The first album of the Italian Progressive Rock band Border Hills results from one year of work driven by research and experimentation. The compositions are inspired by the style and some works of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya, recreating images and compositions reminiscent of his paintings, and generating new soundscapes in his style. Border Hills is not just an album filled with stories and fantastic imagery; it is also a collection of real-life experiences and the ongoing search for light beyond the thick fog that makes everything seem darker. Border Hills is a trio with relatively diverse influences, including Progressive Rock, Alternative, Folk, Celtic, and Cinematic music. The composition of the songs and lyrics resulted from a highly satisfying group effort, where each member could freely express their artistic identity and musical influence. Beyond individual technical and compositional skills, the album gained uniqueness and character through various group experiments. The arrangements are built around the main instruments — Guitar, keyboard, and voice — and are further enriched by rhythm, effects, sounds, synthesizers, virtual orchestras, and various other instruments, such as the lap steel guitar. Border Hills is a project born from the need to bring out their musical instincts. The line-up on the bad is Elisa Benedetti on vocals, Simone Cozzetto on guitars, Francesco Proietti on keyboards, and Special Guests: Ivo Di Traglia on Drums, Andrea Zanzarri on bass, Francesco Lo Cascio (Mix and Mastering).

Luiz Alvim originates from Rio de Janeiro, is a keyboardist and composer with a background in classical piano. He has performed live and recorded with a diverse range of artists, including Swappers Eleven, Sleepwalker Sun, Sequaz, and Organic Reaction, American guitarist Moe Krause, British metal group Red Hawk Rising, and Brazilian musicians Gus Monsanto, Alex Martinho, Gustavo Di Padua, Francisco Falcon, and others. Honestly, Luiz’s never been a huge fan of instrumental music. However, as he matured and gained experience performing instrumental music, Luiz became interested in reimagining some of his older songs and composing new ones without vocals. At the same time, he’s been exploring new ways to recreate some of his favorite music, replacing guitars with keyboards to create a heavier, more intense sound. This approach led to the creation of the musical project The LAB Experience. Released on January 29, 2025, The LAB Experience is the first work by Brazilian keyboardist Luiz Alvim, a “one man band” project that emerged in 2025 as an evolution of Alvim’s solo work, which previously explored instrumental and fusion music, adapting his compositions to a guitar-free style, focused on the keyboards, his main instrument, to explore new possibilities and create something different in metal and progressive rock. In addition, he decided to invite some talented musicians for each song, contributing with their musical interpretations and further enriching the final result.

The group Limite Acque Sicure is an Italian band formed in Ferrara in 2005 by Andrea Chendi and Antonello Giovannelli who, despite living just a few hundred meters from each other, did not know each other. Limite Acque Sicure brings a real and traditional Italian progressive rock sound with 70s influences including a strong and modern context. They met through an advertisement in a music magazine published by Andrea at the time, to which Antonello promptly responded. After initial difficulties and some changes in the first line-up, the musicians have remained the same since 2009. Since 2016 the group has taken on its current form including Ambra Bianchi on flute, vocals, and harp; with this line-up the group began to write their songs, honoring the challenge of going “beyond”. Limite Acque Sicure released two impressive and amazing albums, the first was released in 2022, and in January 2025 the band returns with a second and wonderful new album. “Un’Altra Mano Di Carte” develops a theme, a “concept”: when telling their life experiences, some characters actually address extremely current social issues. Marginalization, oppression, and war are the themes that emerge from the stories in the six songs. But in each story, there is always a glimmer of hope, a small gesture of rebellion, an explosion of pride that suggests the possibility of change. The masterpiece of an actual Italian Progressive Rock Band. Like the Italian wine of the same name, Limite Acque Sicure is a blend of white and red grapes that express themselves in new experiences. When tasting Limite Acque Sicure, listeners enter a pleasurable territory, ready to live a new experience.