In Absentia Christi

Monumentum may be the best known purveyors of this type of maudlin Italian gothic doom, along with Canaan. In Absentia Christi is Monumentum's debut. It's brilliantly strange, melodramatic, and extremely Italian.

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Heavy Drunken Doom

Suppose Danzig was drunk and fronted an Italian Doom band.

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Luigi Russolo

Who is your favorite Italian Futurist painter and composer? I know mine has to be Luigi Russolo. Widely regarded as the first noise artist, in 1913 Luigi penned his manifesto L'Arte dei Rumori (The Art of Noises) which categorizes noise into six groups:

1. Roars, thunderings, explosions, hissing roars, bangs, booms.
2. Whistling, hissing, puffing.
3. Whispers, murmurs, mumbling, muttering, gurgling.
4. Screeching, creaking, rustling, rustling, buzzing, cracking, scraping.
5. Noises obtained by beating on metals, woods, skins, stones, pottery, etc.
6. Voices of animals and people, shouts, screams, shrieks, wails, hoots, howls, death rattles, sobs.

Russolo, in his time, constructed many devices to generate noise, he called these objects Intonarumori. Among these inventions was Russolo's noise cabinets shown above. He went as far as to assemble an orchestra to perform alongside his machines. Audiences were baffled, angered, and often moved to violence by these unorthodox performances, and I imagine this pleased Luigi to no end. Luigi and his brother Antonio (who had similar interests and ideas) made a few recordings of the Intonarumori, but what you are about to hear is the only recording to survive the ages. The effect is unnerving, with conventional instruments accompanied by unearthly wooshes and tones and the occasional glossolalia vocalizings. You can hear, from time to time, the brothers Russolo become excited and the sounds they are producing. Sixty-three years before Merzbow or Whitehouse, Russolo was making sounds and terrifying audiences, and oddly enough, I think these recordings still hold a fair amount of unease. Now answer the question: Who is your favorite Italian Futurist painter and composer? I know mine has to be Luigi Russolo.

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Eruption

Here's a post that I have been really excited about. As much asI am a huge fan of these obscure regional Heavy Metal comps from the '80s, usually they yield one or two discoveries, a few passable bands, and then one or two laughable abominations. Heavy Metal Eruption is a welcome exception, a privately-pressed Italian grab bag of awesome. Every track here is decent. Halloween kick it off with an obviously NWOBHM inspired gem "Vikings" Crying Steel keep it steely with "Thundergods," a peppy cut of real Heavy Metal. I have heard the bulk of Crying Steel's catalog and these Bolognese bangers had it right. Death SS is one of Italy's best known metal bands. Their contribution, "Black and Violet" is pure occult doom bliss. Elektra Drive serve up a great song called "The Lord of the Ring" that sounds like Slough Feg meets Pagan Altar with spacey keyboards. Ransackers keep it metal with "Deathline." some odd acoustic guitars, squirly solos, and strange vocals make this track another charmer. Revenge slunk along with sleazy number "Angels In Leather." Revenge comes off kind of like Judas Priest circa Defenders of the Faith but with the addition of quaaludes. Hearse favorites, Rollerball are the greatest Italian Heavy Metal band of all time and their track "Wild Town" just cements that notion. Shining Blade bring the lamp down with a ballad called "Freakish Footsteps" maybe not the best choice to represent their band. Still not a bad track, give them a break. Steel Crown bring us back with the way over the top "Prisoners In The Box." Jesus, listen to the drummer and bass player, Steel Crown kept busy. Strana Officina, ,these unhinged uomini are the only band here that sings in Italian. The music is dirty rocking Heavy Metal with the confident vocals of an absolute character named Bud. Heavy Metal Eruption is a veritable Vesuvius of molten metal, enjoyable from front to back.

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Continuous Spirit

Negazione were a fantastic hardcore band from Torino. Like fellow countrymen Raw Power, Negazione were pretty adept musicians who pushed beyond the usual fast loud rules mentality of the time. Lo Spirito Continua was the bands first full length album and it is a furious lasagna of aggressive riffs, crisp drumming, and throat shred vocalizing. Recently Negazione's drummer Fabrizio Feigl passed away and I was reminded of this album. Twenty-five years later it still works, perhaps that is the continuous spirit of which they spoke.

