Aliceversa
ore disturbate

A friend lent me this obscure CD, the work of an Italian band which, like many others, didn't go beyond their debut, despite their excellent skills.

From what little I understand, Aliceversa was a Piedmontese group, previously known as Alice In Sexland.

In 1995, they released this "Ore Disturbate" and, for a while, it seemed like they were a new promise of Italian alternative rock. Not at all.

Impatiently, I put the disc in the player and start listening to these jokers.

So: there's a lot of psychedelia here, some metallic riffs, and an alternative approach (at the time, indie wasn't even discussed yet!) to musical material. In this sense, they might remind one of groups like the old Marlene Kuntz or the very early Bluvertigo. But even more refined and, at some points, even more acidic.

Excellent guitar and bass work, a sinuous voice, intelligent and never banal lyrics, and a strong "progressive" inclination. Of course, we are not talking about groups like PFM or Banco, but rather the attempt to overcome certain limits and sound barriers.

A dark, intricate yet never boring album. At times, believe it or not, it's even fun. A valid alternative to the more prominent names in '90s Italian rock.

Honestly, I was struck by the beauty of songs like the title track, "dentro fuori," "inferno," or "mai memorie corte."

It's up to you to discover it because, indeed, it’s only available on Discogs.

A talented work that found no follow-up. And then people wonder why the hell things always go wrong in Italy!