This is what happened during the brief split of New Trolls
BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 05/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"New Trolls faced a temporary breakup following the release of UT by 1973. The band was never certain what kind of music they should play, as every album they did was quite different. Senza Orario Senza Bandiera, given its 1968 release was a beat pop album (of little interest to prog rock fans), Concerto Grosso per 1 (1971) found them exploring classical orchestration with rock, Searching For a Land (1972) was a two disc set, the studio disc emphasizing the acoustic side of the band while the live half was closer to heavy metal. You can already tell there are musical disagreements between Vittorio De Scalzi and Nico Di Palo, Nico preferring hardrock and heavy metal, Vittorio preferring progressive rock. UT (1972) had pieces alternating between prog, heavy metal, and ballads, and while many regard this as one of the group's high points (I personally found it a great album), some people found it unfocused. Then comes the breakup and legal wrangling in who was in charge of the New Trolls name, so Vittorio de Scalzi assembled a new group called N.T. Atomic System (he still wanted to call it New Trolls, but until the legal wrangling was over, N.T. Atomic System it was).
OK, onto the disenfranchised members of New Trolls. Nico Di Palo, Gianni Belleno, Frank Laugelli, and Maurizio Salvi were to form a new group, but in 1973 when they recorded and released Canti d'Innocenza Canti d'Esperienza, they were essentially without a band name, so a big question mark was placed on the cover. A reader's poll in an Italian magazine called Ciao 2001 came up with a name, that name being Ibis (by which Gianni Belleno left to be replaced by ex-Atomic Rooster drummer Ric Parnell, a singing with Polydor, and the release of the wonderful Sun Surpreme album, as well as a self-entitled album in 1975 which I hadn't heard). There isn't any real surprise that Canti d'Innocenza Canti d'Esperienza should continue on the heavier styles found on UT, but there are a couple of acoustic numbers that remind one of Acqua Fragile or the acoustic stuff of Searching For a Land. Nico Di Palo often hits some ridiculously high notes just as he did on Searching For a Land (I was wondering if he'd hit as high of notes as Mariah Carey, he didn't). The vocals here are all in Italian as well. Musically, I am also reminded of Sun Supreme without the Yes influence, but I guess that's no surprise, given who was involved on the album. While Sun Surpreme had spiritual themes, I can't be sure if there's any themes in this album or not, as it's all in Italian, and I'm not certain what they're singing.
This album is a real no-brainer for those who enjoy the heavier side of New Trolls and Ibis, a must!"
Track Listings (2) - Disc #1