Ifsounds hail from Italy and have released a new album in 2010 on the Melodic Revolution Records label, entitled Apeirophobia. This is the first album as Ifsounds, as the band was formally known as If. The band consists of Elena Ricci (vocals), Franco Bussoli (bass), Claudio Lapenna (keyboards), Enzo Belocchio (drums) and Dario Lastella (guitars) Elena and Enzo are new to the band as of 2009.
I’m rather new to this band, with only the free download of their If…Sounds compilation as my only other expose to their music. The download is available only through the band’s website and it’s recommended in order to better understand their music.
The highlight of the album is the epic title track which clocks in at almost 28 minutes. After several listens, I found this song to be worth the price of admission alone. With each listen, I find more sounds developing. Another highlight of the album is the opening track "Anima Mundi" (7:21) which has an energetic rock appeal to it while staying within the progressive rock umbrella.
The remaining three tracks "Summer Breeze" (6:06),"Last Minutes" (6:18) and "Aprile" (2:22) are equally as good but the other two songs are the highlights in my opinion. “Aprile” serves as an beautiful acoustic intro piece to the self titled epic.
If you’re looking for a contemporary Italian progressive rock with female vocals, then look no further than Ifsounds. They bridge the gaps between classic and newer symphonic styles. They can easily be mentioned along side British prog bands like Magenta, The Reasoning and Karnataka along with Italian bands Aries and Tale Cue as well as the Greek band Ciccada. These bands are listed just as references because Ifsounds has a rather unique sound, in my opinion.
Sadly I feel that this band and album probably won’t get as much press as their peers but I urge you to check out this band. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more from them in the years to come. This is one of the better releases of 2010, and I recommend fans of the afore mentioned bands, to look into acquiring Apeirophobia ASAP!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 26th, 2010
