Appino
Il Testamento

Il Testamento is the first solo album by Andrea Appino, voice of Zen Circus, who for the occasion is accompanied by Giulio Favero and Franz Valente from Teatro degli orrori. It is the first record of Appino's solo career, but listening to it, one gets the impression that it would be more suitable as the final work of an artist's career. The central theme of the album is to provide an account of one's life, career, of what has been done for better or worse, in short, a real Testament.
The backbone of the album is made up of three songs that directly address the subject: the title track "Il Testamento", the splendid ballad "La festa della liberazione" – undoubtedly the best song on the album – and "Passaporto".

The theme is also treated indirectly, the album is, in fact, a synthesis of what Appino has done throughout his musical career and what he could have done. We indeed find tracks typical of his style such as the dark nursery rhyme "Che il lupo cattivo vegli su di te" and the somber lullaby "I giorni della merla", which, with their folk cadence, remind us of Andrea from his original band. But there are also tracks that highlight the more rock side of Appino, in this case, even more emphasized by the great instrumental work of the Teatro duo. We're talking about the harder pieces on the album, sometimes successful, as in the case of the hard rock of "Lo specchio dell'anima" and sometimes not, as in "Solo gli stronzi muoiono", and sometimes more experimental, like in the Core-Punk of "Schizofrenia" – a track that will certainly divide critics.

More radio-friendly pieces also find space on the album, where our artist winks at more commercial rhythms that wouldn't have been out of place on a record by Vasco Rossi or Ligabue. Again, sometimes the attempt is pleasing ("Tre ponti", "Fuoco"), while at other times, it turns out to be a disappointing failure ("Questione d'orario", "Fiume padre").

The album closes with the beautiful "1983", with its '80s dance-style finale, which will make indy-rock purists wince but highlights another side of the artist without diminishing its quality.

In conclusion, the album is half successful: on one hand, Andrea's ability to write lyrics, Franz and Ragno's skill with instruments, and the excellent production quality allow the album to gain approval; on the other, the failure of some tracks and the high expectations – given the names involved – cause the album to lose impetus and prevent it from becoming a true masterpiece.

The hope is that this is not really a testament, but just a parenthesis in the long career of a great songwriter, who, alone or with the beloved Zen, continues to give us splendid songs.