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Zio Crocifisso — Campana di Legno + Trappola per Topi
(AMS 354, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-08-08

Campana di Legno + Trappola per Topi Cover art

Zio Crocifisso is one of many projects that Paolo “Ske” Botto is involved with, and like the others (Yūgen, Not a Good Sign), the music is an avant-progressive tour-de-force. His collaborators in Zio Crocifisso are also active in Italian rock: Dario Magri is in Yokoano and Sho; and Matteo Serenelli is a member of The Appetizers. The album consists of Campana di Legno, an EP the group released in 2024, plus new 2025 recordings collectively referred to as Trappola per Topi, for a total of 50 minutes of intense music with some quieter moments for listeners to catch their breath. Botto’s keyboards are prominent and varied, with lots of tones both classic and modern, and they’re balanced by Serenelli’s guitar, which is hard-hitting in a way that’s more King Crimson or Tool than metal. Magri’s drumming spans heavy pounding for the energetic sections and tasty coloration in the more delicate parts. Fabio Malizia joins the founding trio as a full-time bassist, coming from the psychedelic metal band Orbe. There are a few guest appearances on vocals, saxes, and other instruments, resulting in a refreshingly varied palette of timbres in the arrangements. “Lievito Madre” is the central track on the album, just shy of thirteen minutes with varying sections, lush Mellotron, female vocals, vibraphone, saxes, odd meters, and a whole lot of proggy goodness. Zio Crocifisso’s music is fairly far removed from symphonic prog, but it’s also not without lightness — the powerful, angular riffs are tempered by melodies and subtlety, resulting in a nice balance to the whole affair. This is certainly one of my favorite progressive rock releases of 2025 so far.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Ske (Paolo Botta), Zio Crocifisso

More info
http://ziocrocifisso.bandcamp.com/album/campana-di-legno-trappola-per-topi

 

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