Analysis. In spite of all those people who see the Internet as the No-1 enemy of music (mainly on account of the illegal downloading phenomenon), Filoritmia have embraced it enthusiastically, and used it to their best advantage. A proudly self-reliant outfit that has been around for over ten years, they devote as much attention to the presentation of their musical product as any high-profile band (if not even more so), with the intent of offering a complete artistic experience to their listeners – much in the way of the classic prog bands, even if taking full advantage of 21st-century technology. While struggling against the odds of a music scene that seems to reward style rather than substance, Filoritmia manage to keep an obviously passionate attitude towards music-making, and the painstaking care they take in the presentation of their musical product bears this out. “Passaggi”’s elaborate foldout sleeve cannot but remind the older generations of the wonderful tactile and visual quality possessed by most Seventies albums. Moreover, their lush yet powerful sound, while firmly rooted in the golden era of progressive rock, is nevertheless imbued with a sense of exquisitely modern freshness. Compositionally focused and instrumentally tight, the music showcased on “Passaggi” feels densely woven, never flagging, keeping up a sense of urgency that is supported by each individual performance. As a listener, I set great store by an album’s opening track, and Filoritmia do not disappoint in this respect. Colla E Gesso takes no prisoners, a hard-hitting cavalcade flush with gritty vocals and raging Hammond organ, blending Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and vintage Italian prog with plenty of contemporary flavour in a truly heady mixture. Though the Hammond’s soulful growl might be seen as the album’s trademark, all the instruments are equally essential for the end result. Filoritmia’s real ace in the hole, however, are Giorgio Mele’s powerhouse vocals. The band’s music is the kind that needs to be handled by a strong set of pipes, and Mele delivers in spades, his voice rugged and melodic at the same time, capable of tackling barnstormers such as the above-mentioned Colla E Gesso, or the equally intense Godo, and more melodic, subdued moments like the first half of Senza Sale and L’Uomo Che Torna. The driving energy of the keyboards (not just the Hammond, but also piano and synths) is bolstered by Roberto Riccardi’s brilliant guitar work, always at the service of the compositions rather than the other way around. From a structural point of view, “Passaggi” comes across as such a solid effort that it is not easy to pick out any track for analysis, with hardly any single item that actually sounds ‘weaker’ than the rest. The almost-instrumental Non E’ Festa – a tribute to one of the most influential and revered Italian prog bands, PFM, and their iconic E’ Festa (known in the English-speaking world as Celebration) – is the only number that might be construed as filler. Though not as memorable as the other items, it nonetheless manages to capture the listener’s attention with its upbeat keyboards and brief vocal section. None of the other songs (whose running times range from 7 to 10 minutes) feels overlong or padded, the music often positively riveting, brimming with melody, power and emotion, and often building up to a crescendo – as is the case of L’Uomo Che Torna and the dramatic tour-de-force of album closer Manifesto. Though Deep Purple might appear as the single most relevant influence, the album is also unmistakeably Italian, and not only on account of the excellent, thought-provoking lyrics. Other, unexpected sources of inspiration also crop up, such as the Eighties King Crimson vibe surfacing in the jagged guitar licks and drumming patterns of Il Sogno Del Fotografo. Like the best vintage Italian prog, “Passaggi” is invigorating and ultimately uplifting, its Seventies feel enhanced and updated by thoroughly modern production values. If Filoritmia were based in an English-speaking country, they would probably be hailed as the next big thing in the prog world. Indeed, their reinterpretation of the classic heavy prog sound of the Seventies is far more effective than the overrated efforts of bands like Bigelf. With sterling technical chops paralleled by a high emotional quotient, the band have the potential to grow into an act to be reckoned with.

Conclusion. A surprisingly mature, multi-faceted album, “Passaggi” will equally appeal to lovers of classic heavy progressive rock in the Deep Purple/Uriah Heep/Atomic Rooster mould, and to the ever-increasing contingent of Italian prog fans. Successfully reconciling vintage sounds with more contemporary sensibilities, Filoritmia would deserve a lot more exposure outside their native Italy – provided they do not keep us waiting another nine years for their next album.

I caught up with the band for an update.

What are you up to these days?

We're promoting our last CD and playing live whenever possible in Italy around Milan where we all live. 

How is life in Italy these days?

