Standarte - Stimmung

Year of Release: 1999
Label: Black Widow Records
Catalog Number: BWRCD 028-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 48:31:00

Whilst the band's debut had both feet firmly in the Atomic Rooster soil, the follow up album Curses And Invocations was not really what we expected. On this, their third album, the Italian Standarte finally takes us back on board the same ship, filled with grungy guitars, Mellotron, and a sea of Hammond. In fact it turned out to be a strange kind of an album because half of this album consists of new studio tracks, whilst the second half contains some live recordings. Three of these latter recordings were recorded in Stockholm, whilst the final two (one of which is the cover "Yellow Cave Woman" and the other the close to "old" Pink Floyd sounding "Won't Start Another Song") stem from a radio show.

Although they are a young band, it's as if you are constantly listening to a band from the seventies, because even from a production point of view, they try to produce a sound that sounds as if it's "vintage 70s." Although keyboard player Michele Profeti loves us to compare his work with that of the late Vincent Crane, I do hear a fair amount of Jon Lord throughout his style. Songs like "Moon In Cancer," "Dark Satanic Mill," and "In My Time of Dying" sound very "hypnotizing" through your speakers by means of reverb, Lesley, and phasing. Lovers of pure underground sounds with fierce guitars (during "Sonnermensch" I can clearly hear Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"), swirling organ sounds, and psychedelic interventions will certainly enjoy this shiny disc.

Tracklisting:
Intro (2:17) / (We Want) A Peacefull Village (3:43) / Kankweezler (4:57) / Stimmung (3:20) / Sonnermensch (4:42) / Moon In Cancer (5:34) / Dark Satanic Mill (4:36) / In My Time Of Dying (8:26) / Yellow Cave Woman (3:48) / I Won't Start Another Song (9:08)

Musicians:
Daniele Caputo - drums, vocals
Davide Nicolini - guitar
Michele Profeti - organ, piano, moog, mellotron
Stefano Gabbani - bass

Discography:
Standarte (1995)
Curses And Invocations (1996)
Stimmung (1998)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin IT

Added: February 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Hits: 4395
Language: english