24 Grana
Metaversus

After the previous endeavor, the "Live" record, the Neapolitan group led by Francesco Di Bella releases their masterpiece, Metaversus, inspired by cybernetics and the book "Snow Crash". Before diving into the heart of the review, it seems right to spend a few words on the aforementioned book. "Snow Crash" is a novel by Neal Stephenson, set in America in the twentieth century, where state authorities have given the green light to the spread of large franchising companies, creating an anarcho-capitalist climate. Surrounding all of this is the Metaverse, a shared 3D virtual reality on the global fiber optic network, accessible even from public terminals and where individuals are represented in three dimensions by their avatars. In this parallel universe, individuals can fulfill every desire.

At first, the album leaves you bewildered by the sound, the dub foundation of the beginnings gives way to guitar melodies, a new air is breathed, and the 24 Grana extend their hand to accompany us on this journey, "In the Metaverse", an electric guitar guides us between the human world and the virtual reality, there is a need to stay in this new reality ("fosse pe'mme nnun turnasse maje cchiù"), upon arrival in the Metaverse there is no need to represent anything ("Rappresento") and it is done in the hardest way ("Niente da dire su ciò che rappresento"), a track characterized by crossover sounds. "Vesto sempre uguale", has a bubbly rhythm and a punk chorus, one of the most enjoyable moments of the album, individuals venturing into the Metaverse can do whatever they please without changing personalities, even if it leads to solitude ("Nun me movo mai") and a sort of impotence over their individualism begins to be felt ("La pena"), the soundscape of this latter provides a strong atmosphere of melancholy, we are getting lost in a universe that does not belong to us, we seek the exit door but a lot still awaits us. Now the last 5 tracks of the album await us, the first 5 welcomed us to the Metaverse, the remaining ones will represent a long and painful inner journey. "La costanza" and "Le abitudini" represent the spiral that will take us away from here, perfect sound textures, excellent keyboards intertwining perfectly with the guitar and precise drumming, now we arrive at one of the album's peaks, "Resto acciso", starting with its slowing rhythm of piano and guitars leading to an explosive chorus, with bitter and harsh words ("nun me moprta e capì, si veco sulo e serpienti, je parlo e tu nun mi siente maje...", but the real bitterness is found in "Epitath", where the illusion is present ("Aje perso tiemp a guardà 'e ccose dinto 'o bbene") and ends in true penalty ("stavota nun me 'mporta, si nun me truvvarrai é perché é fernuto lassandome chello ca tenevo m'aje dato tutto chello c'aje potuto"). The light and harmony with the senses can be found in the last track, "Stai Mai Ccà", completely different from the rest of the tracks, sweetness exists, there is something that alleviates the pain and, as a phrase in the song says "'a fantasia è nu cielo niro e ll'uocchie p'ò pittà".

A rare, very rare example of excellent Italian music cared for in the finest detail.