Ain Soph
Oktober

"Ottobre" is released in 2002, exactly ten years after "Aurora." And "Ottobre" constitutes the natural conceptual continuation of "Aurora." Because, "while there, the world of Tradition was addressed," the same authors explain, "here we delve into the most virulent manifestation of the forces of Anti-tradition, namely communism."

"Aurora," in 1992, marked the stark entry into the world of music by the Roman ensemble, previously devoted to magical rituals that had very little to do with music: that album, in the forms and tones of an eccentric singer-songwriter rock, spoke of the feelings of a young militant of the Republic of Salò in front of the collapse of the Fascist Regime.
"Ottobre" continues in the same vein, but in it the sounds become evocative, icy, dramatic: with "Ottobre" Ain Soph takes us far away, projecting us into the snowy landscapes and majestic capitals of what was the former Soviet Union, illustrating the state of mind of a young Russian who has to come to terms with the collapse of the Communist Regime.

And, above all, with himself.

However, it is not a simple variation on the theme: the two phenomena are not, in fact, read with the same categories, but represent different and opposite forces.

In absolute coherence with the dictates of Julius Evola's philosophy, our authors thus present their representations of the concepts of Tradition and Anti-tradition, respectively crystallized in Fascism and Communism. And so, where in "Aurora" ardor and nostalgia were felt, here it is rather anger and bewilderment that prevail: feelings aroused by the sudden crumbling of a system of lies in which one had blindly believed until a short time before.

The crusade of Ain Soph is directed not only against Communism, seen as the Absolute Evil, but also and above all against the distorted interpretation that History has delivered of Fascism and Communism, mercilessly condemning the former, idolizing and praising the latter, despite the fact that since the fall of the Berlin Wall horrors and truths have started to leak, previously hidden: "We are not historians, much less revisionists," explain the authors, "but we still do not understand what is the inner mechanism that leads some individuals to cling desperately to a political myth, ultimately making it a religion."
"The faith manifested by many in the red ideology", they continue, "has much—too much—in common with religious faith: the a priori, unconditional, irrational acceptance of any dogma issued by the supreme entity (God, Lenin, Stalin, etc.) has blinded the eyes of all those humble believers, obscuring the tragic reality of a nefarious political and human obscurantism."

And follows a long writing that tells us how bad Communism is, in substance and in all its forms: a writing that, however, ends up sinning of the same partisan prejudice that the authors want to go and hit in the irreducible supporters of the "red ideology."

An analysis a bit hasty, in my opinion, that does not fully convince, lacking method and that lightly jumps from indisputable facts to completely debatable conclusions.
A condemnation without appeal that attributes to communist regimes all those atrocities and all those evils (proven, for heaven's sake!) that can actually be transferred, truth be told, to any other totalitarian regime. Including Fascism and its derivatives (so why judge with double standards?).

The usual confusion between Communism and Stalinism makes everything even more trivial, while with unjustified flights of fancy, they end up attacking a system of ideas that in reality have not done that much harm (and for this, it is enough to know recent history and recognize the beneficial influence that communist parties, after World War II, were able to have in the societies of Western countries concerning the themes of work, resource redistribution, welfare, and the protection of the interests of the less wealthy classes, societies otherwise devastated by the wild and uncontrolled liberalism that supports the new plutocracies!).

"Ottobre", unlike "Aurora," appears to us therefore a bit crude in the underlying idea, squeezed and strangled by a thesis pursued with excessive zeal, whereas the 1992 album provided us with a more lively, carefree, ironic picture, rich in nuances and acute sociological insights.

"Uljanov," for example, opens the dance with phrases like "for you of the Kremlin full of arrogance, no more flags, no more glory, and you in there, thieves and infamous for the spilled blood you will pay tomorrow," while "Falce, Svastica e Martello" talks about the intrigues between Stalin and Hitler intent on dividing among themselves, in the face of grandiose proclamations, the countries of the East (truly childish the text that reads: "Who would have ever thought: Uncle Josief and Uncle Adolph divide the booty while drinking wine! Falce Svastica e Martello, Poland is ours! Falce Svastica e Martello, Poland is ours! To us Companions to kill, to you Jews to exterminate! ").

And the music? Well, the music is yet another act of courage by a free entity that does not seem to stop at anything: with "Ottobre" the ritual of Ain Soph is celebrated in the form of electrified rock, which does not disdain acoustic moments nor psychedelic passages (the ghost of late CCCP is perhaps the most fitting comparison).

Seven rather long pieces (almost an hour the duration of the entire folder!) that have little to do with the sparse songwriting of "Aurora": an electric guitar that, between cadenced riffs and long solos, carves out a real leading role; a drum always present, whistles and noises, a dissonant organ, Soviet choirs, solemn orchestrations and anything else needed to take us mentally to the former Soviet Union. "Ottobre" thus confirms itself as the genuine product of a non-band that continues to pursue its intentions absolutely indifferent to the logics that animate the music market.

The sound, although it turns out to be more full-bodied and articulate than in the past, is nevertheless constantly undermined by the poor technical preparation of the musicians involved and the usual approximation in putting everything together (especially the vocal parts, at times irritating, which could certainly have been better handled).
And even if we are not overly surprised, given that instrument mastery has never been home, to dampen the enthusiasm is a compositional fatigue that emerges intermittently during the flow of the work.

Good insights alternate with not-so-exciting passages, and what is saved are the beautiful "Le Nevi Eterne," a evocative slow track that is undoubtedly the highlight of the album, and "Morte e Disonore," another ballad that, knowing how to mix the underlying thesis, poetic images, and sentiment well, brings us back to the glories of "Aurora."
"Cavalieri nel Tempo," "San Pietroburgo," and "Koba" are, instead, colossal meatballs, limping, at times difficult to digest, whose only merit is to combine the new rock guise with the sound mantras of the origins.

In short, an album that will certainly meet the favor of those who appreciated "Aurora," although, in my opinion, for liveliness and inspiration remains a step below its illustrious predecessor.

An album that, despite the underlying bias, leaves us with a teaching that is actually valid for everyone, regardless of one's political belief. Because, as the authors themselves explain, "we will always respect anyone who believes, fights, and dies for an ideal, but when the ideal proves wrong...one must have the moral courage to come to terms with oneself. Throw away everything one has believed in to regenerate and start over. Stop being believers to start being men."