Mo.Do. - La scimmia sulla schiena del re (2016)

La scimmia sulla schiena del re (The Monkey on the King's Back, 2016) is a striking embodiment of conceptual Italian symphonic progressive rock, released two decades after the band's debut, Mondovisione (1995). Released on the cult Genoese label Black Widow Records, the album is a philosophical parable about human nature, pride, and the inevitable fall in the face of one's own vices. The work is distinguished by its highly complex dramaturgy, where refined jazz-rock passages and complex academic arrangements intertwine with the dark, almost theatrical aesthetic of classic RPI from the 1970s.