Biglietto Per L'Inferno

Born in 1972 in Lecco, in northern Italy, from the ashes of Gee and Mako Sharks, Un Biglietto per l'Inferno are still regarded as one of the most influential Italian prog bands, despite a single LP release, their magnificent eponymous album from 1974. The band had an intense live activity, that took to a very powerful sound driven by the twin keyboards of Banf and Cossa and the lead guitar of Mainetti, with fute intermissions by singer Claudio Canali. The album is a masterpiece, its hard-rock based sound being perfectly enriched by keyboards and flute, and the lyrics are strong and effective. The five long tracks are all excellent. Two tracks, "Una strana regina" and "Confessione" were also released as singles, the latter in an instrumental-only version, with the same cover design as the album, the classic picture of the singer Claudio Canali, taken by Caesar Monti.