The group "I Frammenti" and Jimmy Spitaleri, gave life to Metamorfosi in 1970, a progressive band originating from Rome. Metamorfosi recorded it's first LP "E Fu Il Sesto Giorno" and released it May 29th 1972 on the Vedette record label. It features songs that placed man as the center of the universe together with his errors, his fears and his hopes.
After a brief pause, Enrico Olivieri and Jimmy Spitaleri, always in search of new musical experiences composed and arranged their masterpiece: "Inferno", a rock opera inspired by Dante's Comedy. The band borrowed the infernal theme of Dante Alighieri to be able to manifest their cries of protest denouncing the evils of society and those who contribute to its sustainance. During this period, the guitarist Luciano Tamburro and the drummer, Mario Natali, left the group (Gianluca Herygers was recruited as the new drummer).
Metamorfosi recorded "Inferno" with the line-up: Jimmy Spitaleri (voice), Enrico Olivieri (piano, Hammond organ synthesizer and keyboards), Roberto Turbitosi (bass) and Gianluca Herygers (drums). The record was released on 30 January 1973, by Vedette.
With this LP the group found its real identity, using a musical language that transcends from rock to jazz- classic progressive music.
In 1973, the group toured all over Veneto and Friuli, with the bands: Flea, GarybaldiI and R.R.R, then played at the Flaminio Stadium in Rome ("Festival di Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze", 1972) and at the Palasport of Rome ("Festival della Musica Popolare", 1973). They held concerts in clubs and theaters.
Desiring to play music without compromises and without caving into commercial pressures of the record company, Metamorfosi subsequently broke up.
Twenty-two years later, Enrico Olivieri and Jimmy Spitaleri still had that desire to complete the musical endeavor which they started with "Inferno." In the spring of 1995, the band reformed ( with help from recordist Massimo Guarini, and journalist Guido Bellachioma), and
began to create "Paradiso," their followup to "Inferno."
In November 1995, the group recorded a song entitled "Mururoa."
The band made their first public performance in over twenty years on September 6, 1996, at the "Progressivamente Festival" at "Testaccio Village" in Rome, performing "Inferno" live (the gig was recorded as well). The lineup was: Jimmy Spitaleri and Enrico Olivieri and the newcomers to the Group, Fabio Moresco at the drums and Leonardo Gallucci at the bass. During the time of writing and rehersal, 18-year old pianist/keyboardist Marco Maracci) joined the group.
The band has been quoted as saying that their `purpose is to create musical rock operas, so that they can leave a valid testimony in time. After 24 years of its release,' "Inferno" is still is heard with interest and curiosity by the new generation and by young musicians. After the successful gig at Testaccio Village, a group of fans of progressive rock, decided to create the Metamorfosi Fan Club.
Metamorfosi played at the Foro Italico of Rome on August 2, 1998, performing for the first time "Paradiso" from the Divine Comedy. The gig was extremely well-received. A week later, they repeated the set in Testaccio Village, playing on the bill with Le Orme.
Enrico has informed the ProgRock web site that "Paradiso" will be released within 2003. Metamorfosi will play their first USA gig ever, performing for the Nearfest 2004 festival.
A third album, that was to be called Paradiso as a prosecution to the previous one, was written but never recorded and released, and the band split.
Singer Spitaleri went to the USA and later, coming back to Italy, released two solo albums in 1979 and 1980, the first under the name of Thor, the second with his real name Davide Spitaleri.
The band made some reunion concerts in the 90's around the leading duo of Spitaleri and Olivieri, and the long waited Paradiso project emerged again. The CD was finally released in the summer of 2004, a vibrant album that took again where Inferno had ended, the sound being not so different though less dark than before. The group included on the CD Jimmy Spitaleri, Enrico Olivieri and a very solid rhythm section of newcomers Leonardo Gallucci (bass and classical guitar) and Fabio Moresco (drums). The band presented the new CD with concerts in Italy and in the USA playing at the NearFest in Philadelphia.
The recording of another concert held in Rome in December 2004, in the church of S.Galla using the pipe organ and acoustic instruments, was issued in 2011 on the CD La chiesa delle stelle.
The same line-up as on previous album issued in 2016 the last chapter of the trilogy, Purgatorio, released both on LP and on CD with bonus tracks.
Singer Spitaleri joined Le Orme in 2010-11 and appeared on two of their latest albums, Progfiles - Live in Rome and La via della seta
The majority of the biography information- courtesy of the Metamorfosi web sitewith additions by the Italian Prog Website: http://www.italianprog.com/. Editing and additional info. by ProgRock webmaster.
Discography
...e fu il sesto giorno (1972)
Inferno (1973)
Paradiso (2004)
La Chiesa Delle Stelle (Live in Rome) (2011)
Purgatorio (2016)
