Astaroth
The Long Loud Silence

1985. Bob Cattani, singer of the Roman band Astaroth, sets off alone for the Netherlands on an important mission for the group's future: to contact Jac Hustinx, producer of Rave-on (Mercyful Fate). The young man spends a night camping in the producer's garden, but he is absent. Cattani had no choice but to leave a package containing their demo in his mailbox and return to Italy. The idea came from bassist Shining, who, after listening to Mercyful Fate's first EP, realized that only that man could understand their music. Incredibly, after some time, Hustinx got in touch, more determined than ever to produce the quintet. The result was the splendid mini-LP "The Long Loud Silence," today a collector's item, at the time a cult object for the numerous fans of the Roman band, scattered in small cells (pardon, legions, precisely because of the Roman legionary outfits of our five) throughout Europe, especially in Belgium.

Astaroth, for those who don't know them, were one of the most skilled and original Italian heavy metal bands, who managed to surpass their models to some extent and seek and find their personal and original path; this is how they landed on speed metal, of which the mini-LP reviewed here is a shining example. The first track is "Die To Be Alive," which kicks off straight as a punch: it's a fast, powerful track that, for certain insights, seems to almost anticipate some elements of the forthcoming power metal; various tempo changes embellish the piece, where the performance of the rhythm section (Shining on bass and John Onofri on drums) is excellent, and the guitar work (Max Cipicchia and Simone Triscari) is nothing short of superb. As for the singer's performance, Bob Cattani proves to be talented and inspired, unleashed in some points, almost devilishly controlled in others. The following "Burning The Diamond" is, as the title suggests, a true diamond; there's no other possible definition; the song starts at breakneck speed, like the previous one, but the numerous tempo changes always pleasantly surprise the listener, who wouldn't expect a rather slow-to-start refrain, but one that soon takes off imperiously, followed the second time by a thrilling, almost cathartic solo, dissolved by another tempo change, even vaguely (very vaguely!) blues in style, paving the way for the grand finale: a violent burst, with another hyper-fast solo, a joy for the senses.

An acoustic arpeggio, serving as a backdrop to a troubled and delicate Cattani, gives us the illusion of having reached the album's ballad: "She-Wolf"... nothing could be further from the truth! The unexpected electric guitars break in, marking this track with their excellent work as another highlight of the record. The rhythm section is impeccable, solid and devastating; the solo is exhilarating, I'd say at the limits of excellence, touching the heights of the sublime. The work closes with the extremely fast "Jack In The Box," where the five unruly Romans give a convincing demonstration of technical skill, reaching insane speeds, so much so that in some points the piece even seems a bit unruly. No tempo changes here: a driven ride for five minutes, 5 minutes in which the headbanger, caught up in excitement, risks breaking their neck from headbanging, although to tell the truth, the ending is a bit drawn out.

An Italian masterpiece worth knowing, from an original and exceptionally talented band. "The Long Loud Silence" was the first significant record for Astaroth, but unfortunately, also the last, as the group would soon disband due to internal conflicts. This remains a testimony of a band that, had they continued, who knows what satisfaction they could have brought to Italian Metal, but, as we know, "ifs" and "buts" lead nowhere. The only thing one can do is listen to these tracks again and pay homage to those five legionaries.

RIDE, SHE-WOLF!!