The Apparatus - Museo Rosenbach

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Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Editor's rating

8.5

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chad Coup
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Monday, 10 December 2007
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Zarathustra: l'Ultimo Uomo
02. Zarathustra: Il Re de Ieri
03. Zarathustra: Al Di La'del Bene E del Male
04. Zarathustra: Superuomo
05. Zarathustra: Il Tempio Delle Clessidre
06. Degli Uomini
07. Della Natura
08. Dell'eterno Ritorno

Artist: Museo Rosenbach
Title: Zarathustra
Genre: Progressive Rock
Release Date: 01 April 1973
Record Label: BMG Records
Format: Full-length
Country: Italy
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March 4, 2003 re-release

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Editor review

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Overall rating (weighted)		8.5
Musicianship		9.0
Composition		9.0
Experimentation		8.0
Production		8.0
Value		8.0

More symphonic prog from Italy comes in the form of this monstrosity. MR's only released album in the 'golden age' of prog centers lyrically on philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's narrative/philosophem 'Also Sprach Zarathustra.' The first half of the record has five beautifully interwoven, mostly instrumental tracks that don't skimp on delivering everything a prog fan could want. The way that the keyboards first come in after the vocalist's intense delivery has about as much impact as being trampled by an elephant.

What makes MR's sound different than all the myriad Italian prog acts is their use of the keyboards. This is the most severe and devastating keyboard playing heard in prog since King Crimson started up. Pit Corradi's Hammond and Mellotron, prog mainstays, are the loudest voices here...even louder than vocalist Stefano 'Lupo' Galifi. Galifi's vocal approach is intensely operatic and has so much emotion and depth. It's worth this record for voice fans to see exactly what popular music vocalists are missing nowadays: balls.

These men really make Zarathustra's story into something bigger than it could be. Side note: if you haven't read the book, please do so, because the record will make a little more sense thematically. On top of that, it's a great read. The already challenging source material is given extra respect when passages are sung in Italian. The three other tracks are nothing short of stunning, of course, and fortunately (unfortunately?) are not as melancholy and militant as the first side. Playing is, like many of the genre's ilk, extremely reminiscent of ELP and Genesis, two of prog's grandfathers. We get a lot of keyboards, hills and valleys in tone and intensity, but it's not sentimental like Genesis or quietly smug like ELP. It's dark, evil and powerful; this album is almost the antithesis of prog rock.

The band re-formed in 2000, like a small handful of Italian prog acts, and came out with the LP 'Exit,' but I haven't been able to find that one to see if it does justice to the legacy this record earned itself. Borderline proto-metal, 'Zarathustra' is definitely the heaviest offering Italian prog has to show. It may be a little pricey to get ahold of, but the payoff is well worth the search.

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