Il Cerchio d'Oro - "Il Viaggio di Colombo" Review

Artist/ Band: Il Cerchio d'Oro
Title: Il Viaggio di Colombo
Label: Black Widow
Year of Release: 2008
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

Il Cerchio d’Oro was formed in1974, but haven’t released a proper album until 2008, called Il Viaggio Di Colombo. It’s on the Black Widow Records label, which should give those familiar what to expect. They sound like most prog music of the 70‘s and possibly the early 80‘s. Since my knowledge of Italian progressive rock is next to nothing, so it’s hard to give some realistic comparisons. However I can say their influences range from Banco, to PFM to early Deep Purple with hints of Pink Floyd and Camel.

Il Viaggio Di Colombo is a conceptual album about the story of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. Even though the lyrics are in Italian, the booklet insert includes lyrics in both Italian and English. The English translated lyrics, give the listener a way to follow the story.

There really isn’t any stand-out tracks here but if you listen all the way through, you’ll feel a certain satisfaction afterwards. If you’re seeking any groundbreaking music, please look elsewhere but if you enjoy fine Italian prog, then this may be a welcomed addition to your collection. As a bonus, there are two unrelated tracks from their 1977 single, which conclude this album. While these tracks don’t follow the story, they fit nicely as a epilog (musically) to the album. I hope to hear more from this band as I found them to be quite enjoyable.

While not a groundbreaking album, I think fans of Italian progressive music from the early 70’s onwards would welcome Il Cerchio d’Oro into their collection. Il Viaggio Di Colombo is a nice album that I’ll be revisiting quite often. A recommended purchase.

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on October 17th, 2009

Tracks:

01. Ouverture

02. Sognando la Meta

03. Colombo

04. Tre Marinai

05. Ieri, Oggi, ancora Niente

06. Il Silenzio Rumoroso del Mare

07. Preghiera al Vento

08. Tre Giorni (L'Ammutinamento)

09. Tierra! Tierra!

10. Cercando l'Approdo

11. Conclusione (il Ritorno)

Bonus tracks:

12. Quattro Mura

13. Futuro Prossimo