quinta-feira, 18 de janeiro de 2018

SPETTRI - Heavy Prog • Italy


SPETTRI was a five-piece band from Florence, formed by brothers Ugo and Raffaele Ponticiello in 1964. They had a fairly long career and released several singles during the height of the Italian beat era although their sound gradually evolved and by the turn of the decade they had turned to performing covers of songs by contemporary heavy rock groups from the UK and USA. The band also underwent a number of personnel changes during the intervening years and among the musicians who came and went was drummer Mauro Sarti of CAMPO DI MARTE fame. The youngest member of the Ponticiello clan, Vincenzo, joined in 1971 thus making the venture a real family affair.

Between 1970-71 the band had also written enough original material for a full-length album that was later recorded in a single session on 13 October 1972, with a sound that is rather primitive and badly produced. However, the album never saw the light of day until 2011 when Black Widow Records released a re-mastered version of the self-titled work almost on the eve of its 40th anniversary. It's a concept album that portrays one man's search for his inner self by means of a séance, although it's also an allegory on the selfishness and hypocrisy of modern society and the erosion of humanity. The protagonist's journey to the abyss is aptly accompanied by a dark atmosphere of heavy guitar riffs and Hammond organ that together sounds like a collision of BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE. 

SPETTRI had a good live activity but eventually disbanded in 1975; according to the album's liner notes the various band members followed different musical paths due to ''growing public indifference to refined music'' around that time. Describing SPETTRI as ''refined'' might strain the listener's credulity somewhat as the main appeal of this band seems to be characterised by its very defects, its rawness and its sheer exuberance. 






Thanks Magal

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