NARROW PASS - A ROOM OF FAIRY QUEEN'S - 2006

Formed in the 1980s by Mauro Montobbio, but unfortunately disbanding without a release to their name NARROW PASS luckily reformed and released their debut album in 2006.

Mauro Montobbio is a keyboardist/guitarist and managed to get some guest musicians together for their debut release "A Room Full of Fairy Queen's". These guests included the vocalist for LA MASCHERA DI CERA, Alessandro Corvaglia. Other guests include Valeria Caucino and Edmondo Romano (flute/sax/bagpipes), both formerly of the one-album band ERIS PLUVIA of the 1990s.

Influenced by CAMEL, ERIS FLUVIA and PINK FLOYD and with a hint of the guitar sound from early MARILLION; this band are sure to impress many listeners.

Recommended for those who like Eris Fluvia, La Maschera di Cera and Camel.


You can always count on our italian friends to provide further quality chapters to their much vaunted school of Prog. It seems that style , food, football and prog are their most reliable attributes. Upon deeper analysis, this project really has some very solid contributions , mainly from the brilliant Edmundo Romano of Hostsonaten and Eris Pluvia/The Ancient Veil fame whose distinct style on various winds add a high luster to an already shimmering set of mostly instrumental tunes. But the vocal presence of La Maschera Di Cera's Alessandro Corviglia is really most surprising , as his distinctive voice emanates more charm in this lighter environment than his usual more somber, angst driven delivery with his day band. All this to further elevate the considerable talents of Mauro Montobbio on e-guitar,guitar-synth and various keyboards. He is an obvious student of the Hackett/Hillage/Latimer school of heartfelt, fluid and elegant guitar playing. As the production is very pristine and the style quite pastoral , this very clean style is reminiscent of Aether's Vinicius Brazil , where tone, agility, emotion and crescendo combine to create a heady recipe. The entire disc is outright exhilarating, with hushed sexy female french poetry on the opener, progressing to medieval female vocals a la Haslam on the third track. In fact, this voyage gets more focused as we go along , culminating with the breathtaking "Desert" , a moody and atmospheric piece slashed by a blinding guitar sandstorm, elliciting a series of smiles of admiration. Wow! what a blast and an undeniable prog classic. In fine prog tradition, you don't let go when on a great run, the last 2 epic pieces keep the tension going without mercy until the end, confirming that we are in the presence of another jewel. If you enjoy Spectral Mornings, Latimer's work with Camel or the recent Odyssice releases , then you will be one step from heaven. Bravo, ragazzi! 5 stars, its my cup of tea. Enjoy to the last drop.
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