Il Segno Del Comando &
Quel Che Disse Il Tuono

October 30, 2022 - 't Blok, Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel (NL)


To see the Italian prog act Quel Che Disse Il Tuono on a Dutch stage wasn't that easy as it seemed in the first place. The band was booked by the people of the amazing ProgFrog team to promote their excellent debut album Il Velo Dei Riflessi (2020, see review) in the Netherlands. The concert was planned for the 5th of July in 2020 together with Cellar Noise, another amazing prog act from Italy. But as we all know the gig had to be postponed because of the pandemic that was going around all over the world. Then it was planned for the 11th of October the same year. But the corona virus was still going on so they had to cancel it again. No more concerts for 2020 could be planned and also 2021 was very uncertain if any concert would take place. Towards the end of the year the green light was given to organise any gigs for bands. But everything was already fully booked on the ProgFrog calendar that eventually the 30th of October in 2022 was chosen as the date it finally would take place. However not with the earlier mentioned Cellar Noise. They were replaced by another fantastic Italian prog act. Namely Karmamoi. However it was not the end of the continuing story of getting Quel Che Disse Il Tuono on a Dutch stage. Next up came the news that also this band was not able to come to the Netherlands. On short notice Il Segno Del Comando (another Italian prog act) was found to step in and take the journey to the low lands together with Quel Che Disse Il Tuono. So finally in the end everything turned out right and both bands climbed the stage at 't Blok in Nieuwerkerk aan de Ijssel to make their first live appearances in the Netherlands.

 

Il Segno Del Comando

X
Riccardo Morello (►more pics)
The music of Il Segno Del Comando isn't the typical Italian progressive rock that most prog heads like to listen to. They didn't copy the music of the famous Italian prog rock acts like Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso or Le Orme. This band from Genoa started in 1995 as a studio project with the aim of reproducing the sound and the atmosphere of bands from the seventies like Goblin, Il Balletto Di Bronzo or Jacula. The name is derived from a 1970's novel by Giussepe D'Agata and Italian TV series of the same title that dealt with occult matters, reincarnation and the supernatural. Normally the band consists of six musicians. However the father of keyboardist Beppi Menozzi just recently died and therefore wasn't able to take the trip to the Netherlands.
X
Line up in front of venue
(►more pics)
So the band had to adjust the songs they were going to play to a five piece unit. Meaning most of all that guitarist and keyboard player Davide Bruzzi would be doing all the keyboard parts by himself. This he did in an excellent way as it turned out. Just as all of the other musicians managed to give their best performance possible. The setlist contained songs taken from all of their five recorded studio albums. The music the band played from those albums is rather complex and you'll have to take the time to discover the beauty of it. Because you'll hear in the initially chaotic sounding music some very beautiful prog rock passages with elements taken from space rock, opera, gothic, metal and zeuhl. Most of the compositions deliver heavy and bombastic atmospheres with blistering guitar soli and thunderous drums. This is topped with outstanding, often passionate Italian vocals done by the great lead singer Riccardo Morello. The main man behind the band is without any doubt founder member and main composer bassist Diego Banchero who got a solo spot during Aseità. The band gave a strong performance in which most of all the interaction between the two guitar players Davide Bruzzi and Roberto Lucanato got my attention next to the fine keyboard work done by Bruzzi. Difficult to mention any musical highlights, because all songs were rather strongly performed. I guess the most important of all was that all five musicians on stage can look back on a great first concert in the Netherlands. The audience just loved them and that's all that matters.

 

Quel Che Disse Il Tuono

X
Francesca Zanetta (►more pics)
Quel Che Disse Il Tuono was founded early 2019 in Milan and released their strong debut album Il Velo Dei Riflessi one year later. The most well know musician in the band is Francesca Zanetta. Most of those progheads who visit the Progfrog concerts know her as the guitar player of Unreal City who plays the Mellotron as well. This band already played three times at 't Blok. So when she entered the stage she welcomed her audience with the words ?long time not seeing?. Keyboard player Niccolò Gallani might be known to some lovers of progressive rock as well. Because he touches the keyboards in the earlier mentioned Cellar Noise, who already released two excellent albums. The rhythm section which can be heard on the album is no more in the band and replaced by the youngsters Brandon Garro (bass and vocals) and Fabio Forlani (drums). It was rather obvious that the four musicians would do the entire debut album. An album which is most of all influenced by the progressive rock from the early 70s, especially Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Camel and Pink Floyd. Meaning lots of Mellotron, guitar and synthesizer solos. All compositions from the album got great live renditions. Most of all the opening tune Il Pradigma Dello Specchio and ending tune Loro Sono Me were done in an excellent way. Loro Sono Me even got a nice surprise at the end by including a short part of King Crimson's Starless.
X
Brandon Garro(►more pics)
They even had one more surprise in store by playing The White Toad Majesty from The Lost Vision of The Chandoo Priest album. An instrumental album which was made by Francesca and Niccolò during the lockdown. The audience loved them so much that they had to come back for an encore. However all tracks from the album were already done and probably no new compositions were rehearsed so they had to play one song one more time. I asked Francesca to do the opening tune one more time, because I like this song so much. Thank God she confirmed that they were going to do Il Pradigma Dello Specchio as the final song of this excellent Sunday evening concert. Again done in a perfect way. I could not have asked for more I guess.


Looking back, I can only say that both bands entertained me and the rest of the crowd in a perfect way. So I can only say thanks to both bands for taking the long journey from Italy to the Netherlands to play their music in front of a great audience. Also thanks again to the amazing ProgFrog team for giving those two Italian prog act a stage to show all of their musical talents. I guess we all had a blast on a rather Sunny Sunday afternoon in late October.

Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)

Live video
recordings

Henri, Eden & Roel Strik

X
Il Senza Ombra / Il Calice Dell'Oblio (8:29)
X
Il Mio Nome è Menzogna /Aseità (11:18)
X
Sulla Via Della Veglia (6:12)

Setlist Il Segno Del Comando:

Il Senza Ombra
Il Calice Dell'Oblio
Sulla Via Della Veglia
Nel Labirinto Spirituale
Il Mio Nome è Menzogna
Aseità (bass solo)
Missa Nigra
Komplot Charouseck
Usibepu
La Taverna Dell'Angelo
Il Segno Del Comando

Pictures Il Segno Del Comando
by Arthur Haggenburg

>>> Click here to view all pics on one page.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X

Line up Il Segno Del Comando:

(left to right)
Riccardo Morello:
vocals
Davide Bruzzi:
guitars and keyboards
Diego Banchero:
bass
Roberto Lucanato:
guitars
Fernando Cherchi:
drums
X



Live video
recordings

Henri, Eden & Roel Strik

Clips will be published later



Setlist Quel Che Disse Il Tuono:

Il Pradigma Dello Specchio
Figlio Dell’Uomo
Chi Ti Cammina Accanto?
Il Bastone e Il Serpente
The White Toad Majesty (from The Lost Vision of The Chandoo Priest)
Loro Sono Me
Encore:
Il Pradigma Dello Specchio





Pictures Quel Che Disse Il Tuono
by Arthur Haggenburg

>>> Click here to view all pics on one page.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X

Line up Quel Che Disse Il Tuono:

(left to right)
Niccolò Gallani:
keyboards
Brandon Garro:
bass and vocals
Francesca Zanetta:
guitar and mellotron
Fabio Forlani:
drums
X





All Rights Reserved Background Magazine 2022