Imaginaerium, the collaboration between veteran neo-prog keyboardist/composer Clive Nolan and renowned Italian vocalist Laura Piazzai has been signed by Progrock.com’s Essentials (PRE). Imaginaerium will be releasing their second album The Siege (the astounding follow-up to 2022’s The Rise of Medici) on the PRE label in March 2025.
Boutique label Progrock.com’s Essentials (PRE), established in 2022 by Mark and Rayna Monforti, has earned international acclaim for their expertise, personability, and impressive catalogue.
PRE worked already with Nolan to distribute his 2017 solo album King’s Ransom and multiple Arena collections. Imaginaerium’s complex and operatic magnificence made ‘The Rise of Medici’ an outstanding introduction to the band and a worthy addition to Nolan and Piazzai’s individual discographies.
There’s no question that The Siege will be a step up in every way.
Mark Monforti: “We’re beyond thrilled to have Laura (one of the greatest female voices in progressive music) and Clive (one of the premier songwriters in progressive music) on our roster. Clive has a knack for finding exceptional vocalists and Laura is a perfect example of that. Both are at their absolute best on The Siege, and Rayna and I are delighted to be a part of it.”
Nolan clarifies: “bringing Imaginaerium’s second album to PRE was a no-brainer since I knew that their passion for the genre was strong. Before we even got close to signing, Mark started piecing together a strategy for the record, and he was more than willing to invest his time and energy towards it. As record companies go, that’s a great sign of what’s to come.”
Nolan explains that The Siege started by accident as he was originally planning to work on a different project with Laura that focused on her reinterpreting some of his older songs. He thought that the set would benefit from one new track, which became two and then three! Before He knew it, he had written most of a new Imaginaerium album. Like the previous one, it’s historically themed, yet there are quite a few surprises to be found, too. Nolan:”I wanted Laura to take her voice into new and exciting places.”
Laura Piazzai offers an equally passionate yet unique perspective on joining the PRE family: “I initially met Mark in 2023 (at Italy’s 2Days Prog + 1 Festival), and I was immediately impressed by the work he and Rayna put into their merchandising and efficiency. I thought that Imaginaerium would be a superb fit for them. I mentioned it to Clive and we had a meeting that basically sealed the deal. The Monforti’s pour their hearts into every aspect of PRE, and they’re always checking to see if there’s anything their artists need. They want to make you feel comfortable every step of the way.”
As for The Siege, Piazzai echoes Nolan’s sentiments that it will be “a very important and very different release. Specifically because they’ve completely changed sounds and time period. The record is surprisingly unpredictable as it taps into prog rock, traditional rock, and even Viking and medieval music.
Judging by their mutual enthusiasm for The Siege and each other, Imaginaerium and PRE are an ideal match.