4 out of 5 Stars!
Le Orme, a keyboard-rich Italian trio that burst onto the scene during Prog-Rock’s initial explosion in popularity, produced some killer material.
On Felona e Sorona, the band’s fourth studio album (and probably my favorite within Le Orme’s vast catalogue of releases), the band often reminded me of a cross between groups such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Triumvirat, Genesis and UK, only with that overall “signature Italian style” Symphonic Prog so readily produced in the early ’70s.
One thing that set the band apart from many of its contemporaries was the seemingly effortless transitions between the lighter, folksy passages, the jazz-influenced flourishes, and the grandiose, bombastic sections loaded with Hammonds and Mellotrons and Moogs. Although this overall collection of tracks is on the short side (approximately only thirty-four minutes) and the production quality is rather dull in places, the music itself is a splendid representation of what many Italian bands were creating during this exciting period in history, with Le Orme offering tight and solid performances on some wonderfully versatile, adventurous, and ambitious compositions.