Wonderful as always. To live in Milan gives you many advantages. It's a lively city where people who appreciate culture and arts have many options to chose among. Unfortunately, the biggest lack is in music. The chances seems to be less and less. Mass market logic seems to be the only rule. Please tell us more about your background.

Who was your musical inspirations?

We all come from a rock background. But inspirations are many. Toni, the drummer used to play metal. Giorgio and Matteo (voice and bass guitar) tend to be closer to psychedelic tradition, Roberto (the guitarist) likes very much the Beatles and jazz and fusion, Angelo (Keyboard) is a 70's rocker and he likes as well fusion. All of us are very much interested in prog and we're definitely prog-fun, but we're well aware that rock-progressive universe is far too large to, be considered a specific music genre. Basically we all love PFM, Area, King Crimson and Genesis. Marillion is another band we definitely like......... and we can't forget Dream Theatre.

When did you start up Filoritmia, with whom and what does that name means?

The band was founded in 1993 by three of us: Angelo, Antonio and Giorgio. Then, in 1997, after Roberto and Matteo joined the band, the project concretely started with new songs and many live shows. Filoritmia is actually a composition of two words meaning love “filos” and rhythm. So very simple: “Love for rhythm” or “Rhythm lovers”, as you like most.

Both your albums are self-released. Please tell us why you went down that route and the pro/cons of doing everything yourself ?

That's true. It's a choice we're very proud of. It allows you to be independent from all points of view. No market conditioning, no economic pressure. You propose your music for what it is and not for what mass consumers think it should be. And, it's not easy. It requires time, investments and you don't really gain many sympathies among producers, of course.... any how, once they understand you make things properly, they start respecting you and nice collaborations can start for sales and distribution as well. Most of the self-promotion is carried out through our website,  www.filoritmia.it

Please tell us more about your debut album Filoritmia from 2000.

It recollects 10 tracks we wrote in 3 years time afer a very intense season of live shows in Northern Italy. We like to think we were already in the forefront of self-production and self-promotion. We soon released all the tracks in our website for free download. And that was much appreciated by many rock lovers from all over the world. One of the pros of being self-produced and promoted is that each contact you get on the web is really a satisfaction piece, especially when it comes from Japan, Brazil or Indonesia.

There was a nine years gap between your debut album and your second album. What happened?

Yes. That's true. We simply found out that it was time to take a break. We felt that we no longer were seeing our project the same way. Each of us needed to make different experience. This was in 2003. Three of us, Angelo, Matteo and Roberto, joined again in 2005. Antonio and Giorgio a year later. We soon started to work on the new Filoritmia project which would call Passaggi.

Please tell us more about your second album Passaggi from 2009.

Passaggi is the result of a three-year work. We wanted to create a multi-suite album with different tones and atmospheres. Passaggi is composed of eight stories. Each one is rather autonomous and complex in itself. We enjoyed ourselves in ranging from pure rock ballads to new punk, from melodic Italian progressive to more harmonic music patterns. However, Passaggi means a multiple view on life. The music project goes along with the web. Passaggi is first of all offered to the audience as a interactive experience on the internet. All the tracks and instrumental lines, together with lyrics can be downloaded from www.filoritmia.it

Actually, we released all songs on the web from October 08 to May 09: one track a month. Each song has its own emotional environment: a dedicated web page with images and words...

What is the lyrical topics on your albums?

Well, each song has a story to tell. In general, we like to talk about life and human emotions. We start from a daily occurring to go deeper into human fragility and uncertainty.

You are listed as Rock Progressivo Italiano (shortened to RPI) in our database. But there is far more to Filoritmia than RPI. But how would you describe your music ?

We thank you for your choice! And we thank you even more for affirming that Filoritmia is far more.We mean: you're right to list us as RBI. The influences of bands like PFM or Area are surely there. But, frankly speaking, we do not consider Filoritmia as belonging to a particular genre. For instance, we all love King Crimson and some acid sounds we used in Passaggi could make someone think about some recent song theirs'. But, actually, we generally think ourselves as rock band,that's it. 

Is there any gigs and/or festivals you remember with great fondness?

You know, frankly speaking, we have participated in very few festivals. And we never got very positive impressions. We've always performed live show alone or together with maximum one band we know and appreciate. We know we have no much in common with many other rock or prog bands. But that's it...

How do you see the future of Filoritmia as a band? 