Qui

Chinese Restaurant

Chrisma were and Italian duo made up of Christina and her husband Maurizio (hence the name "Chrisma.") Their demo work caught the attention of a guy named Vangelis and his brother Nico who signed on to produce Chinese Restaurant, the group's stunning debut from 1977. You may have heard "Black Silk Stocking" or "Lola" from this album, they were the closest Chrisma ever came to any kind of hits. While that particular cut may be a memorably spicy dish, the whole deal is a delicious poo poo platter of darkaic proto synth pop. Essential if you go for that sort of thing.

Eat

Seven Doors

Melting people, a mysterious book, a gateway to hell, a blind ghost girl, spiders, zombies, and a happy ending. I don't know, sometimes I feel The Beyond is overrated (now you're mad,) but Fabio Frizzi's seedy soundtrack never seems so.

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Atto I

Ovskum are a very lo-fi depressive Black Metal band from Italy. Atto I is the band's fourth demo, later it was pressed to vinyl along with the follow up, Atto II. After a minimalist guitar/vocal intro piece the band oozes into a mopey Burzumoid lurch and then closes with another guitar piece. Somber, despondent, and poorly recorded weirdo art.

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The Day of Wrath

How is it that you love Bathory's first album so much, but you seem wholly indifferent to Bulldozer's debut The Day of Wrath? Is it because they're Italian? Is it because you haven't been bombarded with pictures of people in Bulldozer shirts? Is it because bands seldom cover their songs? Is it because "AC Wild" is not as mysteriously cool a moniker as "Quorthon?" Is it because their logo is pink? I just don't fucking get you, man.

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Frontiers

There are a few things that Italy excels at: film, political corruption, and melodramatic '70s prog. So far we've had our cervelli thoroughly vaffunculo by the sonic spaghetti of such greats as Teoremi, Raminghi, and Jacula, and now let's add Procession to that list with their brilliant 1972 album, Frontiera. Procession's forays into guitar-oriented heavier psych and blues rock is far more appealing than much of the jazz-influenced pasta being served by many of the Italian prog bands of the time. Get super alto con i vostro amici, tossicomani.

Qui

Blue Fire

What's wrong, buddy? You feeling blue? Well check out the debut from classy Italian doom slingers, Canaan. The band rose from the ashes of the legendary cult Ras Alegethi in 1996 with this stunning debut, Blue Fire. Canaan's doom isn't really of the mammoth, lurching sort, the band favors a more ethereal melodic approach. I would venture to describe Canaan as "gothic" in their approach if that didn't illicit images of corny velvet clad vampire divas and tacky keyboards adorned with halloween superstore candelabras. Canaan is so much more, and every release they have done has been fantastic, but start here at the beginning.

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Suono

Early electronic music from a mysterious uncredited bunch of Italian eccentrics calling themselves The Boneschi Electronic Combo. Sounds completely dated and corny by todays standards, but having been recorded in 1973 it is to be expected and really just adds to the charm of this one. Kind of reminds me of music that may be featured in an early '70s expo on advancing technologies like jet packs and capsule food. You just can't go wrong with the future of the '70s.

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Rollerball

Here's some more Italian action from 1983 for your earholes, and am I ever excited about this one. Rollerball's debut EP Outlast The Game has to be one of my favorite obscure metal treasures. Rollerball hailed from Florence and played NWOBHM-inspired metal, but what makes this record an undisputed gem is the performance of a feisty frontman named Maxx Bell. The little guy's voice drips with so much character, and then, when the mood strikes him, he goes into his evil persona (check it out on the first song at about 2:44.) This record is pure joy right from the opening track "Rollerball," which sounds like Raven meets the Bad Brains to end, but the standout track is the oddly titled "Do You Know Alan?" Outlast The Game closes with the hook-laden track "Escape," and before you know it it is over and you are left wanting more Rollerball. Seriously, if anyone out there has their Don't Push The Button album please contact me, I need to hear it.

Qui

Also, the blog will be down for about a week (I know, there's been a lot of that lately) while I go up to Portland to do some Agalloch work.

Wretched

Wretched were from Milan, Italy. They played sloppy, breakneck, political hardcore. They did a split with the fantastic Indigesti in 1982 and followed up with this EP in 1983 titled In Nome Del Loro Potere Tutto È Stato Fatto. They were fiercely active in Milan's anarchist scene residing in the Virus squat, hosting shows, and running their own Chaos Produzioni label. They embodied the DIY anarcho ethos in the '80s and made some noisy fucking music in the process. Non dimentichi mai Wretched.

