Semiramis is an Italian

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band who produced one LP in 1973, '' Dedicato a Frazz''.

History

The band was formed in 1970 by Maurizio Zarrillo (keyboards) and two cousins Marcello Reddavide (bass) and Memmo Pulvano (drums); they were all 15 years old. Two years later they were joined by 16-year-old

Michele Zarrillo Michele Zarrillo (born 13 June 1957) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is mainly known for hits such as "Una rosa blu" (A blue rose), " Cinque giorni" (Five days), L'elefante e la farfalla (The elephant and the butterfly) and "La notte dei pen ...

who replaced former singer Maurizio Macioce. They played in some live, open-air concerts in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

until Pulvano left and Paolo Faenza joined on drums. Their only album, ''Dedicato a Frazz,'' released by Trident Records in 1973 was commercially unsuccessful, but later became regarded as a classic

Italian progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the ...

album. The album featured a cover by Gordon Faggetter. According to a favorable review, "Semiramis pile it on from every angle. Synths go awry, voices scream, guitars go a hundred miles a second, drums jettison you across the room. How could a group compose so many ideas? There are literally 15 albums on this!" After the band split up, singer and guitarist Michele Zarrillo joined a later incarnation of Il Rovescio della Medaglia. In the 1980s he began a successful solo career as a

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

singer. He has released 10 full-length studio albums, as well as a host of singles. :it:Michele Zarrillo

Lineup

(guitar, vocals) * Maurizio Zarrillo (keyboards) * Marcello Reddavide (bass) * Paolo Faenza (drums, percussion, vibes) *

Giampiero Artegiani Giampiero Artegiani (14 May 1955 – 4 February 2019)
was an Italian singer-so ...

(acoustic guitar, synth)

References

Italian progressive rock groups {{Italy-band-stub