Sunday 27 October 2013





El músico y compositor italiano Marco de Angelis acaba de lanzar su disco debut bajo el nombre The River - Both Sides of the Story. Este trabajo conceptual se inspira en la temática del “río como símbolo de vida, con las dos orillas del mismo repesentando el dualismo en el que todos los seres humanos viven: el bien y el mal, masculino y femenino, vida y muerte, noche y día. Es el río en el cual navegamos y con el cual nos identificamos, eligiendo detenernos en una u otra de sus orillas”, según nos cuenta Marco.
El álbum ofrece doce temas, registrados con De Angelis a cargo de Chapman Stick (elemento fundamental y distintivo en el sonido del disco), guitarras, bajos y teclados, acompañado por Marcello Catalano en voces, quien realiza un magnífico trabajo con ricos y diversos matices expresivos (con las letras en inglés), Cristiano Micalizzi en batería y los coros a cargo de Désirèe Petrocchi, Simona Rizzi, Susanna Stvali, Fabiola Torresi y Sara Berni.
El tono de The River nos pasea por estilos cercanos al Peter Gabriel post So, con melodías muy agradables y emotivas e insistentes trabajos percusivos en sus temas iniciales, para luego, sutilmente, ensombrecer su clima, casi como si el disco se sumergiera lentamente en la noche, derivando en los últimos tracks en un mundo a lo Roger Waters de Final Cut o el Floyd de Meddle, aunque con un sonido contempóraneo. Este sonido es clave en el disco, gracias a que Marco es también reconocido productor e ingeniero de sonido para otros artistas y medios, TV, teatro, conciertos en vivo, etc. Estos detalles en la producción sonora del álbum son fundamentales, con sutiles matices que resultan esenciales para el magnífico resultado final del álbum.



Marco De Angelis — The River - Both Sides of the Story

by Peter Thelen, Published 2013-10-26

Cover art


While De Angelis’ name may be new to most, his lifetime of experience as a studio owner (Soundtrack Studio Roma), sound engineer, record production (covering all styles of music), theater works and television soundtracks certainly explains why his debut album The River… sounds like the work of a seasoned veteran. A songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, Chapman Stick, keyboards, and piano), for this effort he enlists Marcello Catalona to handle the lead vocals, plus five backing vocalists and drummer Cristiano Micalizzi. The River contains a dozen tracks, but many are joined together into longer suites, all with an acute progressive rock savvy that is at once wholly accessible yet able to hold the interest of the discerning listener. The influences seem to be rooted in classic prog – Roger Waters era Pink Floyd is in evidence throughout, and to a degree contemporaries with the same influences – Porcupine Tree, RPWL, Riverside, and others. But this is not a knock off; De Angelis has created a highly original work that stands the test of repeated listens. The lyrics are all in English, and Catalona has great command of the language when he sings, bringing just the right emphasis where it needs to be. The writing and arrangements wield a lot of power throughout, but eschew the bombastic tendencies that often accompany post-classic period progressive rock. While The River… may reside on the accessible side of modern progressive rock and not challenge the listener with mind-jarring complexity in every measure, it remains as evidence that there is still plenty of room for forward growth within this genre. Highly recommended.

Thursday 24 October 2013


"Take it away" & "Regrets" @ MLWZ on
Radio Alfa Krakow 102. 40 FM

Tuesday 22 October 2013




Marco De Angelis – The River
Eigenvertrieb / www.marcodeangelis.com (2013)
(12 Stücke, 68:49 Minuten Spielzeit)

Marco De Angelis stammt aus Rom und ist Musiker, Songwriter, Toningenieur und Produzent in einem. Nach zahlreichen Arbeiten für TV, Theater und im Aufnahmestudio legt Marco mit „The River“ nun ein eigenes Werk vor, das er zusammen mit Marcello Catalano (Gesang) und Cristiano Micalizzi (Schlagzeug) sowie den Backgroundsängerinnen Désirèe Petrocchi, Simona Rizzi, Susanna Stvali, Fabiola Torresi und Sara Berni eingespielt hat. Er selbst spielt Gitarren, Bass, Chapman Stick und Keyboards.



Das Marco’s Wurzeln im Progressive Rock der späten 60’er und frühen 70’er Jahre zu finden sind, hört man der Produktion zwar an, allerdings klingen die Songs alles andere als verstaubt, ganz im Gegenteil.
Die CD, die den Untertitel „Both Sides Of The Story“ trägt, beginnt mit dem kurzen, 22sekündigen Intro „Radio“, bei dem man hört, wie an einem alten Radio die Sender durchsucht werden. Daraus kristallisiert sich dann das erste „richtige“ Stück „Tell Me Why“, das sofort durch seine herrliche Melodie und den treibenden Rhythmus gefangen nimmt. Marco hat sich entschieden - nicht wie einige andere italienische Progbands, die in ihrer Landessprache singen - seine Texte von Marcello in englischer Sprache interpretieren zu lassen, was der Produktion sichtlich gut tut.
Dieser erste tolle Song wird atmosphärisch und nahtlos in den nächsten, „Black Stare“, übergeleitet. Durch einige nahtlose Übergänge entsteht so ein kompaktes und komplexes Werk. „Black Stare“ beginnt mit einer sanften Pianomelodie und einem poppigen, proggigen Rhythmusmuster. Das erinnert ein wenig an Peter Gabriel. Und das soll nicht das letzte Mal sein, dass einem der Brite in den Sinn kommt. Sehr schön ist hier die Instrumentierung arrangiert (wunderbar wird hier der Chapman Stick eingesetzt) und auch Marcellos Gesang hat eine beruhigende, sanfte, unter die Haut gehende Art.
Melodicrock und Prog der Marke Peter Gabriel finden sich dann auch im nächsten Song „One Love“. Leichtes Floyd-Feeling kommt dann (auch durch die Akustikgitarre) ansatzweise zunächst im nächsten Song „Snowbound“ auf. Der Song ist aber mit herrlichen Streichersounds verziert und hat einen sehr orchestralen, sinfonischen Anstrich, der dem Stück eine weitere Note verleiht. Dazu kommen dann AOR-Anleihen und ein eingängiger Refrain, der sich sofort im Ohr festsetzt. Marco schafft es die dichte Atmosphäre, die er von Beginn an erzeugt, über die gesamte Länge des Albums zu halten. Und das Marco oft Platten der Spätphase von Pink Floyd oder auch Roger Waters gehört hat, klingt an der ein oder anderen Stelle durch.
Die CD erscheint im Jewelcase mit einem sehr schön gemachten 20seitigen Booklet. Für eine Eigenproduktion ist das sehr gut gemacht. Auch der Sound kann sich mehr als hören lassen, denn die Musik erstrahlt glasklar, transparent und dynamisch aus den Boxen. Marco zeigt, dass er sein Handwerk (Tontechnik und Produktion) bestens versteht.
Mit „The River“ ist Marco De Angelis ein wunderbares Werk gelungen, dass Neo-Prog mit Melodicrock verbindet und das für mich eine der Entdeckungen des Jahres darstellt. Vor allem die eingängigen Melodien und der gut produzierte (glatte) Klang setzen sich schnell im Ohr fest. Antesten kann man die Stücke auch auf der Homepage www.theriver.it. Eine CD, die ich sehr empfehlen kann.
Stephan Schelle, September 2013

De Angelis, Marco - The River-Both Sides Of The Story

Autor: Anna Sobótka   
22.10.2013.
ImageOstatnio wpadł w moje ręce krążek noszący miano albumu debiutanckiego o tytule „The River – Both Sides Of The Story”. Pomyślałam, że skoro debiutancki, to musi się za nim kryć jakaś osoba stawiająca pierwsze kroki na rynku muzycznym. Nic bardziej mylnego, mianowicie Marco De Angelis to bardzo doświadczony (urodzony w 1962 roku) artysta solowy, kompozytor, muzyk, inżynier dźwięku i jeden z niewielu Włochów grających na Chapman sticku. Do tej pory działał on jednak głównie jako inżynier dźwięku i producent dla najbardziej znaczących firm produkcyjnych (nazwy Endemol, Mediaset czy Universal Publishing i Sony Publishing to tylko niektóre z marek, które ma on w swoim porfolio). Muzyka Marco De Angelisa jest mocno zakorzeniona w brytyjskim prog rocku późnych lat 70.
Nie wiem, co spowodowało, że włoski muzyk postanowił wydać swój pierwszy album dopiero teraz, już jako dojrzały instrumentalista. Może spowodowały to lata doświadczeń i pracy od „drugiej” strony tej muzycznej machiny, a może chęć pokazania tego, jak on czuje i interpretuje muzykę? Dość powiedzieć, że chyba szkoda, że uczynił to dopiero teraz. W postaci krążka „The River – Both Sides Of The Story” otrzymaliśmy bowiem kawałek bardzo interesującej muzyki osadzonej w klimatach rocka progresywnego końcówki lat 70. i 80. Omawiany album nosi miano koncepcyjnego i pokazuje życie reprezentowane przez dobro i zło, kobiety i mężczyzn, dzień i noc, życie i śmierć… Stąd pewnie jego podtytuł „druga strona historii”. Całość materiału przedstawionego na tym wydawnictwie trwa blisko 70 minut - w moim odczuciu odrobinę za długo - i składa się na niego 12 kompozycji. Jeżeli szukacie Państwo brzmień inspirowanych twórczością Mike’a Rutherforda z czasów Mike And The Mechanics, Davida Gilmoura, Tony Levina, młodego Steve’a Hogartha i zespołu Pink Floyd, to z pewnością znajdziecie je na „The River…”. Pierwsza część albumu to bardziej dźwięki kojarzące się z Mikiem Rutherfordem, druga to już zdecydowanie wpływy pinkfloydowskie. Mnie najbardziej do gustu przypadły kompozycje zamieszczone w tej drugiej połowie wydawnictwa, a utworów oznaczonych indeksami 8 i 9, czyli „Regrets” i „Take It Away” słucha się wręcz wybornie i naprawdę trudno nie doszukiwać się w nich dźwięków znanych z płyt „The Division Bell” czy „The Final Cut”. Podsumowując, to naprawdę całkiem dobry album i nie pożałujecie Państwo, jak go posłuchacie, do czego serdecznie zachęcam.
W celu uzupełnienia informacji o wydawnictwie „The River – Both Sides Of The Stories” warto dodać, że Marco sam zagrał na nim na gitarach, Chapman Sticku, klawiszach i pianinie. Do współpracy zaprosił także wokalistę Marcello Catalano (świetna robota!) i Cristiano Micalizzi na perkusji. Ponadto w chórkach swojego głosu udzieliły: Désirée Petrocchi, Simona Rizzi, Fabiola Torresi, Susanna Stivali i Sara Berni. Zatrudnienie tych pań do nagrywania albumu nie było zupełnie przypadkowe, bowiem kilka lat temu Marco nagrał w swoim studio wokalny zespół gospel o nazwie Vocintransito. Ten zespół to nikt inny jak wymienione wyżej wokalistki.

Sunday 20 October 2013



"Fly High" @ The Prog Mill on Stafford Radio - 20/10/2013

Wednesday 16 October 2013

 



Marco De Angelis is an Italian songwriter, musician, audio engineer and record producer. He was ten years old when he got his hands on a musical instrument for the first time. A lot has happened since then and nowadays he has obtained a wide experience with musical instruments: from acoustic and ethnic instruments to the latest generation of electronic equipment. Moreover, he's one of the few Italian Chapman Stick players and he plays the guitar, bass and keyboards in a wide range of musical styles. However, his main roots hail from the late sixties and seventies British progressive rock. In the past he already created several soundtracks for both others and his own.

Marco De Angelis is an arranger and artistic producer for a multitude of indie albums recorded in Italy, Great Britain and Latin America. He spent the last fifteen years as a freelance sound engineer and producer for some of the most important production companies in Italy. He also has his own professional recording studio in Rome for more than two decades and between 1995 and 2005 he had his own music label. All those experiences in the music business finally made him decide to record an album inspired by his many musical influences and most of all for his hunger to create a concept album as was common in progressive rock for many years.

The River (Both Sides Of The Story) saw the light of day in 2013. This concept album deals with dualism: good and bad, male and female, life and death, night and day, and so on. Obviously De Angelis played and recorded the main part of the instruments on this album by himself. I guess it was a wise decision to ask guest musicians like Cristiano Micalizzi and Marcello Catalano to contribute on drums and lead vocals respectively. Together with several backing singers they created a magnificent album that mostly shows how much he was influenced by the music of Pink Floyd. Especially the great electric guitar parts are strongly related to those of Dave Gilmour. Particularly albums like A Momentary Lapse Of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994) seem to be a great inspiration for De Angelis and in a way that also applies to the solo albums recorded by Peter Gabriel. The same kind of world music can be heard on The River (Both Sides Of The Story).

Although this album is a solo effort by De Angelis − his guitar parts are leading most of the time − I think singer Marcello Catalano deserves a lot of credits as well for his captivating singing on the entire album. The River (Both Sides Of The Story) is an album that contains only strong compositions and never gets boring. During the time I listened to it in order to write this review, I enjoyed it every time I gave it a spin in my CD player. And every time I heard new things that I haven't heard before.

I truly hope that people who listen to this album will have the same musical experience as I had. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic concept album which is strongly related to the music made by Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel! So thumbs up for Marco De Angelis and the contributors who succeeded in creating an amazing progressive rock album!

**** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen)

Thursday 10 October 2013

The River (both sides of the story)
Hi everyboby out there, "The River" is approaching Greece!
This Saturday, October 12th, is Marco De Angelis "Prog Band Day" on JustIn Case Prog Radio. Meaning that a song from the album "The River" will airplay every half past hour (12.30, 1.30, 2.30, etc.) for almost the whole day! It will start by Friday at 22.30 BST until Saturday at 21.30 BST!
Don't miss it.
Thanks to Demetris and all the guys at Justin Case Prog Radio


Σκοπός του JUSTIN CASE radio είναι η προβολή και η προώθηση ενός αντιπροσωπευτικού φάσματος προοδευτικής μουσικής. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, επιδίωξη του JUSTIN CASE radio είναι η μετάδοση μουσικής από όλο το φάσμα του προοδευτικού rock’n’roll καθώς και μουσικής πέρα από αυτό. Στόχος είναι η γνωριμία του κο...
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Tuesday 8 October 2013

Marco De Angelis- The River(Both Sides of the Story)

Marco De Angelis- The River(Both Sides of the Story)

  • 08 Oct. 2013
  • Artist: Marco De Angelis
  • Released:
  • Genre: Classic Hard Rock
  • Posted by: Progradar