Playing live show, where possible... and working on some new tracks shortly. 

What is your five all-time favourite albums?

A Trick of the Tail by Genesis, In the court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, Images and words by Dream Theatre and Dracula Rock Opera by PFM (a great musical soundtrack by PFM released in 2005), Fugazi by Marillion. 

Anything you want to add to this interview?

Support self-productions and self-promoted bands!!! 

I am grateful to Filoritmia for the insight into their activities. They can be contacted directly at band@filoritmia.it  Their website is  www.filoritmia.it and their PA profile can be found here

Want de muziek, daar gaat het in de eerste plaats natuurlijk om. Bij het eerste stuk Colla e gesso vrees ik het ergste en gaan mijn haren al direct recht overeind staan, want meteen wordt duidelijk dat het hoge niveau van de verpakking de inhoud van “Passaggi” bij lange na niet haalt. Te horen valt neo-progressieve rock van magere subkwaliteit; Filoritmia zet de traditie van de uiterst fraaie prog uit Italië niet voort. Daarvoor zitten de nummers stuk voor stuk vol met te gangbare structuren en melodielijnen. Een ritmesectie die soms te hard op de feiten vooruit wil lopen (luister bijvoorbeeld naar Non è festa en Godo), waardoor Riccardi en D’Ariano het tempo maar amper kunnen bijhouden. De solo’s van laatstgenoemde zijn ook van een bedenkelijk niveau; het pianogeluid is nog acceptabel, maar als de overbekende ‘neo-synth’ aan bod komt (zeg maar het Awake and Nervous-introgeluid) dan is alle spanning uit de muziek plotsklaps verdwenen. Ook de zang van Mele komt niet uit de verf: soms klinkt hij als een te geforceerde James Labrie, dan weer als een gevoelige troubadour die een grote liefhebber is van David Sylvian, maar hoe erg hij ook zijn beste doet, het overtuigt niet. Of de tekstuele inhoud van de muziek net zo magertjes is; ondergetekende heeft eerlijk gezegd niet de moeite genomen om met het vertaalboek in de armen nogmaals naar deze cd te gaan luisteren.

Filoritmia, een groep die ongetwijfeld haar bakens op een virtuele manier goed heeft verzet en een hoop luisteraars met hun “Passaggi” heeft verrast, maar of dat voor iedereen geldt, daar valt aan te twijfelen. Dat is jammer, want er komt de laatste jaren – naast oudgedienden als Le Orme en PFM - zoveel moois uit Italië. Typisch een geval van ‘mooie verpakking, weinig tot geen inhoud’. En daar kan je als band in je uitgebreide biografische informatie geen muzikale noot aan veranderen.

Passaggi è un disco importante: anche se non si allontana da suoni e arrangiamenti del suo apprezzato predecessore, è un album con il quale la comunità del prog italiano dovrà fare i conti. Raramente si trovano dischi come questo, capaci di bilanciare l’esigenza di non rompere con la tradizione e la necessità di usare un linguaggio moderno, adeguato alle dinamiche della contemporaneità. Alla band lombarda il gioco riesce, perché nel melange di riferimenti ai nostri padri Banco, PFM, Goblin e Locanda delle fate, si trova anche l’urgenza del rock duro alla Deep Purple, il piglio melodico e raffinato, la voglia di testi che abbiano senso e sostanza, l’eleganza sofisticata della miglior fusion alla Uzeb.

Prendiamo pezzi come la già citata opener, oppure Godo e Manifesto: roboanti e viscerali quanto basta, aggiornati con il rock contemporaneo tra influenze gabrieliane, ganci radiofonici e abbellimenti in stile art-rock. Non è festa è una gradevole citazione dei tempi che furono - quelli della PFM storica, in particolare – e non solo di un rock, ma soprattutto di un approccio alla composizione e all’idea di gruppo. I Filoritmia prendono da nomi come Yes e Premiata l’equilibrio, il bel senso del collettivo, il giusto amalgama tra solismo e insieme, anche se talvolta le strutture piuttosto complesse dei brani e delle parti cantate possono risultare ostiche.

