Clessidra

Forming back in 2010 at Irpinia, Italy, and spending a couple of years touring and eventually recording, Locus Amoenus released their debut album `Clessidra' (Hourglass) on September 28th 2013, and it keeps up the strong tradition of dynamic Italian progressive releases from recent years. However, what sets them instantly apart is that band work at the darker, noisier and dirtier end of RPI, more influenced by the likes of Biglietto per L'Inferno and the dark jazz of Delirium due to the heavy attacking presence of sax and flute. The musicians contrast soft and heavy, electric and acoustic passages with plenty of building, brooding atmosphere.

Laviàntica is a band from Rome, Italy, in action since the early 90s. In 2013 the first official CD was released. The album is titled ''Clessidra'' (''Hourglass'' in English), an apt soubriquet as it marks a return to the intricate arrangements and subtle atmospheres of their Neo-Prog past, but cross-fertilised with the immediacy of pop and singer-songwriter elements. Significantly, they have forsaken the English vocals in favour of their native tongue, a crucial change for their musical development and artistic integrity.