Italian keyboard virtuoso Alex Carpani surely knows his fundamentals, and "The Sanctuary" consists of ten heavy keyboard-laden prog rock songs that borders with symphonic rock.
He has composed, arranged, orchestrated and produced the album; he takes care of the keyboards as well as lead and background vocals, so it is quite natural that his fingerprints are all over the album. This is his project, and the epic suite he has created is so keyboard frontloaded that the rest of the instruments do only play second fiddle in the band.
He has created a soothing sound journey that takes us back to the dinosaurs; the 70s big prog bands like ELP and Yes do rear their ugly heads, and I am sure Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman has had a big influence on him.
"The Sanctuary" is a fine example of a keyboard player that isn't afraid of showing his true colours and play the style of music he grew up loving. The last kick is however missing, but still a very solid effort and one worth giving a try if you like keyboard-driven symphonic prog rock.
