Alphataurus -

Alphataurus was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released a 1973 self-titled album on Magma. A second album, recorded later that same year, surfaced in 1992 as an archival disc on Mellow Records.

Members: Pietro Pellegrini (Hammond organ, keyboards, vibraphone), Guido Wasserman (guitar), Giorgio Santandrea (drums), Alfonso Oliva (bass, 1970-73), Michele Bavaro (lead vocals, 1970-73)

Background

Alphataurus formed in 1970 in Milan and gigged locally for two years, then burst onto the national rock festival circuit. Their performance activities led to a contract with Magma, a short-lived label founded by New Trolls singer Vittorio De Scalzi.

Alphataurus

Alphataurus released their self-titled album in 1973 on Magma. Sessions occurred at Studio G in Genova.

The album presents their only complete studio effort, recorded shortly before their premature breakup. It combines acoustic, electronic, and classically influenced elements into a dense, dynamic symphonic rock structure with lyrical themes of existential dread, renewal, and human agency.

Keyboardist/composer Pietro Pellegrini plays Hammond organ, piano, Moog synthesizer, spinet, and vibraphone, handling the album’s layered arrangements. Singer Michele Bavaro delivers with operatic range and emotional intensity. Guitarist Guido Wasserman plays arpeggios, hard-rock leads, and ambient textures. Bassist Alfonso Oliva fingers along with a fluid, percussive style. Drummer Giorgio Santandrea multi-tasks on timpani and tumba, alternating between tight rhythmic grids and loose, exploratory phrasing.

Alphataurus opens with shifting meters, pastoral interludes, and synth passages that alternate between rhapsodic and volatile. Acoustic guitar and spinet passages blend with swirling Moog leads and chromatic organ sections. Extended compositions evolve through abrupt tempo shifts and alternating lyrical and instrumental segments. Motifs resurface across songs, creating structural cohesion. Mellifluous vocal melodies are often framed by heavy instrumental counterpoint, with multiple songs cycling between atmospheric buildup and explosive ensemble interplay.

A1. “Peccato d’Orgoglio” [Sin of Pride] (12:22) — multi-section epic with acoustic intro, organ interludes, and recurring Moog riff; lyrics critique pride and illusory realities
A2. “Dopo l’Uragano” [After the Hurricane] (5:05) — post-disaster narrative with dynamic transitions from calm to distorted riffing and phased drum fills
A3. “Croma” [Eighth Note] (3:16) — instrumental with spinet, organ, and classical structure; serves as thematic bridge to side B

B1. “La Mente Vola” [The Mind Flies] (9:20) — opens with slow Moog ascent, shifts into melodic ballad form with layered vocals, synth and vibraphone solos
B2. “Ombra Muta” [Mute Shadow] (9:43) — crescendos from atmospheric intro to extended instrumental climax with swirling organ, fast bass lines, and sharp guitar phrasing

Alphataurus displays a surreal triptych by painter Adriano Marangoni. The full spread depicts a surreal, war-torn landscape where a white dove drops bullets from its talons onto a scorched countryside. On the left, a mushroom cloud rises behind a blackened cathedral and the contours of a sleeping face embedded in the earth. The inner terrain transitions toward a more natural scene with hills and waterways, culminating on the right in the image of the dove bearing an olive branch—visually echoing the album’s lyrical tension between destruction and renewal.

Dietro l’uragano

In 1992, Mellow Records unearthed Dietro l’uragano, the intended 1974 second album by Alphataurus.

In 1992, Mellow Records unearthed Dietro l’uragano (Behind the Hurricane), the intended second album by Alphataurus, recorded between August and December 1973 at Alphataurus Studios.

Dietro contains four largely instrumental pieces from the incomplete sessions that followed the departure of vocalist Michele Bavaro. The material reflects a transitional phase, moving toward a looser, more keyboard-dominated sound.

Pietro Pellegrini plays organ, Moog, and electric piano with a central compositional role. Bassist Alfonso Oliva returns with a prominent rhythmic presence while guitarist Guido Wasserman appears in reduced capacity. Drummer Giorgio Santandrea sings on “Claudette.” Their arrangements feature lengthy synth passages, layered keyboards, dynamic bass lines, and unstructured ensemble interplay.

“Ripensando E…” presents unfinished thematic material with a rhythmic Moog lead and Hammond flourishes. “Valigie di Terra”e features a staggered drum and synth introduction that builds into an extended jam with organ surges and tempo shifts. “Idea Imcompiuta” is an exploratory interlude with jazz phrasing. The final track, “Claudette,” moves through multiple episodes, including jazz-inflected piano themes, slow-burning crescendos, and a concluding vocal section delivered by Santandrea.

1. “Ripensando E…” [Thinking Back And…] (6:29) — slow-building instrumental with melodic Moog lead and rhythm breaks; lacks planned vocals
2. “Valigie di Terra” [Suitcases of Earth] (10:28) — episodic instrumental with extended intro, organ-driven climax, and contrasting rhythmic sections
3. “Idea Imcompiuta” [Unfinished Idea] (1:52) — fragmentary piece with jazz motifs and brief thematic sketches
4. “Claudette” (13:58) — multi-part suite with electric piano prelude, shifting instrumental textures, and a closing vocal passage by Santandrea

Sessions occurred between August and December 1973 at Alphataurus Studios, Milan. Despite its incompletion, the album offers glimpses of the band’s evolving direction through complex arrangements and dramatic synth layering..

The cover illustration for Dietro l’uragano features a fantastical procession of winged reptilian beasts ridden by nude female warriors through a crimson sky. The imagery invokes classical fantasy art with an overtly dramatic, post-apocalyptic tone. Though disconnected from the unfinished and mostly instrumental content of the album, the visual amplifies the sense of epic fragmentation and mythic scale surrounding Alphataurus’ lost second work.

Giorgio Santandrea did a brief stint with Crystals. Pietro Pellegrini worked in subsequent years with Riccardo Zappa and PFM.

Discography: