PROTEO is a prog rock band hailing from Italy. The band began in 1996 playing mainstream rock, but soon became interested in playing in the more progressive arena and today describe themselves as a prog-pop band. The band was formed by Marco Paulica on rhythm guitars and vocals, Matteo Copetti on lead guitar and sax, Alessandro Surian on bass and Fabio Gorza on drums. The lineup has remained the same since the band's formation until the present day. The band released three self-published demos beginning in the late 90's. The first two "A Glare From Depth" in 1998 and "Of Stars And Mind" in 2001 were live releases, with their third demo "PROTEO" in 2003 being the band's first studio release. After more than 10 years together, the band started to record their first official album "Under A Polar Red Light" and finished recording and producing the nearly 60-minute album in 2008. The band signed with Ma.Ra.Cash Records and released the album in September of 2009. The band cites GENESIS, THE POLICE, MARILLION, DAVID BOWIE, ROXY MUSIC and KING CRIMSON, as well as other progressive rock bands among its influences. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.