Passaggi è anche un disco “libero”, visto che le singole tracce sono state gradualmente diffuse via web dall’ottobre del 2008 - in free download - e oggi sono ancora scaricabili dal sito del gruppo, a costo zero o a libera donazione. I Filoritmia hanno seguito l’esempio dei Radiohead di In Rainbows, ma un gruppo progressive non può fermarsi al supporto mp3: chi decide di acquistare il cd si troverà di fronte alla più classica confezione prog, concepita però con spirito decisamente moderno. Insomma, tra passato e presente, tradizione e modernità, conservazione della memoria e sguardi al futuro, si trovano gli ottimi Filoritmia.

Ma per gli amanti del supporto classico, il cd lo si trova anche nei negozi specializzati, un disco con un artwork particolarmente curato, che merita sicuramente attenzione. Questo secondo album “Passaggi” ha un titolo che ritengo perfetto, in quanto nella loro musica esistono mille sfaccettature, davvero molti “passaggi”. Incontriamo l’Hard Rock, il Dark, il classicissimo Progressive, il Jazz. Un disco fuori dal tempo, quello che rende felici tutti gli amanti del genere, soprattutto degli anni ’70. I pezzi sono tutti di lunga durata e variano dai sei ai dieci minuti l’uno.

Su una base Hard Rock comincia “Colla E Gesso”. Subito in evidenza la voce di Giorgio Mele e poi un sound greve, a tratti oscuro per un refrain orecchiabile. Cambi di tempo all’interno, ecco il seme Prog che cresce per poi svilupparsi in un solo di chitarra e tastiere caratteristico del genere. Ciò che dona l’effetto anni ’70, sono soprattutto le tastiere di Angelo D’ariano. Un arpeggio di chitarra e la voce di Mele aprono “Senza Sale”, canzone differente dalla precedente e molto attenta al lato commerciale, autrice di un ritornello gradevole. I Filoritmia hanno ascoltato anche Le Orme, Il Banco, gli Atomic Rooster e compagnia bella, tutto questo di tanto in tanto affiora nelle composizioni. Ancora una volta resto colpito dal lato strumentale del pezzo, nell’assolo degli strumenti fuoriesce l’anima della band, una cultura Rock di buono spessore, messa a nudo per il nostro ascolto. Buoni i cambi di tempo di Antonio Mazzucchelli (batteria) e di Matteo Scarparo (basso), ma è la chitarra di Roberto Riccardi a tracciare sentieri nuovi nella nostra mente.

Dotati anche di un buon senso di humor, i nostri artisti si inventano una nuova tarantella Rock strumentale ed allegra, stile PFM, ma con i tempi che corrono il titolo cambia ed al contrario dell’originale, si chiama “Non è Festa”. Momento davvero simpatico, che si regge sulle tastiere nel refrain, una chicca geniale che mi ha davvero fatto sorridere. Ecco, musica soprattutto per divertirsi e far divertire, anche se i Filoritmia quando vogliono sanno fare sul serio. Ogni singolo brano è un tassello stilistico a se, come un tributo ad ogni stile. E così si cambia rotta con “L’uomo Che Torna”, un sound più raffinato ed intimistico che si scambia con tratti nervosi e graffianti. Ancora chitarre Hard per “Godo”, altra minisuite di quasi dieci minuti di buono ed antico Rock. “Il Sogno Del Fotografo” prosegue il discorso più Progressivo e miscela sonorità alla Delirium con Gentle Giant, King Crimson e molto altro ancora. Ma come si dice….Dulcis in Fundo, “Manifesto” è un pezzo Hard Prog che farà impazzire letteralmente tutti gli ascoltatori amanti del genere. Io ho goduto a pieno del momento strumentale finale, uno dei frangenti più importanti che ho ascoltato in questo 2009.

Ecco, questi sono i Milanesi Filoritmia, una band che ha saputo fare propria l’essenza dell’arte Rock, che l’ha saputa metabolizzare e che ora ce la ripropone alla sua maniera. Non fermarsi mai, ricercare ed ascoltare, questo è il vero sunto del Progressive Rock ed io faccio tanti complimenti a questi ragazzi, perché mai e poi mai bisogna dimenticare da dove si viene, ma allo stesso tempo andare avanti. Complimenti davvero!