Being a child of the 80’s I was brought up a diet of electro pop and synth and good old classic rock. As I grew older I saw the light and metal and prog took over my life in a big style but, in my formative music days (we will forget that Smurf’s album purchase), bands like Genesis, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen et al were my daily diet of music. The looming presence of Pink Floyd was always there in the background but, as yet, hadn’t had a huge influence on my aural journey. What drew me to the pleasures of classic rock was the concept of the whole song being conceived as complete piece of music where, in my opinion, the chorus, verse and music all contributed to the story telling nature of the artists. Song writing was key and king to the success of these bands and, in the modern world of music, this seems to have been forgotten, even in some of the genres we love. Yes, I love hard rock, metal and progressive music but, what I love above all else, is fantastic song writing, that’s why you will find records by Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon and The Beatles in my collection, I love songs that tell a story and use the whole composition to achieve that.
When I first heard about Italian artist Marco De Angelis’ new record The River (Both Sides of the Story) I was very intrigued because it seemed to hold dear those core values that I expressed previously above all else. Marco states that “In this era of liquid music, of songs that shuffled and bundled randomly in mp3 players, The River brings us back to the glorious, but almost forgotten, tradition of the concept piece and, is not a collection of songs but, a homogenous and coherent body of work in which lyrics, music and arrangements fuse together harmoniously. Here, The River represents life with the 2 banks representing the dualism in which we all exist, good and evil, life and death, male and female etc. It is how we identify ourselves, stopping on one or the other of the banks and sometimes yearning for and missing the other”. Well, after reading that, I was intrigued, who wouldn’t be?
Marco started his musical journey when he was 10 and has gained a wide experience in the musical instruments field and now plays guitar, bass and keyboards, his main roots being in 60’s and 70’s UK progressive rock and classic rock as well as enjoying a wide range of other musical styles. He has created soundtracks for 3rd parties as well as his own original works and has been an arranger and producer for many indie albums released worldwide. Marco ran his own professional recording studio as well as his own music label. In 2011 he returned to his first love, being a musician.
The River – Both Sides of the Story features Marco playing all the instruments apart from the drums which were handled by his good friend Cristiano Micalizzi. The backing vocals are sung by Vocintransito, an all-female gospel ensemble with whom he had worked previously. Lead vocals are handled by Marcello Catalano, whom Marco considers to be one of his best friends.
The River starts with the very short intro piece, radio, which is just 20 seconds of background radio before the delightfully coruscating guitar intro to Tell Me Why, a beautiful slice of 80’s rock that has brilliantly harmonized vocals blending in with the bass and guitar. This where you get the first listen to Marcello Catalano’s vocals and they are wonderful, perfectly suited to the song. The great harmony of the chorus with the sharp edged guitar kicks in again and I’m hooked already, this is the music I grew up on, a lovely verse and delightful chorus all held together by some great musicianship. A low key piano intro highlights the softer edge of Black Stare, heartfelt , soft and breathy vocals reminiscent of Savage Garden emphasise the 80’s feel again combined with a nice, gentle guitar riff. This is almost pop rock but with a much more mature feel to it, Catalano’s vocals are key to the softer style of the song before it all blossoms into a fantastic chorus, the vocal soaring high and backed with some powerful guitar playing before the slower groove rides out to the finish of the song. A classic 80’s Eagles riff begins One Love, there is an almost bluesy edge to the guitar before we have a fantastic chorus so reminiscent of 80’s anthem St Elmos Fire. The Eagles influence is enhanced by the brilliant little guitar run that follows the chorus, I am being transported to the era that shaped my life and the music that aided and abetted that process. More of the catchy chorus follows, another great vocal workout before an abrupt ending that flows straight into Snowbound, a nice acoustic intro and another enduring vocal backed by a decorous string sound, there is an American classic rock edge to this song, almost John Mellencamp or Bruce Stringsteen. The feeling is a bit more brooding and melancholic emphasized by another great chorus and a stylish guitar in the background as well as some brilliantly harmonized backing vocals. This meaningful track comes to a finale with a nicely laid back and mellow solo. Did I mention The Eagles before? The classy riff of the intro and harmonized backing vocals are the precursor to another great vocal performance which just screams Don Henley at you as we are treated to Never Look Back, some swirling Hammond Organ and nicely pared back guitar blending with the backing vocals before a sweet guitar solo that Glen Frey would be proud of, a pure piece of 80’s Americana. A nice fade out with the guitar and backing vocals front and centre finishes another alluring song.
A nice, gently strummed guitar overlaying the sound of a gently bubbling river is the low key introduction to This Time, those breathy vocals initially heard on Black Stare are in evidence again, lending an ethereal edge to the sound. The pace lifts as the vocals take on a stronger edge, backed by an insistent guitar sound. This is a nice song but not as strong as the other tracks on the album. I must admit I do like the dreamy sound of the strumming guitar though, contrasting with the almost reggae style edge to the rest of the track. Strong backing vocals again add to the quality of the song, it just doesn’t stand out like the other tracks we have heard so far and seems to meander to the finish, the classic, fuzzy radio that ends the fade out is a nice touch though. A nice piano intro and cultured vocals complemented by a great steel guitar are quintessential parts to the intro of my favourite track on the album, the Pink Floyd influenced Regrets. Acoustic guitar that could have been lifted direct from Wish You Were Here backed with a nice brass sound build up to a fantastic solo early in the song, Marco’s assertion that his major influence is Dave Gilmour is definitely in evidence here, the solo soars and really moves you, reminiscent of Gilmour’s recent solo disc, On an Island. We are brought gently back to earth by that great brass sound before another really mature vocal performance, this track is pure Floyd and almost appears an homage to the prog and art rock legends. As gentle piano takes over, the vocal is interspersed with short licks of guitar, the song ebbing and flowing as the tempo lifts before being drawn back down again, coinciding with another portion of that laid back piano and guitar. You think the song has come to an end before we get treated to one more amazing solo, the guitar almost talking to you, mournful, moving and heartfelt. Here the backing vocals are a perfect counter point, the piercing, soaring guitar fading out this highlight of the album. A short, piercing guitar note and then a low down and grungy guitar riff give a dark edge to that start of Take It Away, a nice low key vocal, slightly reminiscent of Genesis and matched with yet more of the great backing vocals carry on the harder edge to this song. It has a real strong Genesis vibe to it, the powerful chorus and more stringent  guitar note all adding to the drama. A really bluesy, distorted solo adds a hint of menace to the track along with a jam style session in the middle that adds a great blues feel to it. Another helping of the edgy, blues style guitar fades out this cool song. What Do You Feel Now has a very meandering intro, gentle keyboards and effects giving a real easy feeling to the start of the song before another great piece of guitar work, low down, grungy and almost industrial, a pulsating riff starting low and increasing to a powerful conclusion, that laid back vibe carrying on in an almost instrumental vein, some really classy slide guitar helping to give a dark, brooding feel to this track. Another coruscating, compelling guitar break before the vocals finally kick in, just as dark and dangerous as the rest of the song, it all comes to an abrupt end before we, literally, fly into Fly High, as light and fulfilling as the previous track was dark and brooding, the chorus soaring up to the heavens before a light and lilting verse backed by gentle piano, guitar and keys. I can’t help but sing along with the smile inducing chorus and it’s anthemic  qualities, although the backing vocalists probably do a better job. It has a real 80’s vibe to it throughout and feels like it traipses merrily along, a real feel good song. Another absolute belter of a solo and more of the sumptuous chorus round out what should be, essentially, the final track of the album, however, we lucky folk  are treated to a bonus track, Our Trail of Tears, it starts nicely with more of that 80’s vibe, a nice, gentle riff and great vocals leading to another fine chorus. A nice little bass run fleshes it out before the verse kicks in again and we are treated to another repeat of the chorus followed by a nicely laid back, elongated solo, again, nothing truly outstanding but a classy tune in its own right.  The song seems to round out at about the 6 minute mark before 2 minutes of silence and then, what seems to be, an acceptance speech.
Conclusions then, in the main The River is an excellent album with its roots in 80’s classic rock but a definite prog edge showing through, no more so than when Marco plays those epic Gilmour tinged guitar solos. I love the songwriting, the great vocals (both lead and backing) and the total construction of the album and it is only let down by a couple of weaker tracks. If, like myself, you are a child of the 80’s and loved the great classic and prog rock bands of that era or, if you just want to hear some fantastic songwriting and music, then you could, and should, listen to The River – Both Sides of the Story.

