First of all the title.

With very few exceptions, titles in all forms of artistic expression are more than a mere piece of information on what the body of work is about. In the case of “The River”, the title introduces the actual meaning of the composition, the motivations that inspired it. It is a consistent theme throughout the various phases of its creation, execution, recording and in its future representation. In this era of ‘liquid’ music, of songs which are shuffled and bundled randomly in mp3player, ‘The River’ brings us back to the glorious but almost forgotten tradition of the ‘concept’ piece. It is therefore not a collection of songs but a homogeneous and coherent body of work in which lyrics, music and arrangements fuse together harmoniously within this concept of a “river”, a place of influx of and at the same time an outlet for almost thirty years of music research as a composer, musician, arranger and producer and which finds its most accomplished expression in this work. A concept, an image, a suggestion - that one of the river – that lends itself to multiple interpretations, none of which excludes the others. Here it represents life, with the two river banks representing the dualism in which all human beings exist: a reality which is made up of good and evil, male and female, life and death, night and day. It is the river that we travel on and in which we identify ourselves, choosing to stop on one or other of its banks, sometimes yearning for and missing the other and in which we get dragged through by the current and by the whims of chance. This concept is further underpinned by the subtitle –“ Both Sides of the Story” – which bounces from one song of the album to another, and will be a key element in the live performance dimension, which is an integral part of this project. You are all welcome…the river awaits!


Background Magazine (NL) +
"The River (Both Sides Of The Story) is an album that contains only strong compositions and never gets boring. During the time I listened to it in order to write this review, I enjoyed it every time I gave it a spin in my CD player. And every time I heard new things that I haven't heard before.
I truly hope that people who listen to this album will have the same musical experience as I had. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic concept album which is strongly related to the music made by Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel! So thumbs up for Marco De Angelis and the contributors who succeeded in creating an amazing progressive rock album!"

Progsheet (USA) +
"If I were to give River's sound a "tag," I would call it progressive with strong melodies and interesting rhythms. Not out of place with Riverside or Porcupine Tree minus the crunch. Throw in a pinch of recent era Fish. A very nice blend. Songs like Tell Me Why, Black Stare, and Regrets are full of emotion and strong melodies. Performances are immaculate. Very well crafted compositions with interesting lyrics. Radio friendly yet with an exotic tinge. Sonically incredible - the album sounds like it was recorded in the best studio you've ever heard! Quite a pleasant surprise and very much worth a listen!"

Lady Obscure Magazine (UK) +
"Conclusions then, in the main The River is an excellent album with its roots in 80’s classic rock but a definite prog edge showing through, no more so than when Marco plays those epic Gilmour tinged guitar solos. I love the songwriting, the great vocals (both lead and backing) and the total construction of the album. If, like myself, you are a child of the 80’s and loved the great classic and prog rock bands of that era or, if you just want to hear some fantastic songwriting and music, then you could, and should, listen to The River – Both Sides of the Story."

Justin Case Prog Radio (GRE) +
"Concluding, this review I have to say that this is a qualitative concept album that combines touches of deep emotional elements with a highly pleasant prog listening experience! A rare combination!"

Music from the other side of the room (USA) +
"I have listened to The River three times already and Marco is truly a virtuoso musician along with Marcello Catalano's beautiful vocals, and Cristiano Micalizzi's drumming is staggering as well. And when he puts his toes in the water to see where he would take the music into, is quite interesting and he would take the band members with him to see where the yellow brick road will take them into. But all in all, this is an awe-inspiring and transcendent concept album that will take listeners to a journey they never dreamed of."

Prog-resiste Magazine (BEL) +
"Clairement, on n’invente rien ici, il n’y a aucune exploration hasardeuse, mais perso, je n’en ai rien à caler : j’ai passé une heure bercé par une musique splendide, plus proche des prés ensoleillés que des écuries."

Exposè Magazine (USA) +
"While The River… may reside on the accessible side of modern progressive rock and not challenge the listener with mind-jarring complexity in every measure, it remains as evidence that there is still plenty of room for forward growth within this genre.
Highly recommended."

