Rogue had the great pleasure of reviewing Carmine Capasso’s debut album “Assenza di Gravita” in 2022 and enjoyed immensely, with the hope of future albums where the tracks would be fleshed out more, in order to shed light on his impressive technical skills. What better way to follow this advice than a live album? Carmine is a young and talented guitarist, singer/songwriter who lives in Milan, having worked as a session guitarist as well as playing recently with big name bands like the Trip, Inner Prospekt, Kimmo Porsti and the Samurai of Prog. A name to remember and follow, as his ability is noteworthy. Reprising most of his first album tracks as well as adding a few Prog jewels like Firth of Fifth, PFM’s “Impressioni di Settembre” and the Trip’s “Caronte I”, his tight crew is composed of Guiseppe Sarno on keys, bassist Piero Chiefa, drummer Jacopo Casadio and guest bassist Tony Alemanno on a few tracks. The concert showcases various styles, from prog, folk song, rock and classics, with the overt strategy of providing an entertaining night of music.

A series of four tracks from his debut kick off the festivities, with the dreamy “Sogno part 1” establishing the atmospheric mood with simmering glimmer. The electric guitar is up front and center, as the piece settles into a melodic groove, a delicate Sarno piano creating that romantic touch that made Italy famous, the rhythm section in the background showing admirable restraint. Segueing immediately into the rousing title track, a rocking power track, suavely vocalized with tons of mellotron adding an orchestral feel to the chorus. The guitars thrash expressively, with a synthesizer solo first to cut off the fat, an urgently repetitive voice and an axe flurry as coup de grace.

A return to melancholy is welcome, keeping the audience on edge, a piano and voice the main focus until a butterfly synth saunters into the shining light, the pace and power raising exponentially, until the piano sets the sun on the horizon.” Neve Nera” is a moody stunner I remember as a favourite on that first album, as it displays an intense passion, desperation and fortitude, expertly sung and played. The screeching fretboard exhortations are blistering and razor-sharp, a definite upgrade from the already brilliant studio version.

In a more traditional rock vein, “Sole Spento” is a single from a 2001 album from Timoria (active between 1985 and 2003) that gets a little retooling love from our master. “Una Valigia di Perche” maintains the style of Italian canzone, a simple, redolent piece that breathes the sunshining air of free spirit, an uncomplicated piece that adds freshness to the set list.

The voyage finally lands on the shores of revered classic RPI band the Trip, with the intro “Acheronte” and the main course “Caronte 1” raising the prog flag with impunity, as this section delves deep into the churning organ fiasco, with gritty guitars, bruising bass and polyrhythmic gymnastics from the drum kit. The breakneck pace is purely Formula One Ferrari, a careening, daredevil progressive rock in the vein of early Le Orme (think Collage), and frankly, this is just plain spectacular, as no quarter is given. The current version of the Trip is where the next Capasso written track takes center stage, as “Enigma” keeps the steamroller mood intact, another pummelling track, this time offering a sumptuous Alemanno bass line, the lightning fast Casadio banging his kit with impunity. The gurgling guitar complements the arrangement, with a massive solo from Carmine that urges and oozes with conviction, the bubbly organ in tow.

Arguably the PFM standard that put the RPI style on the global map, “Impressioni di Settembre” needs little explanation, only that Sarno’s take comes from an entirely different direction, a persistently exquisite piano etude to set the stage. Eventually, the famed refrain becomes familiar, and we enter through the gates of heaven, a piece that is a cornerstone of progressive rock, as it possesses EVERYTHING that can enchant the ear, the spirit and the soul. Carmine’s vocal is breathtakingly reverential, and the famous Premoli synth chorus is lovingly recreated by Sarno. Carmine peels off a wicked solo. Bombastic, celestial, eternal. E basta!

To tackle an even higher (okay, the highest!) peak is worthy of the greatest Everest climbers, the Genesis standard “Firth of Fifth” is quite the undertaking. I consider this piece as the number 1 of all time, as I still listen to it regularly today. As with the PFM classic, the band takes a different route, preferring to truncate the scintillating piano introduction by Tony Banks surely out of respect, skipping directly to the pulsating section where Casadia’s drums fawn over the extremely talented syncopation required, thus naturally leading to the sublime Hackett solo that remains a hallmark of music, all styles combined. Carmine does an admirable attempt, a bit faster, harder but very much reverential, as the finale engages a rabid synthesizer solo and a more wicked axe slash.

The “Sogno Part2” is a short, corkscrew finale, with a hurricane-strength, all guns blazing arrivederci! Contrary to any hyper polished studio offering, the main purpose of a live in concert setting is to let loose all the inner emotions without any boundaries and just play for the audience. The career path of this young talent should now become obvious to the prog community, and we all look forward to his future endeavours.

4.5 Milanese nights