Retro prog; Neo Italian prog
Latest release: Frammenti Notturni (2017)
On their third and (so far) last album, Frammenti Notturni, I added: "Unreal City's 3rd album certainly pushes all the right buttons for the Italian prog rock style. Many shifts in tone and pace, impassioned vocals in the local language, and complex compositions. All that said, Frammenti Notturni seems a bit flat, and the instrumentals can be stilted. Not sure where to point the blame, as there's no real obvious flaws."
Which gets us to the middle child, an album I bought upon release but didn't pen any notes. As you can see from the two scribblings above, it's clear Unreal City are a participant of the Italian progressive rock virtual community. And Il Paese del Tramonto is no different. While it may have that prog-by-the-numbers feel, the album's abrupt transitions are very welcome, perhaps reassuring. I'm not sure why their third album never resonated. I tried on multiple attempts, but ultimately sold it. Fortunately that's not the case here. Maybe the band had reached their creative limit and it had become routine versus exciting. Unreal City have been silent for some time, and their last album is now six years in the rearview mirror. Perhaps this long break will reignite their creative juices. Regardless, Il Paese del Tramonto continues to earn its shelf space. My rating remains the same, now validated.
As I'm sure you deduced by now, Unreal City is yet another new participant. Mirror Records presented us earlier in the year with Oxhuitza, a band that blended both old school Italo progressive rock (especially regarding the analog keyboards) with more modern sounds like metal guitar. For those who didn't care for the latter element, then Unreal City will most likely be more to your taste. There's a considerable amount of mellotron on here, though much of it sounds sampled to me (Planet Mellotron has given them the benefit of the doubt for now, querying the public for more info). In the end, it doesn't really matter much to me, as I love the sound - sampled or not. The guest violin adds a much welcomed ingredient. And the pipe organ recalls that old 1972 chestnut Il Paese dei Balocchi. Unreal City strike me as band that will be quickly dismissed by those saying it's "all been done before". Conversely, diehard fans will embrace it without too much questioning. I'm a diehard, and yes, I really like it for certain. I will admit nothing struck out in a head-turning way, like the very best Italian albums can, though I didn't hear anything cringe-worthy either. The style by itself allows for various interpretations of the same song over multiple listens. That's the beauty of it - there's so much to digest, each listen has its own rewards. And you will for certain get your money's worth with Unreal City, an album chock full of twists, turns, and great invention. I very much look forward to their next release!
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