The first two opening tracks are some of my favourites and also a bit more heavy. "L’Uomo che Torna" is next and an instrumental and quite complex arrangement lead by the keyboards more or less throughout the track. Non e Festa is next and almost 9 minutes with a slightly darker yet melodic theme to start. But it really builds in intensity and reminds me of Goblin. It has a nice acoustic ending as well. Great song. "Godo" is next and clocks in at 9½ minutes and is quite guitar dominated with a cool rock riff that takes the track along but some nice synth lines also add a bit of psychedelic element. Like all the rest of the song, it also twists and turns and develops and features some nice lead guitar as well. "Il Sogno del Fotografo" is a very complicated and dynamic track with features piano and nice vocals. The track really takes off at the end. "Questo" features a heavy metal like guitar and is a bit crazy at times. I like the interplay with the organ and guitar. Cool guitar on this track. "Manifesto" ends this hour long CD of 8 tracks and is 10 minutes long and has many different passages and themes. Again, another great song.

Fans of PFM, Goblin, and other 70’s Italian prog bands will like this very much. Amazing CD. I can’t wait to hear the next one.

http://www.filoritmia.it
If you dig: PFM, Goblin, Italian Prog

Their music is like a mix of hard rock, classic Italian prog, and "big five" style progressive rock. However, they manage to blend all these influences into their own unique sound, which shows a band that knows what their doing, and is very good at it also.

"Colla E Gesso" is a very hard-rock oriented tune, with very little to keep interest. "Senza Sale" starts off with some pastoral guitar work and vocals, then some shuffle drumming comes in, and a rock section follows, which reminds me of like 80s/90s Banco material crossed with some mainstream rock. Then an instrumental section that is very typical of an 80s rock group, then some nice guitar sounds into a lighter instrumental passage with some key flourishes, and vocal re-entering. This tune finishes with a hard-rock type of groove. The tune is rather good, but not great.

"Non E Festa" Opens with a hard/rock proggy mix, with some nice analog keyboard/piano lines and clean guitar work. A very proggy instrumental section ensues, which recalls the greats of 70s Italian prog, but they make this section all their own, and play with lots of feeling. The vocals enter toward the end, and quote PFM's classic track, "E Festa". This tune carries the same celebratory feeling. The keyboards and ultra-tight drumming stand out here!

"L'uomo che Torna" follows suite, and is a successful mini-epic, reaching a length of 9:07. It features three movements, two of which are slower and smoother. The middle section is a powerful, heavy section, and is followed by a gorgeous outro, and soaring guitar solo. The story is about a man and woman searching for each other, but they never find one another. Excellent!

"Godo", another lengthy tune, clocking in at 9:40, comes next. This tune starts with an aggressive rock section, which reminds me of Museo Rosenbach at their heaviest, with some modern hard rock flair for good measure. Piano enters as the first part passes away, and echoed vocals transcend in this section, as well as the pounding drums. Heavy guitars enter again, and bass gives a driving pulse. Then the piece goes on in this fashion until the end, until a tasty guitar solo ends the piece.

"Il Sogno Del Fotografo" comes next. It features some clean guitar sounds, with tons of prog rhythms and melody lines that wont be out of place on any of the classic "big five" albums. Really awesome! "Questo" is a driving rock tune, and an excellent one at that! This tune is a fine example of FIloritmia's distinct sound. Also excellent!

The album closes with "Manifesto", which is the longest tuen on the album, clocking in at 10:02. The opening sounds very similar to the hard-rock sections of the previous tune. Things get interesting around 3:00s in, as a really awesome prog section ensues, with tons of counterpoint, time signature changes, and killer guitar and keyboard lines, not to mention some extremely tasty drum work too! A soaring section ensues with some great vocals, then the tune enters itself into powerful heaviness for a bit, only to return to the soaring symphonic prog again, all in under a minute! Then it shifts back to heaviness, with a speedy, 80s metal type guitar solo. Then all is quiet, except for piano, then the band comes in and builds up in a masterful crescendo of volume and intensity, and then they stay at the high, and close the piece. Wonderful!!

Overall, this is a great album that really shows a very mature band that has crafted their own sound and uses it to the fullest extent of their abilities. The vocalist has a very unique voice, and sounds great. He really has a great voice, and sings pretty much perfect throughout. The guitar and keys are great, and they play some tasty things now and again. The bass and drums are as solid of a rhythm section as they come, and hold the band together nicely. The band never gets flashy with their playing and solos are few and far between. Although this album is not perfect, it's still a fine example of modern Italian progressive rock. Recommended for symphonic lovers and those who like edge to their prog mostly.