Effective period / Period of releases: 2022

Prog Rock band from Italy, formed in Milan in 2013.
The earliest incarnation of Italian group Macchina Pneumatica was first formed in Milan in 2013, under the name Atom Age Empire. Initially, the band, then comprised of Carlo Fiore (keyboards) and Carlo Giustiniani (bass) with drummer Michel Nesti, were an instrumental power trio that mixed prog, funk and fusion styles.
After their first successful live performances, the band decided to add a lead vocalist and guitar player Raffaele Gigliotti, who brought a heavier rock approach to their sound, yet never sacrificing their sense of melody. The lyrics were now performed in Italian and were inspired by everyday life, moods and relationships, and this choice to sing in their native language lead the band to change their name to Nudo, which saw them publish their first video "Quadrato", still available to be viewed on Youtube.
After bringing in Vincenzo Vitagliano, a middle-aged drummer with good experience in jazz, prog and fusion areas, the group started to assemble its first album, but the Nudo name wasn't to last much longer. With a final and definitive name change to Macchina Pneumatica, the band released their debut album "Riflessi e Maschere" (Reflections and Masques) in January of 2019 on the Black Widow Records label, and this gorgeous mix of charismatic raspy vocals, heavier guitar drama and moody keyboards, perhaps favourably comparable in parts to the last few releases from Il Tempio Delle Clessidre, is one of the standout Italian progressive music releases of the year.