PFM - Emotional Tattoos album review

Italian prog legends return to the 70s

Cover art for PFM - Emotional Tattoos album

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

After a couple of contrived albums that suggested the band’s impetus was waning, Italian prog legends PFM have gone back to their 70s heyday for Emotional Tattoos, and have regaining much of their vigour in the process.

With two members from that halcyon era still in the line-up, the band have homed in on the late 70s with an emphasis on melodic rock, complete with Mellotron and synthesiser sounds that will get an appreciative nod from loyal fans.

The album even follows the traditional template of the decade, with a grand opening followed by a steady portentous ballad with a suitably atmospheric instrumental section. Anyone wondering if there might be more tricks in the tail should check it out.

Hugh Fielder

Hugh Fielder has been writing about music for 47 years. Actually 58 if you include the essay he wrote about the Rolling Stones in exchange for taking time off school to see them at the Ipswich Gaumont in 1964. He was news editor of Sounds magazine from 1975 to 1992 and editor of Tower Records Top magazine from 1992 to 2001. Since then he has been freelance. He has interviewed the great, the good and the not so good and written books about some of them. His favourite possession is a piece of columnar basalt he brought back from Iceland.