Tracks 1 - 4: "The Long Loud Silence" EP 1985
Tracks 5 - 10: "Speed Black Metal" Demo 1983
Tracks 11 - 13: "Demo U.S.A." Demo 1988
Sometimes, the are things that just drive me mad. One of this long series is the fact that most of the people and metalheads abroad know Italy, in its musical panorama, just for bands like Lacuna Coil, Novembre or stuff like that, forgetting completely (or even without knowing) how the scene was great in the past. A scene, that back in the 80s, was having the most wonderful period of its life. A period that won’t come back for sincerity, collaborations between bands without envy, attitude and music. So often in the interviews you can really notice the differences in terms of behaviour and passion between the old school bands (the few that survived) and the new ones.
Let me explain that the new comers are not bad guys, but they didn’t overcome the problems that the old school bands found during their mythical careers. Difficulties in finding a producer, a label, a studio! But they made history, having a lot of passion and a sincere approach. Now almost everything sounds more artificial and easy for anyone. Anyway, these are just personal thoughts to introduce you another great band from my mother country that surely deserved more respect for their music and career.
Their most important effort is the rare EP, The Long Loud Silence that features an incredibly good speed metal during the most important period for the genre. Their live performances were mythical with the members dressed as warriors from their ancient Rome and for the energy they were able to create, becoming something almost legendary. Now, let’s talk about the album in a more detailed description. Ok, it’s speed metal with a surprisingly good production and original songwriting. The band plays extremely dynamic passing through fast palm muting guitars riffs and sudden epic mid paced melodies. Sometimes we find excellent scales and always great melodic/epic solos.
But don’t get me wrong, this is not epic metal. This is speed metal with the inevitable influences from the traditional heavy metal of that period in Italy (Vanadium, Hocculta, Strana Officina, Sabotage). The vocals are extremely powerful with a personal tonality that is never too high or screamed, conserving a lot of melody. The first track “Die To be Alive” sounds extremely powerful and energetic with lots of fast parts and solos. Excellent. “Burning The Diamond” is darker in the melodies created by the riffs, without disliking faster patterns. There are various stop and go, while the most quite melodies come during the refrain with a great chorus.
Furthermore, the bass sound is always essential for this music, being debtor to the old traditional metal that hailed his sound so important to sustain and give power to the entire song. “She Wolf” is a fake ballad at the beginning, to turn metal conserving the melodies with a heavier approach. The refrain is more melodic than the verse, where we always can find the guitars and the pounding drums in the first line with the bass that doesn’t want to stop his march, playing lots of notes. But the solos are again the strongest point in an EP that doesn’t know weak or dull moments in a crescendo of emotions that end in the very last note of the fastest song here: “Jack In The Box”. The greatest example of catchiness and speed together in a song. Pure energy.
Please, give this EP a change if you can find it. Late it’s better than never, also for an unlucky band in a witched country for this music. The things can change and their reunion is a sign that it’s not over, because they’ll forever fight for us. Battling speed metal forever.
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