Monday 7 October 2013



Podcast #28 (07/10/13)


Hello again Proggers of the World! Here I am, Diego Camargo, ready to Prog with our hour of Progressive Rock in the episode of our Podcast number twenty eight.


Another week and another 10 great bands played in our show. Hope you like, please comment and share the episodes. Below the links commented on today's Podcast!
Marco De Angelis

07 Oct. 2013

Marco De Angelis


Bio: Marco De Angelis, born December 1962, is an Italian solo artist, songwriter, musician, audio engineer and record producer.
Started his musical journey when he was 10 and puts for the very first time his hands on a musical instrument. Since that day he gained a wide experience in musical instruments field, from acoustic/ethno to last generation electronic gear. He is one of the few Italian Chapman Stick player. Plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Even if he enjoys a wide range of musical styles, his main roots are from the late ’60s and ’70s prog-rock UK scene. Created soundtracks for 3rd parties as well as his own original projects. Arranger and artistic producer for a multitude of indie albums released in Italy, UK and Latin America. Meanwhile, spent almost two decades working as freelance Sound Engineer/Producer for some of the most important production companies in Italy. Very experienced in different media and environments (Recording Studio, TV, Theatre, Live concerts).
Ran his own professional recording studio in Rome (Soundtrack Studio) for more than two decades as well as his own music label between 1995 and 2005. The River. With very few exceptions, titles in all forms of artistic expression are more than a mere piece of information on what the body of work is about. In the case of “The River”, the title introduces the actual meaning of the composition, the motivations that inspired it. It is a consistent theme throughout the various phases of its creation, execution, recording and in its future representation. In this era of ‘liquid’ music, of songs which are shuffled and bundled randomly in mp3player,‘The River’ brings us back to the glorious but almost forgotten tradition of the ‘concept’ piece. It is therefore not a collection of songs but a homogeneous and coherent body of work in which lyrics, music and arrangements fuse together harmoniously within this concept of a “river”, a place of influx of and at the same time an outlet for almost thirty years of Marco De Angelis’ music research as a composer, musician, arranger and producer and which finds its most accomplished expression in this work. A concept, an image, a suggestion – that one of the river – that lends itself to multiple interpretations, none of which excludes the others. Here it represents life, with the two river banks representing the dualism in which all human beings exist: a reality which is made up of good and evil, male and female, life and death, night and day. It is the river that we travel on and in which we identify ourselves, choosing to stop on one or other of its banks, sometimes yearning for and missing the other and in which we get dragged through by the current and by the whims of chance. This concept is further underpinned by the subtitle –“ Both Sides of the Story” – which bounces from one song of the album to another, and will be a key element in the live performance dimension, which is an integral part of this project. You are all welcome… the river awaits! Reading the main traits of my biography you might think of a person totally unstable and on the verge of schizophrenia…
I started studying classical guitar as a child. At age 20 I founded my first band that with various line ups accompanied me to my early 30. It ‘was a wonderful time! In 1992 I opened my own recording studio, in business till 2012. During that time I reduced a lot of my time as a musician, mainly working as sound engineer and music producer, both in the studio and on tour. In my spare time, however, I have produced soundtracks for movies and a couple of my own cd project. Some of the songs featured in The River have seen their raw form at that time. Then in 2011 I returned to my first love… being a musician.  As usual… Both sides of the story.
I could make a parallel, with very little modesty, between me and the much more famous Alan Parson…

Members: 
I played all the instruments on the album but the drums, so I just had to make a phone call to my friend Cristiano Micalizzi, (a well known drummer in Italy) and make him part of the project.
Some years ago I recorded in my own studio a great female gospel vocal ensemble called “Vocintransito”, so when the moment came to track down all the backing vocals I had written for The River, I called them back into my studio and… you can listen to the wonderful vocal works that they put on throughout The River.
Lead vocalist Marcello Catalano is probably one of my best friends ever – I call him my brother. He is such an incredible vocalist. I was fortunate to work with him many years ago when both of us were involved in Jesus Christ Superstar the musical – I was the sound engineer and Marcello played Hannas. In the same cast we had the one and only Carl Anderson, God bless him. So it didn’t take me more than a second to choose Marcello as lead vocal.

