Semiramis (band)

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Semiramis is an Italian teen-ager progressive rock band who produced one LP in 1972, Dedicato a Frazz, which is considered one of the best records of the genre. Both the cover and the music have been described as bizarre and surrealist.

[edit] History

The band was formed in 1970 by Maurizio Zarrillo (keyboards) and the two cousins Marcello Reddavide (bass) and Memmo Pulvano (drums). They were all 15-year old. Two years later they were joined by 16 y.o. Zarrillo's younger brother, Michele, already considered a gifted guitarist, who substituted former singer Maurizio Macioce. They played in some live open-air concerts in Rome until Pulvano left and drummer Paolo Faenza joined other members.

Their unique album, released by Trident Records in 1972, featured a bizarre cover by Gordon Faggetter and a very original art rock inspiration: it scored appalling success in fact, but today is considered a classic by most progressive fans. Its musical complexity is rather stunning if one thinks the very young age of the members of the band.

After the band split up, Michele Zarrillo joined a later incarnation of Il Rovescio della Medaglia, and in the 1980s started a total different solo career as a pop music singer.