Aneurysm
Aware

Within an underground scene that has become increasingly mediocre, where bands seem to be clones of each other, and the only card to play seems to be extremism at all costs, it is a real pleasure to discover that there are bands that, beyond their originality, produce excellent music, well played and well conceived. To my surprise, Aneurysm possess these qualities. Surprising because I had to reevaluate a certain skepticism I have towards thrash metal produced after 1992/93, and so, although I would not have trusted a record of this genre created just a few years ago at first glance, I was really happy to discover this local phenomenon. These guys from Verona play truly enviable thrash, which clearly is not the aggressive style of the 80s (ala "Kill 'em All"), but inevitably suffers from other influences and has a touch of modernity that makes it remarkable. In fact, to be precise, it is also reductive to define them as only thrash metal, as the work is very intricate and presents many different nuances.

We are facing a technicality verging on perfection, the tracks are structured in a fairly complex way and the sonic interplay of the various instruments is really well executed. All of this is supported by a production (and recording quality) that is nothing short of masterful for a self-produced album. The work done by each member is appreciable down to the smallest details, none excluded, all at very high levels and capable of handling any situation. Yes, any, because in their tracks, as I mentioned earlier, you can catch many nuances and each one highlights certain details: you go from typically thrash riffs to a voice with extension to all octaves, throbbing bass, tempo changes and countertempos, soaring guitar solos... in short, metal 100%. For my personal tastes, I would have preferred the voice a bit rougher (let's say more thrashy) because at times I don't like it, it seems too Nu-Metal, and for the distortion of the lead guitar, I would have cut the high range a bit more. But I'm being picky, and these are still personal tastes that have nothing to do with the quality of the content, on which I challenge anyone to have any objections. An excellent work demonstrating that when you have good ideas like they had, a musical genre could still have something to say, in a more modern key and more suited to the times, which is only natural, (the atmosphere of 20 years ago will not return, nor should it), but still excellent and appreciable.