Tritop - Rise of Kassandra - 2023
“..a strong debut album from italy ...”
intro
Tritop is a progressive rock project from Italy. The project came to life through Ivo Di Traglia, a young Italian drummer and composer. A few years later, Pierfrancesco Di Pofi (keyboards), Francesco Caponera (guitars), Jacopo Tuzi (bass), Mattia Fagiolo (vocals) and Iacopo Di Traglia (lyrics) joined. "Rise of Kassandra" is their surprising debut album which was released in 2023.
Ivo Di Traglia - Drum, Composer, Arranger; Pierfrancesco Di Pofi - Keys, Piano, Hammond, Synth, Mellotron; Francesco Caponera - Electric Guitar; Jacopo Tuzi - Bass; Mattia Fagiolo - Voice; Iacopo Di Traglia - Lyrics
Guests:
Peter Cornacchia - Acoustic Guitar, Classic Guitar, Mandolin;
Simone Cozzetto - Electric Guitar, Steel Guitar, Acoustic Guitar;
Andrea Ricci - Electric Guitar;
Vincenzo Mancini - Electric Guitar;
Emanuele Andolfi - Electric Guitar;
Pasquale Ripa - Electric Guitar.
review
Of course, first of all, I would like to thank the band for making the physical promo copy available to progVisions. The first thing I noticed is that there are only four compositions on their debut album "Rise of Kassandra". That's because it features a true epic with a duration of almost 24 minutes.
The album opens with the title track "Rise of Kassandra" (13:00). The band immediately kicks off with an uptempo intro full of melodic and fat synth and guitar parts. All this on a tight rhythm section with a nice bass. In the person of Mattia Fagiolo, the band also has a talented vocalist. The music is very varied and full of tempo changes. This is pure RPI (Rock Progressivo Italiano) ... but with English vocals. Mattia Fagiolo is one of the few Italian singers who recites his vocals without a heavy accent. The melodies of the final section are beautiful. What a fantastic opener to a debut album.
The title track flows seamlessly into the next song is titled "Delighted Insanity" (5:46). It is another uptempo song with a roaring rhythm section. Over it then lie fiery organ and synth carpets, screeching guitars and passionate vocals.
With the next track "Island of Servitude" (5:11), the band seems to slow down a bit but that is only a pretence. The band just thunders on. A lot of time seems to have been put into the varied vocal sections (lead and backing vocals). You can again enjoy screeching guitar parts and sometimes a more jazzy interpretation of the keyboard parts. Keyboardist Pierfrancesco Di Pofi deserves an extra mention for his wonderful contributions on this album.
Then it's time for this album's epic. "The Sacred Law of Retribution" (23:46). It is divided into the following parts; "A Courteous Display of Fairness and Judgement", "The Crawl Part I", "Flashback", "The Crawl Part II", "The Outer Side", "First Contact" and "Farewell, with Love". This long track is definitely the highlight of this album. The necessary variation in tempos and instrumentation that I find a bit lacking in the first three (up-tempo) tracks is present here. This is real enjoyment for us prog heads. The band even throws in some Prog metal influences. Not quite my thing but that's a personal preference of course. The variety in this track is wonderful. In "First Contact" you can again enjoy beautifully arranged keyboard parts and nice synth solos. And in the closing part "Farewell with Love" there are beautiful guitar work and fine vocal melodies.
conclusion
Triptop's debut album "Rise of Kassandra" is a surprisingly good debut album. "The Sacred Law of Retribution" (23:46) is definitely the highlight of this album. All the necessary variation in tempos and instrumentation that I find a bit lacking in the first three (up-tempo) tracks is present here. This is real enjoyment for us prog heads. Especially when you consider that this is a debut album by a progressive rock band. Personally, I think this is one of the strongest debut albums I have had the pleasure of reviewing lately.
That's why this album is highly recommended by progVisions