Semiramis – Dedicato a Frazz (1973)

Dedicato a Frazz is an album by Italian symphonic/art-rock band Semiramis, released in 1973 on Trident.

The group centered around teenage guitarist–vocalist Michele Zarrillo, who composed the album’s material and shaped its volatile, condensed style. Each of the seven tracks operates as a compressed suite, veering between acoustic calm, hard-edged motifs, ornate keyboard fanfares, and theatrical vocal delivery. Conceived as a surrealist concept piece, the album follows Frazz, a dreamer-clown navigating existential contradictions and absurdities. Zarrillo’s narrative unfolds across shifting vignettes, each with distinct musical architecture and tonal contrasts.

The album thrives on its relentless structural momentum and frequent directional pivots. Themes often last under thirty seconds before morphing into new patterns, producing an almost cinematic sequence of miniatures. Guitar motifs give way to synth barrages; quiet arpeggios collapse into frenetic ensemble climaxes; slow, reflective passages erupt into angular riffing or dissolve in textural drift. This rapid transformation is tightly scored, avoiding loose improvisation or repetition. Each song’s development feels intentional and layered, with dynamic pacing that never lingers. Vibraphone passages often signal turning points, offering brief contrast to the density of the electrified sections.

Zarrillo’s guitar work oscillates between abrasive fuzz leads and precise acoustic runs, matched by his forceful, expressive vocal phrasing. Maurizio Zarrillo and Giampiero Artegiani expand the harmonic and timbral palette with grand piano, Eminent organ, harpsichord, synth, and twelve-string guitar. Bassist Marcello Reddavide’s lyric writing reflects the concept’s fragmented introspection, while his melodic basslines and auxiliary effects emphasize key transitions. Drummer Paolo Faenza, doubling on vibraphone and percussion, links the disparate elements with irregular meters and textural shifts. The result is a compact yet expansive album of vividly constructed scenes, unified by the recurring tension between fantasy and collapse.

A1. “La bottega del rigattiere” (6:03)

(The Junk Dealer’s Shop)

Faenza’s vibraphone rings out in a bright, carnival-like pattern while Artegiani’s twelve-string arpeggios shimmer underneath. Reddavide’s bass walks slowly forward and Michele Zarrillo’s voice enters, warm and slightly theatrical, over Maurizio Zarrillo’s swirling Eminent organ chords.

At one minute thirty the tempo surges; Artegiani’s classical guitar picks rapid descending lines while Faenza switches to full drum kit and pounds a driving beat. Michele Zarrillo’s electric guitar erupts at two minutes thirty with a searing, distorted solo that climbs in frantic runs against Reddavide’s galloping bass. The band drops back at three minutes forty; Maurizio Zarrillo layers thick synthesizer waves while Faenza returns to vibraphone and bells for a ghostly interlude. Tension rebuilds at four minutes thirty; organ and guitar trade angular phrases, drums hammer triplet fills, and the whole ensemble races upward.

In the final minute Michele Zarrillo’s guitar returns with a new soaring theme doubled by Artegiani’s twelve-string, vibraphone flickers metallic accents across the storm, and the track explodes into a final unison riff before cutting abruptly to silence.

A2. “Luna Park” (4:31)

Faenza launches straight into a furious drum assault; Reddavide’s bass locks into a racing ostinato while Maurizio Zarrillo stabs thick organ chords. Michele Zarrillo’s electric guitar slashes distorted riffs across the chaos. At fifty seconds the band pulls back sharply; Artegiani’s acoustic guitar strums a gentle figure, vibraphone sparkles overhead, and Michele Zarrillo sings softly over soft percussion. The calm lasts barely thirty seconds before everything detonates again; guitar and organ duel in rapid ascending lines while Faenza pounds relentless kick and snare.

At two minutes forty the storm subsides once more; Maurizio Zarrillo plays delicate piano chords while Artegiani layers twelve-string arpeggios. Michele Zarrillo’s voice returns, now more urgent, backed by faint vibraphone. The final minute reignites the opening frenzy; guitar solos climb higher and higher, organ screams, drums blast sixteenth-note fills, and the track ends on a sudden explosive chord.

A3. “Uno zoo di vetro” (5:59)

(A Glass Zoo)

Artegiani’s twelve-string opens with delicate, almost folk-like picking; Faenza adds soft brushes and distant bells. Michele Zarrillo’s voice drifts in, fragile and melodic, over Maurizio Zarrillo’s sparse piano notes. At one minute twenty the mood darkens; heavy organ chords crash in, Reddavide’s bass growls low, and Michele Zarrillo’s guitar unleashes a jagged, distorted riff. Faenza pounds toms in militaristic patterns while Artegiani’s synthesizer emits piercing, dentist-drill bursts.

