La Maschera di Cera are one of the flagships of the modern Italian progressive revival — a band devoted, more faithfully than almost any other, to re-creating the sound and spirit of early-1970s RPI. Founded by the prolific Fabio Zuffanti, and graced by the theatrical voice of Alessandro Corvaglia and the vintage keyboards of Agostino Macor, they make new music that feels as though it stepped straight out of the genre’s golden age.

The short version

Formed in Genoa in 2001 by bassist Fabio Zuffanti, of Finisterre fame, La Maschera di Cera set out to revive the warm, symphonic sound of 1970s Italian prog — Mellotron, vintage keyboards, flute, theatrical Italian vocals and, distinctively, no electric guitar. Across a series of acclaimed concept albums, from their 2002 debut to the Le Orme-inspired “Le Porte del Domani” (2013), they have become one of the most beloved and faithful names of the RPI revival.

Genoa, 2001: a Zuffanti project

La Maschera di Cera came together in Genoa in 2001 on the initiative of bassist Fabio Zuffanti, fresh from the modern-prog landmark Finisterre. He gathered several of that band’s musicians — keyboardist Agostino Macor and drummer Marco Cavani — together with flautist Andrea Monetti and the singer Alessandro Corvaglia, who had worked with him on the rock opera “Merlin”. Their shared aim was clear and unusual: to rediscover the sounds and dreamy atmospheres of early-1970s Italian prog, and to write wholly new music with that vintage flavour. In 2002 they released their self-titled debut on Mellow Records, and a devoted project was born.

Vintage RPI, faithfully reborn

Few bands have recreated the classic Italian sound as lovingly as La Maschera di Cera. Theirs is warm, symphonic prog built on Agostino Macor’s array of vintage keyboards — Mellotron, organ, Moog, harpsichord — with flute and the richly theatrical, melodrama-tinged voice of Alessandro Corvaglia. Most distinctive of all, the band uses no electric guitar; in its place, Zuffanti’s powerful, distorted bass carries much of the weight. The result recalls the great names of seventies RPI — Le Orme, Museo Rosenbach, PFM, Quella Vecchia Locanda — so closely that some have called it pure nostalgia. Yet at its best, woven through with poetry and fresh ideas, it conjures something genuinely evocative and timeless rather than merely derivative.

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From the debut to Le Porte del Domani

La Maschera di Cera’s self-titled debut (2002) is a concept album wrapped in symbolist cover art, built on a science-fiction tale of an archaeologist who unearths a mysterious wax mask from the distant past; dreamy and Mellotron-rich, it announced their vintage vision in full. “Il Grande Labirinto” (2003) continued the saga in the same lavish style, and after touring widely the band worked with PFM’s Franz Di Cioccio as producer on the records that followed, among them “Petali di Fuoco” (2010). Their most celebrated album, though, is “Le Porte del Domani” (2013) — an avowed spiritual sequel to Le Orme’s classic “Felona e Sorona”, even commissioning cover art from Lanfranco, the designer behind Le Orme’s own sleeves, and released in both Italian and English versions. It remains the perfect distillation of what the band set out to do.

Album by album

Four albums of lovingly recreated vintage RPI. Tap any title for its guide.

Fabio Zuffanti and the players

La Maschera di Cera revolve around Fabio Zuffanti — one of the central figures of modern Italian prog, who has led Finisterre, Höstsonaten and many other projects — but the band is very much a group of talents. Alessandro Corvaglia, one of the finest and most versatile Italian singers of recent decades, gives the music its drama; keyboardist Agostino Macor, a true master of vintage instruments, gives it its colour; with flautist Andrea Monetti and, on the debut, drummer Marco Cavani — later succeeded by Maurizio Di Tollo — completing the classic line-up. The band has toured Europe and the United States, and returned in more recent years with further albums, their devotion to the RPI cause undimmed.

Where to start

A fine place to begin is “Le Porte del Domani” (2013), their most acclaimed album and a loving echo of Le Orme’s “Felona e Sorona”. From there, the self-titled debut (2002) and “Il Grande Labirinto” (2003) offer their richest, most symphonic early work. All reward anyone who loves the classic Italian sound and wishes there were more of it.

Why they still matter

La Maschera di Cera matter as the most faithful keepers of the classic RPI flame. Where other modern bands update or reinvent the seventies sound, La Maschera di Cera lovingly recreate it, making new concept albums that feel like lost treasures of the golden age — and doing so with real craft, beauty and conviction. Built around one of the genre’s leading modern figures and one of its finest voices, they stand among the essential bands of the Italian prog revival. For anyone who adores vintage RPI, La Maschera di Cera are an unmissable discovery.

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