Genre:
 When I grew up and started to play guitar I was listening to the UK’s Rock /Prog bands in the ’70s (Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, but also Led zeppelin and Deep Purple on the hard side of the rock).
I’ve always been in love with the non-linearity of that kind of compositions. The continuous change of emotions that transmit, is something very close to real life. Is not plastic… is flesh and bones.
Those years have been a sort of musical imprinting, so it’s natural for me to use that kind of style in my writing process. I don’t feel it’s something to be ashamed about. I don’t try to hide it… It’s me!

Evolution of the initial musical and thematic elements:
 Basically there is not a standard way for me to write or develope a project. In the case of “The River”, the live performance aspect has always been part of the writing process. At that time I was working as sound engineer for most of the major Musicals acts touring Italy. So the theatrical aspect of a concept album began to take form. I started to have the idea of musical with a concept, an image, a suggestion, that one of the river, to represent life, with the two river banks representing the dualism in which all human beings exist: a reality made up of good and evil, male and female, life and death, night and day. It is the river that we travel on and in which we identify ourselves, dragged through by the current and by the whims of chance.
After a while I thought that the idea of the musical would have been too tight for me because of the constraints imposed by a script. So I decided to move towards a more “conventional” rock show but mantaining the visual side of the original idea. I may mention some of the Peter Gabriel’s gigs or, with the proper proportion, “The Wall”. I have most of the visual aspect of the future show clear in my mind.
As for the themes and concepts, there is something autobiographicall in The River… but I won’t tell you what…

Ideas about the album:
 I’m pretty happy with the artistic side. Even if, as usual, I think that something better can be done.
On the more technical side, well this is a mid-low budget production. So a bigger budget could have give results closer to the sound that I had in mind. But generally speaking I like it.

Reception:
 The cd has just been released, so it’s a bit early to speak about it. However, it seems that “the world out there” like it very much. That’s great. Will see.

Preference; live or studio:
 Two different kind of beast.
In studio i like to take all the time I need. Tweaking all the different sound ’till I achieve what I have in mind. And it can take days and days. I keep on giving me the opportunity to change something till the end of the mix. So it’s a long and complex work with hundreds of tracks opened in the final mix. Luckily I make most of the job by myself. Would be really difficult to have a sound engineer who can bear with this.
A live show is a one shot matter. I mean, I’m a kind of paranoid for the perfection, even in the live performances, and the show has to follow the CD lines, but you can’t know what will happen up there….. so, the approach is slighty different. On top of this recipe, you have to put a bit of human feelings, the emotion of that very moment, that make a show unique, different from the day before and the day after. And of course there is an audience to gratify and with who having an emotional exchange.
Both of them are great!

Next step; live or studio:
 As I’m a solo artist, there is no a real band in a conventional meaning. Of course Marcello will be part of it. I’m gathering some musicians i trust in, to setup a proper band and start the first rehearsal leg. This should be before the end of the year and I have in mind to shoot part of the rehearsal  to produce a sort of Making Of of the live show in a DVD.
What’s next?…Hopefully live shows 2014 and then next album…. probably 2015.

Future plans:
 God only knows….. The Beach Boys were right.

Composers:
 I wrote all the songs and lyrics, except the lyrics for “Snowboud”, that have been written by an English good friend of mine, Sham Hinchey, “Our Trail Of Tears”, the lyrics are by Marcello Catalano and “Tell Me Why” and “Black Stare” written by me with the help of Odette Albani a London based songwriter.

Inspirations: 
As I told you before, I love UK’s rock scene from the ’70s. But also some of the ’80s and ’90s like Tears for Fears and Peter Gabriel solo era. Their music is a great mix of pop and prog-rock. I love them.

Preference; cater to the audience or music for its own sake:
 Probably both situations I guess.

Greatest Accomplishment:
 Will answer at this when I will stop playing…


"Regrets" @ The Prog Mill on Stafford Radio - 06/10/2013

Sunday 6 October 2013


Marco De Angelis - The River / Both Sides Of The Story (2013)

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Producteur confirmé, auteur de nombreuses musiques pour le cinéma et la publicité, Marco De Angelis sort aujourd’hui son premier album intitulé "The River / Both Sides Of The Story". Muti-instrumentiste de talent, Marco a eu l’intelligence de faire appel à un vrai chanteur (l’irréprochable Marcello Catalano), à un batteur en chair et en os (le très bon Chistiano Micalizzi) et à pas moins de quatre choristes aux gros poumons. Les onze compositions (plus un bonus) gravées sur ce galop d’essai digital proposent une musique qui ne manque pas de charme. Il y a d’abord un concept d’une grande richesse, basé sur le cycle de l’eau. Le maître de cérémonie développe une approche très mystico-philosophique de ce thème, l’utilisant pour filer une jolie métaphore sur le combat incessant que se livrent le bien et le mal. Il y a également la voix fragile et émouvante du sieur Catalano, vecteur idéal de la sensibilité à fleur de peau qui émane des paroles. Son chant vibrant de feeling, magnifié par des chœurs féminins éminemment floydiens (de nombreux passages évoquent ouvertement "The Great Gig In The Sky" !), sertit à merveille onze compositions (plus un bonus) aux atmosphères mélancoliques et plaintives.
 
