Verganti - Atlas (2017)

Controversial and fascinating, Italian band VERGANTI bring a fierce and uncompromising creationist fervour to their music. Formed in 2015 and with a sound firmly rooted in a wide range of Italian and worldwide prog-rock influences, its members hold firm beliefs about the history of the world and what they consider its extra-terrestrial origins to be.

The founders of the project were initially intrigued by theories offered in Giuseppe Alaimo's book `The Atlantis Enigma' (which proposed that founders of the fabled city of Atlantis were in fact a colony of aliens from outer space), and a second work `The Bible Does Not Talk to God'. Written from a historical and scientific perspective by Mauro Biglino, a scholar and translator of ancient languages, the latter presented a re-telling of the Bible in the original language in which it was written, but from the perspective of a `historical' book instead of a religious or spiritual one. Both of these greatly fuelled Verganti's inspiration, and they began transcribing their new beliefs into music and words.

Their 2017 debut `Atlas' is a concept album, which through ten chapters leads the listener back in time, when man and woman, as we know them today, did not exist. It further tells the story of the arrival of aliens on Earth and of the flood that submerged Atlantis, forcing a group of Atlanteans to flee to new lands to colonize, as well as telling the love story between the alien king and a human woman (perhaps Eve herself?).

`Atlas' delivers a similar symphonic grandiosity to the ambitious prog-rock concept works of vintage Italian groups such as LATTE E MIELE, the NEW TROLLS and METAMORFOSI, where Seventies musical ambition is presented with a sleek modern production, and Verganti remain determined to stick to the roots of the classic Italian progressive music by singing in their native language in an exquisite mix of sophisticated male and female vocals. In addition to the above mentioned groups from their home country, elements of international artists both vintage and modern can be also heard throughout the album, similar to an eclectic and varied collection of acts such as IQ, URIAH HEEP, STEVE HACKETT, KING CRIMSON, MAGENTA and even STEVEN WILSON - something for everyone!

The Verganti project also prides itself on offering `cultured' and intelligent music of substance in a world of `disposable' music, and always remains melodic and accessible without sacrificing intelligence and depth.

With a captivating tale, thought-provoking words, stunning instrumentation and passionate singing, `Atlas' is a highly distinctive and wildly confident first work, that not only presents the beliefs of the composers as an exciting and unique musical statement, but encourages close listening and further study of the source material, and together it makes Verganti one of the most distinctive new Italian bands to keep an eye on.

~ Michael Hodgson (Aussie-Byrd-Brother), Italian Prog Team