2006-02-20
I don't know way nu/alternative metal sounds so good in foreign Latin based languages, perhaps it's because they're very emotional ones; this band has some fun rocking riffs along with simple dynamic drumwork and varied vocal styles (ranging from screaming to clean ones) in their native language, Italian- this is the sort of thing that gives an album character.
Un Caso Isolato (meaning: An isolated case) starts blasting with somewhat of a punkrock drum part which glides right into a song that immediately makes you want to dance in one of those alternative floors on your regular club- it's called "Destero" (even though it actually means: "I dislike").
"Anima" (meaning: Spirit) aims to a slightly different direction, like a bizarre blend of Snot (R.I.P Lynn Strait) and Marilyn Manson; the chorus just stays in your head thanks to the upfront position of the vocals on the mix, it's the same addictive story with "Ago Primavera" (meaning: Needle spring).
There are some eyebrow raising tracks here as well – "Soffio Veleno" (meaning: Breath poison) and "Freddo Mercurio" (perhaps referring to Queen's Freddie Mercury, R.I.P) with their effected/electronic parts and beats worn on the standard metal vibe.
Influences of popular alternative/nu/industrial acts can be heard throughout the album, ranging from Faith no more in "Testa Infesta" (meaning something like: head infest, and could easily have served as a base to a really sick video) to NIN in "Mefisto Hobbit" via its industrial break (2:18) and "Strix" via its noise opening and powerful electro/goth sounds, as well as the simple stoner-like riff.
Some of the songs here are quite disturbing – "Carne Cruda" has a very fitting title meaning raw meat; Machine head guitars, sharp drumwork and a microphone that must be in pain do the trick.
"Nebulosa" is another example of this, having such a combination of tones and sounds that could make one feel odd just listening to it, as if you're stranded in a god forsaken swamp while the natives torture you with playing music while you sink.
The highlights in this album are definitely the odd-rhythmed "Trota", proving you don't need to have superspeed to have dynamics in your drumwork, "Paralisi Anemica" for its surprising overall development just when I started thinking it'll be just another song and the tension full "Fenis è Morto" with its variety of beat/noise breaks.
An upgraded acoustic song, "Fragile no elektro", closes this album, it stands in contrary to "Vegetale"; it is a serious and melancholic while "Vegetale" sounds like a joke song.
It, and the rest of the album, is upgraded thanks to the effects.
Ofer Vayner
