopped in half or beefed up to go out with more of a bang, but that’s just my preference. While this is certainly not hard-hitting, pushing-the-boundaries prog, it’s a hell of a lot better than I was expecting from a 54-year-old group whose first album wasn’t even that great in the first place. Amazingly, Alphataurus have created yet another decent specimen of the comfort food we know as RPI, and once again it comes packaged in a sleek triple-gatefold album sleeve. Is that the band’s calling card?
TRACK LISTING
01. Pista 6 (8:57)
02. Viaggio nel nulla (5:00)
03. Flashback (Apocalisse) (5:51)
04. Wormhole (10:16)
05. Meta e metà (6:37)
06. E=mc2 (5:05)
Total Time – 41:43
MUSICIANS
Guido Wassermann – Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Synths, Backing Vocals
Andrea Guizzetti – Piano, Synths, Backing Vocals
Pietro Pellegrini – Organ, Hammond, Synths
Tony Alemanno – Bass
Diego Mariani – Drums, Backing Vocals
Franco Giaffreda – Lead Vocals, Classical Guitar, Flute
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: AMS Records
Catalogue#: AMS344CD / AMSLP174
Country of Origin: Italy
Date of Release: 4th October 2024
LINKS
Alphataurus – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram