Adrenaline Mob
Omertà

OMERTÀ: unwritten rule of the underworld that governs solidarity among group members to cover up each other's faults to safeguard their own interests.

If we were in the presence of Don Vito Corleone, everyone would just want to say one thing: “AWESOME!!!”; hoping not to find a horse's head in our bed the next morning or to be gunned down at the Italian highway tolls because the telepass doesn't work.

But we are not in that context, and unfortunately, the situation is sadder than ever. Yes, because if we read names like Russell Allen and Mike Portnoy on paper, our exclamation would not just stop at the female genital organ (which is one of the things that brings the most joy to the entire world) but would go much further. The problem is that the imposed limit is too reductive.

“Omertà” is the title of the debut album by ADRENALINE MOB; defined as groove or heavy or trash... but apparently, they themselves didn't know which genre to do. And indeed, only those who know how to apply omertà could be convinced to take this record… if we also had a 45 pointed at our temple!! (to save ourselves from certain death, we still know where to head).

The lineup is intriguing (and starts the nonsense prematurely with a rightward tilt) because besides the two previously mentioned sacred monsters, it includes people of all respects who know their stuff… but then why such a poor album? It's like listening to a group of young lads going into the recording studio for the first time, and their mom nodding silently behind the glass.

11 very lively tracks; it's clear right away with the first one, “UNDAUNTED,” that afterward, does not leave much of a mark. “PSYCHOSANE,” “INDIFFERENT,” and “ALL ON THE LINE” are uphill… then the abyss… the songs become so similar that if one plays it in the background while doing chores at home (still for mom), they reach a point where they ask themselves: “how long the heck is this song?” And then the album ends!!!

Many have even wondered why not hire a certain Zakk Wylde given the frequent passages that leave an echo.

Sometimes it feels like listening to Shinedown (which would not be a bad thing) as a song resembles their style a lot in both sound and riffing, and in the singing that does not leave much unsaid.

But even this is not enough to leave an impression or other tributes to the sacred feminine.

The album, all in all, is not that bad: everything is based on what kind of person we are. If we are people who immediately wait for a shock from the first track (the first that comes to mind is “BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE” by GAMMA RAY), or if we are people who, even after the first listen, not too engaging, continue to listen and re-listen until it even becomes likable. Objectively speaking, I didn't know what to expect from these ADENALINE MOB; surely not a prog like Dream Theater nor any invention like Symphony X, sharing Portnoy's desire for change, so I thought of something aggressive and fast-paced but also articulated and elaborate.

Credit I'd like to give to “COME UNDONE,” “DOWN TO THE FLOOR,” and “ANGEL SKY,” the only ones that seem a bit more refined and certainly come close to expectations.

For the rest, I really expected more. The show put up by Portnoy, which I fully supported, as I was saying, at this point becomes null.

Good performance of the singles, so let's try to blame the embarrassment of the firstborn and give trust in waiting, first to see what they manage to do live, henceforth, the second work that will feature a different lineup.