Metamorfosi

A band based in Rome, though their singer Jimmy Spitaleri was from Sicily. The group was formed in 1969 when Spitaleri joined the musicians of I Frammenti, a group specialized in the "beat mass" typical of those years. Their first album, ...e fu il sesto giorno, contains seven songs, the main elements of the band's music are already there, with the almost operatic voice of Jimmy Spitaleri in great evidence and the nice classical influenced playing of keyboards player Enrico Olivieri on a strong rhythm section, but the album is still fragmented and not particularly imaginative, and some 60's influences can still be heard. Second album, Inferno, is their masterpiece, with two long suites (there are 16 titles on the cover but these are only the small pieces forming the Inferno suite) and the majestic voice of Spitaleri perfectly mixed with Olivieri's keyboards to form a highly original and exciting result. A third album, that was to be called Paradiso as a prosecution to the previous one, was written but never recorded and released and the band split. Singer Spitaleri went to the USA and later, coming back to Italy, released two solo albums in 1979 and 1980, the first under the name of Thor, the second with his real name Davide Spitaleri. The band made some reunion concerts in the 90's around the leading duo of Spitaleri and Olivieri, and the long waited Paradiso emerges again around 2000. Their style is now oriented to symphonic progressive rock, and led by Enrico Olivieri's organ and synthesisers.