20.000 leghe sotto i mari (Nuova Era, 2025)

Nuova Era are among my favourite bands when it comes to vintage sounds and classic Italian prog. Walter Pini and his friends are veteran proggers and this 2025 album, retelling Jule Verne's masterpiece novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas, is their sixth official release, but their sound is as refreshing and creative as it used to be during the '80s. First things first: the tempo, mood and instrumentation changes are stunning. 

Nemo and friends under the prog seas!

Stately organs, dainty acoustic passages, strong vocals, breathtaking progressions, intricate rythms and of course beautiful melodies... al things Italian Prog are there! Being a 36 minutes suite, divided into 8 parts, "20.000 leghe sotto i mari" is a true musical ordeal, treating the listener with both compositional and performing skills. Each variation introduces a different world and even the marine sound effects perfectly fit into the great picture. All in all, this is IMHO one of the best pages of Nuova Era's flushing repertoire.

Io e il tempo (Nuova Era, 1992)

It's impossible to describe here my first reactions when listening to this suite, the title track of Nuova Era's third album, released in 1992. First of all, I feltt many years younger. It was like going back to places I once knew and loved... classical Italian prog of old was coming back to life. But this dejà vu effect wasn't all, 'cause this suite is an excellent piece of music, well written, well performed and well arranged. The melodies are excellent and their reprises are cleverly organised all along the track.

Out of the blue... the good ol' prog was back, stronger than ever.

The instrumental passages are sweet and solid, featuring pleasant interplays between keyboards and guitars. Walter Pini, the mind behind Nuova Era, signed here one of his finest achievements, IMHO, and his brother Ivan provided some very good lyrics about time, childhood and getting old, filled with gentle melancholy. The miracle with this track is that it really sounds new and fresh, despite all the its musical quotations. Really, one of my favourites ever.