Consorzio Acqua Potabile began their tenure in the 70s but never released an album until last year. Housed in a ridiculously elaborate package (it folds out into a box with pockets from the CD and CD shaped inserts), CAP's ...Nei Gorghi Del Tempo (Kaliphonia KRC 003) is a nice debut of melodic, romantic Banco influenced neo-progressive rock that compares favorably with the rerecordings of the first two Banco albums. While CAP's album has been a long time in the making, you'd never know, as the music is very modern sounding with full digital keys and gated/electronic sounding drums. CAP have a very romantic/melodic styling (sometimes way too sickly sweet), and their vocalist does much to remind one of Francesco DiGiacomo of Banco. While the music is quite good and should appeal to many, I have a difficult time dealing with the overpolished production and sterile sounding keyboards. In fact I'm dead positive that CAP took many of their ideas from the first three Banco albums, as I hear themes from "R.I.P" and "Io Sono Nato Libero" among others.
(originally reviewed as part of The New Italian Progressive Rock
Scene - Part 2), Exposé #4, p. 9-10, Edited for Gnosis 4/28/01)
