Style: Symphonic prog, progressive rock, folk rock (Clean vocals, mostly instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Genesis, Camel, Yes, Jethro Tull, Van der Graaf Generator
Country: Italy
Release date: 7 December 2025

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How often do you think about the Roman Empire? The ancient (read: three-year-old) question/meme taps into our wonder at generations past and into the ever-present influence of history on the modern day. With impact that ranges from linguistic to martial to sociopolitical, there is something for the scholar, the everyman, and the psuedo-intellectual to ponder on when considering one of the Western world’s most expansive cultural forces.

Songwriter Vincenzo Ricca must think about The Roman Empire quite often, likely even more than his fellow Italians: the multi-instrumentalist has composed a six-part series of albums describing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through The Rome Pro(g)ject. The Rome Pro(g)ject takes heavy inspiration from the softer symphonic prog of the 1970s: plentiful organ solos, flute asides, and wonky guitar rhythms comprise Ricca’s mostly-instrumental finale work, VI: … And Thus the End. Featuring a host of prog heavy-hitters, including Steve Hackett (Genesis), Tony Levin (King Crimson), and David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator), does the end of this musical chapter leave us with Roman food for thought, or is Ricca’s prog rock empire best left in the past?

Opening tracks “VI (Six)” and “We Wandered” establish VI’s context, positing the record as a retrospective on the Roman Empire. “We Wandered” uses lyricism as a springboard for the reflection on thirty-minute epic “1229 Years”, describing the final battles before the empire’s fall. “VI (Six)” sets the compositional tone for VI’s myriad motifs, such as the dancing keys that resurface on “We Wandered” and the marching drums that lead much of “1229 Years”.

Present alongside VI’s motifs are compelling instrumental performances. The star-studded guest list is immediately self-evident, as “VI (Six)” wastes no time introducing chunky bass, punctuated drum work, sharp organ arpeggios, and a prominent synthesizer that repeatedly pans back and forth. Though the synth panning is incessant and a bit distracting, the band members’ smooth tones and funky rhythms keep the track engaging. Among its litany of movements and passages, “1229 Years” features vibrant flute work with two standout solos. “Ad Gloriam Romae” indulges in deliciously cheesy synths and features some of the most fun drum work on VI, spinning circles around Ricca’s keyboard antics and building VI to an intense, staccato conclusion.

Despite great instrumentals and plentiful usage of motifs, “1229 Years” (and VI as a whole) isn’t entirely convincing compositionally. While no part of “1229 Years” is bad, and I quite enjoy the premise of an extended track designed as a retrospective, the songwriting comes off less as a singular piece and more as a collage of jam sessions that all emerge from the same root idea, occasionally returning to its base before wandering off yet again. There is some appreciable narrative to the music—the introductory moments feel fresh and exciting and the ending is conversely wistful and still—but everything that happens in the middle effectively turns into mush. Against all odds, very little of VI ends up sticking.

The most memorable of VI’s pieces is “We Wandered”, and not for good reason. The track is only one of two to feature vocals; the performances here are inoffensive at best and outright grating at worst. When tapping into the gruffer, more intense approach in the latter half of “We Wandered”, the vocals are serviceable and fitting for the musical style. Elsewhere, though, the performance is plagued by over-enunciation and an extremely unpleasant timbre. Despite their short appearance, the vocals end up diverting a majority of the attention away from the instrumentals and tanking the enjoyability of VI.

The Subway’s Roman Consul finds the bedrock of VI: …And Thus the End solid: Vincenzo Ricca has amassed a collection of legendary prog musicians to close out his hexalogy. Each musician gracefully contributes throughout VI’s runtime, integrating motifs throughout its runtime and firmly establishing a point of view early on. Where VI falters is in its whole, as the songwriting isn’t able to stand out despite the generous reprisal of ideas. Dragging the record down further is a less-than-average vocal performance that regrettably ends up leaving more of an impression than the music itself. While VI won’t leave you wanting to stab the ocean in Caligulan rage, I’d be reluctant to scream its praises from my chariot. Ad Gloriam Romae! …I think?

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Recommended tracks: Ad Gloriam Romae, VI (Six)
You may also like: Agropelter, Agusa, Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly, The Chronicles of Father Robin, Jordsjø
Final verdict: 5/10

Related links: Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

The Rome Pro(g)ject is:
– Vincenzo Ricca
With guests:
– Steve Hackett
– David Jackson
– Bernardo Lanzetti
– Tony Levin
– Billy Sherwood
– Franck Carducci
– Paolo Ricca