Qui

Signvm Martis

Here is the sonic mission statement of the BMIA, a compilation CD titled Signvm Martis. The BMIA (Black Metal Invitta Armata) is an elite union of Italy's finest Black Metal bands. The official statement of the BMIA states, "This movement unites and represents the Italian groups that shall endeavor in common artistic efforts aimed at the celebration of their origins." The organization goes on to stress that it is not a political group, but rather "an association of people attracted by (Italy's) historical tradition (but also meta), mystery, and even aesthetics," which aims to "celebrate the traditional Roman and Italy "through music production, and" documents and appointments in-depth." All very heady and mysterious but what about the music, can the BMIA's artistic output justify their rhetoric? Let's see, shall we? The proceedings kick off with the BMIA's best known band, Spite Extreme Wing. The band used to play a more "norsecore" style of Black Metal, but now favor a Destroyer 666 approach. Their track "Somnvs Leonis" is a great start. Janvs is next with the track "Pietas I" which is well-performed Black Metal with some excellent melodic guitar playing ala Dissection, not bad at all. Black Flame follow with a more thrashy Black/Death thingy. Black Flame are definitely proficient enough players but this track fails to really hold my interest for its duration. Heims are next. The Heims track, "Averno" is a towering monolith of trodding slow kvlt Black Metal, excellent track. Tronvs Abyss are the least traditional of the group with their distant and sinister industrial sounding Black Metal. Frangar are at the head of the BMIA along with Spite Extreme Wing. They are similar to Spite Extreme Wing in their style as well. Frangar's track "La Grande Orma" is a crusher, violent and pummeling mid-paced Black hostility. Gladio are the oddballs of the group. Their song is a confusing and totally endearing mindfuck, and they do benefit from a completely fucked up vocal performance. The guy sounds really drunk. Hirpus play well-enough but they're a bit generic, especially after Gladio. The whole thing closes with a throwaway ambient track that goes on for far too long by an entity called Galaverna. Overall a decent compilation mainly due to strong showings from Spite Extreme Wing, Heims, and Frangar. An excellent look at the finest Black Metal happenings in Italy at the moment.

GENIVS

Dismal

Here's some really odd gothic/doom form where else but Italy. Dismal is an appropriate name for this group of maudlin youth from Turin. Their first demo, Our Sad Saga, treads the same moonlit paths as fellow countrymen Ras Algethi and Arkana, but with less sophistication. Dismal, at least in this early phase, have something very teenage about their approach which works in their favor. The band is apparently still around but I am not familiar with their work after Our Sad Saga. If you hunger for simple classic Italian doom with mournful strings and creepy Mario Bava-esque church organs, Dismal is going to make your night.

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Underage

I don't have a whole lot of info on this fucked up little punk record from Italy. The band is called Underage, the EP is called Africani, and it was released in 1983 on the Attack Punk label. Reminds me a little of an Italian Disorder. Frantic shit.

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Abysmal Grief

Italy is once again the focus, but this time it is the classic Italian Horror-Doom of Abysmal Grief. Though a relatively new band, Abysmal Grief invoke the sinister occult vibes of fellow countrymen Jacula, Death SS, Jess Franco, and Mario Bava. Haunted castles, clandestine seances, cobwebbed hallucinations, and the robust druggy breasts of an innocent girl lured into the sanguine rituals of sadistic, satanic noblemen. All of this is conjured by the towering sounds of Abysmal Grief. Enter if you dare. Released on beautiful vinyl and CD by the extremely awesome Black Widow Records.

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Dioxina

Dioxina were another Italian hardcore outfit. Here's their only release, the 1985 7" EP Nessuna Pietà. The title translates to "No Mercy" which seems fitting as Dioxina come off a bit tough guy throughout the six songs here, some of it bordering on Oi.

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Electrocution

Electrocution was Italy's contribution to the global Death Metal boom of the early '90s. Why isn't this bit of Bolognese brutality better known? Inside The Unreal has everything you want in a Death Metal album, crushing riffs, gruff vocals, lyrics about the inevitability of death, and a wicked cool Lovecraftian Shoggoth creature leering at you from the cover. Seriously, what gives?

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