Citons, à tout seigneur tout honneur, le véritable condensé d’émotion pure que constitue l’epic "Regret", aux parties de piano classique de toute beauté et à la guitare électrique tutoyant David Gimour. Il y a enfin et surtout l’ensemble des ingrédients qui font de ce projet initié par Marco De Angelis une nouvelle entité musicale attachante, avec ses belles envolées de six-cordes (le décidément incontournable "Regret"), ses délicates nappes de claviers ("Snowbound") et ses subtiles partitions rythmiques ("What Do Yo Feel Now ?").
 
Toutes ces qualités ne sauraient pourtant éclipser un certain manque de personnalité, avec des clins d’œil un peu trop appuyés au grand Peter Gabriel (l’ethnique "Tell Me Why") et surtout au Pink Floyd de "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" ("Never Look Back" ou "This Time", aux bruitages calqués sur ceux du flamant rose). Il n’empêche… Il serait injuste de vouloir réduire cette œuvre sympathique à une simple succession sans saveur de "progressive jokes".
 
Soyons clair : sans pour autant faire preuve d’une innovation fulgurante, Marco De Angelis et ses complices ont donné le jour, avec "The River / Both Sides Of The Story" à un premier album agréable quoique "sous influence". Nul doute qu’ils sauront partir vers de nouveaux horizons plus personnels dès leur prochain disque… Affaire à suivre.

Bertrand Pourcheron (7/10)

Friday 4 October 2013

Music From The Other Side of the Room

Reviews of Progressive Rock, Symphonic and Doom Metal, and mostly tributes

Thursday, October 3, 2013


Marco De Angelis - The River: Both Sides of the Story


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Many inspirations can come into different areas at a different time that pours through the various aspects of life and dualism between good, evil, male, female, and the ways we travel and look at ourselves to find out what is it like living in the two different areas of the Waters themselves. And for Marco De Angelis, he made it exactly like that to tell a story about the issues in, The River: Both Sides of the Story. It’s more of this darker and spiritual album that could have been released in the 1980s.
Incomes the radio static for an introduction before it kicks into thunderous percussion work, organ, and Gilmour-sque guitar lines while the harmonizing vocals come into the composition, Tell Me Why as it goes into a soothing calming relaxing nature of the piece to raise your hand up into the heavens for a chance to find out who you really are. The electronic vibes shown on Black Stare, has an emotional and sadness of a ballad on a person’s life through the mistakes and the errors of their ways, shows how they can correct it and learn to walk forward and forget about the past.
There are the spirits of the late ‘80s/’90s vibe of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and of course Marillion, not to mention Genesis as well that fits the atmosphere of the storyline and you could tell that Marco had done a lot of research by listening to them by getting the vibe and understand how they wrote music and how they would do it. The bluesy edgy crunchy riff sounds of Never Look Back, has a lot of soul and a lot of energy while Regrets he channels Roger Waters’ lyrical context as if it was left off during the sessions for The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking, and you could imagine Marco almost writing a prequel for Waters solo album that has heart and strong will power.
The haunting melodic turned floating boundary on What Do You Feel Now?  Goes into the homage of Obscured by Clouds movement as it has some ‘70s vibes that is unexpected as the rhythm is very laid-back and uplifting at times as the guitar slides through various frets, bass line is calm, along with the drum patterns. Closer, Fly High, is a node to Genesis and Elton John. What’s really exciting is that he is doing a node to Afterglow and Rocket Man, and its more of a tribute and showing how much Marco admires this music so much as it goes back through his childhood from the moment he picked up an instrument.
I have listened to The River three times already and Marco is truly a virtuoso musician along with Marcello Catalano's beautiful vocals, and Cristiano Micalizzi's drumming is staggering as well. And when he puts his toes in the water to see where he would take the music into, is quite interesting and he would take the band members with him to see where the yellow brick road will take them into. But all in all, this is an awe-inspiring and transcendent concept album that will take listeners to a journey they never dreamed of.

Zachary Nathanson

Thursday 3 October 2013











www.neoprog.eu

Groupe Marco De Angelis
Album The River - The Both Sides of The Story
Label autoproduction
Année 2013
Note


Marco De Angelis est un italien, artiste solo, musicien et ingénieur du son et producteur, bref il possède un joli CV.

Mais pour ce qui nous intéresse, Marco est avant tout l’auteur compositeur d’un album de crossover progressif, The River sorti en août 2013.

Sur The River, Marco est partout ou presque, guitare basse, stick, claviers, chœurs. Pour le chant il fait appel à Marcello Catalano (retenez ce nom), pour la batterie à Christiano Micalizzi et à Désirée Petrocchi, Fabiola Torresi, Suzanna Stivali et Sara Berni pour les chœurs.

