ETHNA - ETHNA - 1975

Here is another underrated Italian prog band that will interest collectors of Italian progressive rock. ETNA's music falls somewhere between mid-70s prog-fusion and Italian soundtrack music(ala jazz-funk Ennio Morricone). I bought this CD many years ago around the same time that I was discovering major Italian jazz-fusion bands like AREA and ARTI E MISTIERI. At the time, I thought that ETNA were okay and good enough to keep, basically. Well, recently I gave them a few spins and absolutely loved what I heard. ETNA differs a bit from other fusion bands in that they weren't into playing at hyper-speeds. They were all gifted musicians, but they only used faster tempos as a release (building tension and releasing) rather than a basis for their careers. Many sections remind me of 70s Italian soundtrack music, yet the music is slightly more complicated. GOBLIN's "Roller" would be a perfect comparison. But ETNA's sound fits well with music that came out between 1973-74 (there is no year-of-release on the CD label). Overall, I really recommend this CD to fans of AREA, ARTI E MISTIERI, GOBLIN, and mid-seventies Ennio MORRICONE. Don't expect anything mind-blowing, but ETNA are well-worth discovering.
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