666 (883 cover)
...perché in fondo lo squallore siamo noi!

THE REVIEW

Two bands. Two pieces of Italian music history. Small, it’s true—we’re not talking about Puccini here—as small as you like. But two pieces of history, two pieces of heart.

Anyone who’s a bit seasoned in the pop and rock universe knows that metal reinterpretations are everywhere, but there’s a profound difference between what various YouTubers do in a casual way and the conceptual reality behind what Plakkaggio are setting out to achieve with this version.

Plakkaggio, a historic hardcore punk/speed metal Italian band born from that late ’90s Roman scene which produced heavyweights like Colonna Infame or Duap, lend themselves to reinterpreting in their signature style tracks by 883—a duo who, I believe, need no introduction. Obviously, it's not our interest—for obvious reasons—to judge the songwriting itself, but rather to look at the idea behind it and how it’s carried out. To be precise, the members of 666 aren’t exactly the same as those in Plakkaggio, but really, it’s the same people given that we’re talking about bands without a super fixed lineup.

Plakkaggio describe 883 as the band that, in their tender years, more than any other completely changed their concept of music. And in the end, it’s not that surprising: sure, it may have also been Slayer, Venom, Nabat, or the Ramones, but 883 have a rhetoric that matches, absurdly, the one that the Oi! music scene swims in.

Memories of youth, girls and the foolish things you do as a kid, the crap you get up to with friends; and then, in the background, what we might call the dark side of 883—one of the things that made them such an important and “complex,” profound band: in the background—but sometimes not so much—a pervasive melancholy you could never quite wash away, friendships destroyed by drugs, the provinces as a kind of prison, days wasted doing nothing with a bitter taste in your mouth, years, in the end, wasted doing nothing with that same bitter taste, and even that girl you liked who you never saw again. Now, if as punk we only consider the late ’70s London scene, then there's space for colored mohawks and not much else. But if instead we remember what provincial Italian Oi! skinhead culture was from the '90s on—roughly speaking—well, 883 are sort of distant cousins.

“Hanno ucciso l’uomo ragno” kicks things off, reinterpreted in a strictly streetcore style; the drumming knows where to hit, the voice sounds like it’s made out of sandpaper. “Jolly Blue” makes use of its anthemic, typically glam chorus, creating a mash-up between a pop track winking at glam rock, redone punk-style. “Sei un mito” is less enjoyable but still good, with an extremely tight chorus. “Cumuli” is a favorite and the broken voice fits perfectly. “Rotta X casa di Dio” plays it safe with one of Max and company’s best tracks, and our guys’ cover really does it justice, with a super-muscular chorus in the verses. “Se tornerai” takes its time, just like the original song’s pace, while with the speedy “Il grande incubo” the bpm are kicked up without fear. It's no coincidence that the two songs about drugs penned by 883 are both included: after all, we can imagine, drug problems aren’t rare in the outskirts that raised Plakkaggio. “Weekend” adds a touch of aggression, while “Con un deca” sees the provincial melancholy of 883 clash with the pride of gritty Colleferro Oi!. “È Colleferro questa, mica New York!” To close things out, the fantastic and ultra-proud “La dura legge del gol.” All of this to spend a handful of dozens of minutes with cheerfully irreverent music, just as Plakkaggio’s rulebook dictates.

There will certainly be many who discredit the initiative from this band from Lazio, but I’m on their side, because as well as making great records under the Plakkaggio moniker, they took on the adventure of showing the common root of great music, without ever forgetting their own roots.

The only sore point is the absence of tracks like “Nord sud ovest est.” But so be it.

“Assoli troppo belli per la musica Oi!” Score from the heart: 83/100. Actual score: S.V.