Dès la première écoute de The River, plusieurs comparaisons me sont venues immédiatement à l’esprit, Fish, Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin et Deep Purple rien que ça ! Généralement les projets multi instrumentalistes m’inspirent de la défiance, ici je suis tombé complètement sous le charme. Soyons honnête, je n’écoute pas souvent ce genre d’album, à part pour quelques artistes, j’en chronique encore moins, cette fois ci je ne résiste pas à l’envie de vous faire partager cela, c’est trop bon.

Tout d’abord il y a le timbre de Marcello qui me touche, un peu voilé juste comme il faut, capable de belles modulations. Ensuite il y a le jeu de basse et de stick de Marco qui sans égaler le grand Tony Levin, s’en approche quand même pas mal, son jeu de guitare également qui nous livre de très beaux soli et des claviers avec une jolie palette de couleurs. Le batteur Christiano fait son travail assez discrètement mais parfaitement, les morceaux ne se prêtant pas vraiment aux démonstrations rythmiques.

Marco n’est pas ingénieur du son pour rien, le son de l’album est un vrai régal pour les oreilles, faisant ressortir toutes les nuances des voix et des instruments, que du plaisir.

Et les morceaux dans tout ça ?

Douze titres du très court, Radio avec 21 secondes (plus à proprement parlé une ouverture) au long plus de sept minutes avec Regrets. Le dernier titre Our Trail of Tears, fait bien plus de neuf minutes, mais il y a une petite entourloupe.

Comme écrit au tout début, musicalement on se situe entre les deux carrières solo de Fish et de Peter Gabriel avec un petit air de John Lord aux claviers. J’irai jusqu’à dire que c’est même de meilleur facture que le travail de notre écossais ex leader de Marillion. On est dans le même esprit musical à savoir du rock tinté de prog, ballades, ritournelles presque faciles mais les titres sont, à mon humble avis, musicalement mieux construits. Je viens de briser un mythe et j’assume. Le côté Gabriel est moins flagrant, il tient à la fois aux sons de basse très Levin et à quelques petits passages instrumentaux.

This Time par exemple est un étonnant hybride entre les deux artistes, des éléments musicaux à la Peter avec des références World Music et un chant très Fish avec des chœurs façon In Your Eyes. Le titre me scotche, tout en ayant pas mal de point communs avec ces deux monstres sacrés, il garde une belle dose de surprises, bravo !

Regrets, avec section cuivre (claviers), le piano, le solo de guitare sublime, est complètement de l’univers musical de Gabriel, la voix de Marcello emprunte le feutré de Peter, on s’y croirait, un titre absolument sublime qui fait plus de sept minutes et qui possède en plus un très beau texte épuré. Là je suis amoureux, il faut le dire…

Sur Take It Away, écoutez cette belle basse, les rifs de guitare et les touches d’orgues. On est encore une fois très proche de l’univers musical de l’ex leader de Genesis avec nettement plus de partie instrumentales quand même. C’est très très bon tout ça.

What Do Feel Now est l’un des titre les plus instrumental. Vous y retrouverez une atmosphère floydienne qui début par un long instrumental planant avant de livrer un très court couplet.

J’ai beaucoup comparé The River avec d’autres artistes, pardon. L’album ne se résume pas à ça bien entendu. La musique de Marco possède sa propre identité même si on trouvera toujours des similitudes (à force d’écouter trop de musique…). Il s’agit d’un très beau concept album, des titres qui se suivent agréablement, à écouter dans le bon ordre, agrémentés de textes qu’il faut découvrir pour en profiter pleinement.

On va pouvoir fatalement reprocher à Marco sa proximité avec Fish et Gabriel, ou alors au contraire le louer pour ça, je suis de ce dernier groupe. Avec une très belle qualité de son, un livret réussi, The River est un excellent album de crossover progressif qu’il ne faut manquer sous aucun prétexte.

Jean-Christophe Le Brun


Wednesday 2 October 2013

Shaun Geraghty Absolutely superb album. Another track will be on Sundays Prog Mill (from 2200UK/2300CET) www.staffordradio.com. Thanks Marco! www.staffordradio.comStafford Radio, UK's only Windmill based radio station. Stafford's Community Radio from Broad Eye Windmill, Stafford, United Kingdom. Internet only, not FM
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The River from Marco De Angelis

Some time ago Italian musician,composer and producer Marco De Angelis released 'The River (Both Sides Of The Story)', a concept album. Marco is backed by a crew of very talented artists. There're plenty of excellent melodies on this CD. And if you appreciate such performers as Marillion, Pink Floyd, Carptree, Peter Gabriel, then 'The River' should be your next choice.

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This is a really really nice album. Imagine that somewhere in the late 80s Mike Rutherford (bringing his Mechanics drummer), David Gilmour (bringing in Jon Carin on keys and Tony Levin on bass) joined forces with a young Steve Hogarth (who at times would channel his inner Gabriel). Sounds like an odd combo and you would expect it not to work but De Angelis holds it together very nicely. The first half of the album is maybe a bit more Rutherford / Mechanics like and the latter half clearly Floyd inspired with musical tip-of-the-hats to both The Final Cut and The Division Bell. A very cool discovery.
Christian Bekhuis

"In this day of downloading and all, CDs are becoming like jewelry for men. " - Sunhillow (PE Member)

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For the ones who haven't listened to it last night, here is an excerpt from Somewher Between Sunrise & Sunset radioshow feat. "Tell Me Why" from my new album "The River" Enjoy.

Thanks to Allen Thompson and all the guys at SBS&S.
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