Listening to Il Rovescio della Medaglia feels like witnessing a high-speed collision between a 1970s rock club and a Vatican cathedral. Their sound is defined by a restless, muscular energy that refuses to settle for simple melodies. Instead, they build towering structures of sound where distorted guitars and church organs battle for dominance, creating a vibe that is simultaneously intellectual and visceral.
What truly sets them apart is their fearless integration of classical counterpoint. While many of their peers used orchestras as mere wallpaper, RDM treated Bach like a fifth band member. You'll hear complex fugues played with the aggression of proto-metal, where the technical precision of the conservatory meets the raw, sweat-soaked intensity of the Roman underground rock scene.
Start with 'Contaminazione' to hear their peak symphonic achievement. It is the definitive bridge between the European classical tradition and the experimental spirit of the 70s, offering a listening experience that is as challenging as it is rewarding for those who love their rock with a side of high drama.
Il Rovescio della Medaglia, or RDM, were an Italian hard rock and symphonic rock band. They are most famous for their symphonic rock piece Contaminazione, released in 1973. It contained four pieces from Bach's Well-tempered Clavier seamlessly integrated with RDM's own music, which often was inspired by rock or hard rock. In 1974 the record was released in an English version, Contamination, with the group's name simplified to RDM, although still written in full on the back of the LP jacket. The band was produced by Luis Enríquez Bacalov. The band split up in 1977, but reformed in 1993.
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, belting, raspy (vocal style)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); analog warmth, maximalist, live recording (production style)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, triumphant, brooding (moods)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, triumphant, mysterious (moods)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, triumphant, brooding (moods)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, triumphant, brooding (moods)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); intense, brooding, mysterious (moods)
Shares progressive rock, hard rock, art rock (subgenres); raspy, intense, belting (vocal style)
Shares symphonic rock, operatic, organ, progressive rock (signature)
Shares symphonic rock, organ, progressive rock, library (signature)
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →