Segreti nel Nero by L'Ombra della Sera, 2026 album.
I must say it right away: this is a literally wonderful record, whatever music genre you love. The production is outstanding, as are the compositions, which are gorgeous, with Italian melody and international style; the masterful performance; the absolutely fantastic arrangements; the very strong emotions in every track; the reinterpretation of the songs in a prog key in a continuous crescendo up to side D that literally leaves you speechless, every track has been alchemically turned into gold, as only great musicians can do.
An ambitious record that never disappoints expectations, from the first to the last track, probably the finest Italian Progressive Rock record of the last twenty years.
Let’s talk about the band.
L’Ombra della Sera (The Shadow of the Evening) , a side project of La Maschera di Cera, one of the leading Italian progressive rock bands active since 2001, was born in Genoa in 2011. The idea came from musician and composer Fabio Zuffanti, together with Agostino Macor and Maurizio Di Tollo.
The initial aim was to blend the dark, theatrical atmospheres of 1970s Italian prog with a passion for the soundtracks of old Rai mystery TV dramas. After a successful self-titled debut album in 2012, the project grew and expanded, leading to the release of the double album “Segreti nel Nero” (Secrets in Black) in 2026, with a line-up made up of true experts from the Italian neoprog scene.
The band consists of:
Alessandro Corvaglia, iconic voice and frontman of La Maschera di Cera, is renowned for his theatrical, expressive and charismatic vocals, one of the most emblematic in today’s Italian progressive rock. He has worked on several projects linked to Fabio Zuffanti, including Finisterre, Hostsonaten and the rock opera Merlin. His warm timbre and dramatic delivery make him ideal for interpreting the dark, mysterious, suspense-filled tones typical of TV serials.
Agostino Macor, a versatile Genoese keyboardist, is co-founder of La Maschera di Cera and a key figure in Finisterre. Despite his classical music studies, he has deep knowledge of vintage instruments. In L’Ombra della Sera, Macor builds the group’s sonic framework using mellotron, analog synths and organs to faithfully recreate the hypnotic, “vintage sci-fi” atmospheres of 1970s masters such as Goblin or Franco Battiato.
Maurizio Di Tollo, an energetic drummer and percussionist, has played in major bands such as La Maschera di Cera, Distillerie di Malto and Rohmer, also collaborating for a long time in the singer-songwriter world. His style blends the rhythmic power of hard rock with complex meters and passages rich in jazz-rock and chamber nuances, perfect for supporting the group’s constant time changes.
Guglielmo Mariotti, a Roman musician and well-known luthier, joined the project later. In the prog world he is famous above all for having been a key member of The Watch, a Milanese band that recreates the sound of Genesis from the Peter Gabriel era. An eclectic multi-instrumentalist, on Segreti nel Nero he takes the role that in 2012 had been Fabio Zuffanti’s, alternating between the bass’s dark textures and guitar arpeggios.
Their self-titled debut album, in fact called L’Ombra della Sera, was released in 2012 on the AMS Records label. Initially born as a studio project with Fabio Zuffanti, Agostino Macor and Maurizio Di Tollo, the 2012 album offered a prog version of five famous themes from Rai TV serials: Gamma, La traccia verde, Il segno del comando, Ritratto di donna velata and Ho incontrato un’ombra.
The recent Segreti nel Nero (2026) is not a completely separate project, but represents the natural evolution, expansion and re-recording of that first 2012 work. For Segreti nel Nero, the band completely re-recorded the five historic 2012 tracks. To these, five other unreleased pieces were added (including the themes of A come Andromeda, Albert e l’uomo nero, La ballata di Carini), turning the work into a double album.
From the first 2012 album to the return with Segreti nel Nero in 2026, the band underwent significant changes, moving from a mostly instrumental studio project to a true superband. Fabio Zuffanti on bass and Agostino Macor on keyboards remained the key members.
However, there were major changes in the rhythm section, vocal management and the use of horns:
On the 2012 record, the album was almost entirely instrumental and Corvaglia appeared only as a guest singer. In 2026, he became the group’s frontman and permanent vocalist, giving all tracks a strong theatrical character.
Maurizio Di Tollo, the original drummer on the first album, gave way to Andrea Orlando (a well-known drummer from the Ligurian neoprog scene, member of La Coscienza di Zeno and Finisterre), who recorded the entire 2026 double album.
If in 2012 the horn parts were entrusted to various session players and studio guests, in 2026 a true legend of Italian prog officially joined the band: British multi-instrumentalist Martin Grice (historic member of Delirium). His steady presence on flute and saxophone enriched the tracks with strong jazz-rock and symphonic influences.
The pieces unfold like real dark, gripping sound tales. The sound is mainly shaped by classic analog keyboards. The heavy use of Mellotron, Hammond organ and Moog synths creates an analog, nostalgic warmth that directly recalls the genre’s greats. The main references are historic Italian soundtrack bands such as Goblin (the ones from Profondo Rosso), Libra, Calibro 35, but also symphonic prog giants like Genesis from the Peter Gabriel era and King Crimson. Unlike the first album, almost entirely instrumental, the 2026 album is strongly defined by Alessandro Corvaglia’s voice. His performance is dramatic, theatrical and spoken, ideal for highlighting stories of ghosts, folklore and science fiction. Compared to the past, the 2026 album introduces strong Jazz-Rock and Symphonic elements thanks to Martin Grice’s flute and saxophone. The tracks alternate acoustic, sparse and unsettling moments with powerful rock explosions driven by a solid rhythm section.