At two minutes forty everything collapses into eerie near-silence; Faenza’s vibraphone and Reddavide’s bells create an icy, floating soundscape while faint guitar feedback hovers in the background. The tension slowly rebuilds; organ chords swell, bass returns with ominous pulses, and at four minutes thirty the band erupts again with frantic guitar and organ interplay. The final minute dissolves back into the opening acoustic motif, vibraphone and bells ringing out alone before fading into cold stillness.

B1. “Per una strada affollata” (5:03)

(Along a Crowded Street)

Maurizio Zarrillo’s synthesizer unleashes wild, swirling runs while Faenza pounds a breakneck drum pattern. Reddavide’s bass races underneath in rapid arpeggios and Artegiani’s classical guitar picks frantic descending lines. Michele Zarrillo’s electric guitar enters at forty seconds with a searing, angular solo full of bent notes and rapid pulls. The band charges forward for a minute before dropping suddenly; Artegiani’s twelve-string strums a brief calm passage while vibraphone flickers softly.

At two minutes twenty the assault returns heavier than before; organ and guitar trade dissonant phrases, drums hammer syncopated fills, and Michele Zarrillo’s voice rises into theatrical screams. The final minute pushes everything to breaking point; synthesizer screams climb higher, guitar and bass lock into a galloping unison riff, and the track ends on a brutal, abrupt stop.

B2. “Dietro una porta di carta” (5:44)

(Behind a Paper Door)

Artegiani’s gentle twelve-string arpeggios open the track; Maurizio Zarrillo adds soft piano chords while Faenza brushes quietly. Michele Zarrillo sings in a hushed, almost whispered tone over faint vibraphone accents from Faenza. At one minute forty the mood lifts; Reddavide’s bass walks forward, organ swells enter, and the whole band builds slowly behind Michele Zarrillo’s rising voice.

At three minutes Artegiani’s electric guitar erupts with a soaring solo full of sustained bends and quick runs while Maurizio Zarrillo layers thick Eminent strings. Drums shift to powerful tom work, bass pulses underneath, and the intensity keeps climbing. At four minutes thirty the storm subsides again; twelve-string and piano return to the opening motif, vibraphone rings softly, and Michele Zarrillo’s voice floats gently to the close, leaving only the faint echo of bells.

B3. “Frazz” (5:11)

Artegiani’s acoustic guitar strums a pastoral figure while Maurizio Zarrillo plays delicate piano lines. Michele Zarrillo’s voice enters calm and melodic over soft percussion and distant vibraphone. At one minute twenty the tempo picks up; Reddavide’s bass drives forward, organ chords swell, and Artegiani adds twelve-string flourishes.

At two minutes thirty the mood darkens; distorted guitar riffs slash across heavy organ while Faenza pounds relentless kick patterns. Michele Zarrillo’s guitar takes a fiery solo full of rapid hammer-ons against Maurizio Zarrillo’s swirling synthesizer. At four minutes everything drops back to near-silence; acoustic guitar and piano return, vibraphone flickers gently, and the voice sings the final verses softly before the track fades on a single sustained organ chord.

B4. “Clown” (4:34)

Maurizio Zarrillo’s piano states a melancholic pattern alone; Artegiani’s twelve-string joins with soft arpeggios. Michele Zarrillo’s voice enters fragile and theatrical over faint vibraphone shimmer. At one minute the band surges; Reddavide’s bass growls low, organ chords crash in, and Faenza pounds a driving beat. Michele Zarrillo’s electric guitar erupts at one minute forty with a jagged solo full of bent notes and rapid runs while synthesizer screams overhead.

At two minutes thirty everything collapses again; piano and twelve-string return to the opening motif, vibraphone rings softly, and the voice sings gently. The final minute reignites one last time; guitar and organ trade frantic phrases, drums hammer triplet fills, and the track ends on a sudden theatrical chord.

Tracklist:
A1. “La bottega del rigattiere” (6:03)
A2. “Luna Park” (4:31)
A3. “Uno zoo di vetro” (5:59)
B1. “Per una strada affoliata” (5:03)
B2. “Dietro una porta di carta” (5:44 — :01–2:30–5:40)
B3. “Frazz” (5:11)
B4. “Clown” (4:34)

Credits:
Paolo Faenza — drums, percussion, vibraphone
Marcello Reddavide — bass, bells
Giampiero Artegiani — classical guitar, 12 string guitar, synthesizer
Michele Zarrillo — acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocal
Maurizio Zarrillo — piano, electric piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, sistrum