The Rocktologist (PL) +
"De Angelis presents himself with a very slick art rock sound at first. The most impressive element are the vocal harmonies, where De Angelis utilises his guests to the maximum. He does build upon his sound gradually, with some sensual and effective guitar soloing, reminiscent of David Gilmour. Even the music takes on some Pink Floyd characteristics, particularly from their 80s and 90s period. Add to the mixture a dash of modern melody-driven (alternative) progressive rock and you're faced with a very satisfying musical journey. At the end of the day, the album has only positive values that can be attributed to it and all respect to Marco De Angelis for getting it right the first time. I'm sure this is only the start of his musical voyage and a sign of things to come."

The Progressive Rock Files Magazine (USA) +
"For a guy who started to play music the first time he picked up an instrument at the age of ten back in 1972, it’s taken Marco De Angelis quite a few decades to bring his musical vision to fruition and while it’s not the most complex progressive rock you’ll ever hear, it is a very satisfying listen. Fans of Barclay James Harvest, RPWL of course Pink Floyd will find much music here to appreciate and enjoy."

Ximphonia Radio (NL) +
"It is an album with two pretty distinct faces: on one side you have uptempo songs who are clearly influenced by Mike + The Mechanics. On the other side you have atmospheric songs which keep me thinking of and at times even literally quoting from the oeuvre of Pink Floyd although interestingly it mostly seems to go towards the direction of The Final Cut and The Division Bell. De Angelis however manages to unite these two disparate faces into a cohesive whole and has created an album that deserves to be much more widely known."

Neoprog Magazine (FRA) +
"J’ai beaucoup comparé The River avec d’autres artistes, pardon. L’album ne se résume pas à ça bien entendu. La musique de Marco possède sa propre identité même si on trouvera toujours des similitudes (à force d’écouter trop de musique…). Il s’agit d’un très beau concept album, des titres qui se suivent agréablement, à écouter dans le bon ordre, agrémentés de textes qu’il faut découvrir pour en profiter pleinement.
On va pouvoir fatalement reprocher à Marco sa proximité avec Fish et Gabriel, ou alors au contraire le louer pour ça, je suis de ce dernier groupe. Avec une très belle qualité de son, un livret réussi, The River est un excellent album de crossover progressif qu’il ne faut manquer sous aucun prétexte."

Musikzirkus (DE) +
"Mit „The River“ ist Marco De Angelis ein wunderbares Werk gelungen, dass Neo-Prog mit Melodicrock verbindet und das für mich eine der Entdeckungen des Jahres darstellt. Vor allem die eingängigen Melodien und der gut produzierte (glatte) Klang setzen sich schnell im Ohr fest. Eine CD, die ich sehr empfehlen kann."

Progressive Rock Magazine (BRA) +
"The River” is a solid work by Marco de Angelis, but as the music stays on the bordering line between sophisticated British Pop-Rock and typical Neo-Progressive style, a shall recommend this album only for fans of “Marillion”, the latest albums of “Genesis” & “Pink Floyd”, the solo works of “Peter Gabriel”, “Fish”, and “Phil Collins"."

ProgShine (PL) +
"Having explained this, The River: Both Sides Of The Story (2013) is a good album, it’s just not Prog enough for my standards. If you like a good mix of Prog Rock and Pop Rock with a big Neo Prog accent you’re going to love it."

Baby Blaue Magazine (DE) +
"The River – Both sides of the story“ ein sehr unterhaltsames, moderat vertracktes, angeproggtes Melodic Rock-Album geworden. Macht (mir) Spaß!"

MusicWaves Media (FRA) +
"Avec une très belle qualité de son, un livret réussi, The River est un excellent album de rock progressif. Marco De Angelis et son combo ont donné vie à un premier album agréable marqué par ses inspirations primordiales. Le groupe devra pour la suite s'affranchir quelque peu de ses références et peaufiner son caractère, afin de suivre sa propre voie à l'image de groupes comme RPWL, avec le succès que l'on connait."