Afterhours
Padania

The single that preceded the album's release said: "The storm is coming." And indeed, the release of this record has been a true storm. Self-produced (with their newly founded label "Germi"), this album marks the return of guitarist Xabier Iriondo, who had greatly characterized the sound of Afterhours in "Germi," "Hai Paura del Buio?" and "Non è Per Sempre," and a sound that synthesizes the entire journey of Manuel Agnelli's band: from the more hardcore tracks like "Fosforo e Blu" to the more catchy ballads like the title track and "Nostro anche se ci fa male." Agnelli puts his vocal and compositional skills to the test, drawing inspiration from the genius of AREA, as can be heard from the vocalizations of the first track ("Metamorfosi") and the driving riff of "Io so chi sono," played with the help of former travel companion Enrico Gabrielli.

The themes tackled are highly controversial: a critique of modern society, of Padania, that "state in the head" that subjugates men to the gods of Money and Work. The idea of this concept album is perfectly embodied in the two skits "Messaggio Promozionale": a truly mature and sharp Agnelli.

Inspiration at the levels of their masterpiece "Hai Paura del Buio?", greater compositional skill, Padania emerges as the best album by Afterhours (so far), redeeming the band from the mediocre "I Milanesi Ammazzano il Sabato" and other works from the 2000s, which were not outstanding.

Must listen: "La Tempesta è in arrivo," "Nostro anche se ci fa male," "Costruire per distruggere"