“Albert e l’Uomo Nero” (Albert and the Black Man), taken from the 1976 mystery/psychological thriller TV serial, opens with a mysterious, engaging atmosphere, perfect for grabbing attention and creating a sense of suspense. Alessandro Corvaglia’s intense performance adds a theatrical touch, while Agostino Macor’s keyboards help create a compelling cinematic mood.
“Gamma”, taken from the 1975 medical and ethical sci-fi TV serial, is a reworking of Enrico Simonetti’s electronic theme. The piece turns into an energetic symphonic ride, mixing space-rock and modern neoprog. The rhythm section of Fabio Zuffanti and Andrea Orlando keeps the pulse, supporting the time changes, while Macor’s analog synths emulate and enrich the frequencies of the original magnetic tapes.
“Ritratto di Donna Velata” (Portrait of a Veiled Woman), taken from the mysterious, archaeological TV serial set in Florence in 1975, has an esoteric, relaxing atmosphere, with seductive melodies blending into unsettling backdrops. Martin Grice’s transverse flute opens the track with a pastoral, old-time touch, dialoguing with the acoustic guitar and recalling Delirium’s Italian prog.
“Fantastic Fly”, taken from Racconti Fantastici (1979 TV films based on Edgar Allan Poe’s stories), is a reworking of the original Pooh track. The band takes a pop-rock song and turns it into a darker, more cathartic and evocative instrumental suite. It’s a powerful piece, driven by the interplay between Orlando’s drum patterns and Grice’s sax solo bursts.
“A Come Andromeda” (A for Andromeda), taken from the cult 1972 sci-fi TV serial written by Fred Hoyle, is a suite of over six minutes with sci-fi, experimental and cosmic shades, evoking the cold of space and alien contact. Macor is at his best with synth orchestral parts and avant-garde sound effects.
“La Traccia Verde” (The Green Trace), taken from the 1975 TV serial based on scientific experiments linked to plant sensitivity, is pure, eco-minded dark prog. It builds in a crescendo from a sparse, mysterious base until it bursts into imposing symphonic rock. Zuffanti’s distorted, throbbing bass is the track’s engine, matched by Corvaglia’s vocal rasp in the tense moments.
“La Ballata di Carini” (The Ballad of Carini), taken from the bitter case of the Baroness of Carini (a dramatic, historical TV serial from 1975), is the album’s boldest experiment. It merges popular folklore and Sicilian folk song with the tradition of mainland progressive rock. Corvaglia’s theatrical, singer-songwriter voice and Grice’s melancholy horns pay tribute to the baroness’s tragic story.
“Le Venti Giornate di Torino” (The Twenty Days of Turin), inspired by the dystopian atmospheres of Giorgio De Maria’s novel of the same name (adapted for TV and radio by RAI), is the album’s monumental track. At 19 minutes, it’s a progressive suite ranging from jazz-rock to atonal avant-garde and classic symphonic rock. The band works as a single organism, with Orlando handling complex meters and Macor weaving warm yet unsettling textures.
“Cento Campane” (One Hundred Bells), taken from the esoteric/mystery TV serial set in Rome in 1971, is a reworking of the very famous original theme, stripped of its sing-song outfit to become a dark, decadent mid-tempo. Corvaglia’s intense, pained vocal performance, supported by flute filigrees, turns the Rome of the TV serial into a Gothic nightmare. For me, the real surprise of the album.
“A Blue Shadow”, taken from Ho incontrato un’ombra (a 1974 mystery/romantic TV serial), is a suite of over 10 minutes that closes the album. It reprises Berto Pisano’s theme, turning it into a dramatic symphonic prog triumph, capable of evoking strong emotions and melancholy. Grice’s sax blends with the analog synths in a long instrumental finale, with the analog compression of the mix enhancing the urgency and warmth of every instrument.
The musical style of L’Ombra della Sera and their 2026 album, Segreti nel Nero, is a masterful example of Cineprog and Italian Progressive Rock. It’s a distinctive fusion that combines classic progressive rock with music for images, especially film and TV series soundtracks. The music constantly conveys a sense of suspense, mystery and esoteric atmospheres typical of 1970s Italian black-and-white television. The work develops the minimalism of the first 2012 effort and turns it into an imposing tribute to noir, fantastic and police TV heritage and to Italian and international Progressive Rock. A wonderful record. Essential. Absolutely a must have.
My Version
Label: Black Widow Records – BWR 287
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: Italy
Released: 29 Mar 2026
Tracklist
A1 Albert E L’Uomo Nero
A2 Gamma
A3 Ritratto Di Donna Velata
A4 Fantastic Fly (Racconti Fantastici)
B1 A Come Andromeda
B2 La Traccia Verde
B3 La Ballata Di Carini (L’Amaro Caso Della Baronessa Di Carini)
C1 Le Venti Giornate Di Torino
D1 Cento Campane (Il Segno Del Comando)
D2 A Blue Shadow (Ho Incontrato Un'Ombra)
LineUp
Alessandro Corvaglia: Lead vocals
Fabio Zuffanti: Electric bass
Agostino Macor: Keyboards, analog synths and Mellotron
Andrea Orlando: Drums and percussion
Martin Grice: Flute and saxophone
Listening links on the main streaming platforms at the following links:
Spotify: You can listen to the band’s discography, including the album Segreti Nel Nero and earlier releases, on the official profile L'Ombra della Sera on Spotify.
Apple Music: All the band’s music is available in high‑resolution audio streaming on the page L'Ombra Della Sera on Apple Music.
Bandcamp: To support the label directly and discover digital editions and vinyl, visit the page L'Ombra della Sera on Bandcamp.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists"
