Banda del rione
Quale destino per noi

Note: I couldn't find the actual publication date online, only the year. However, the exact day isn't important for the review or for listening.

With a typically punk aesthetic that a newcomer to the genre would never dream of dating to the early 2000s, the brief life of BdR is an authentic gem and a testament to a lost era of tricolor rock.

Let's start by evaluating the sound: from the very first riff of the opening track, the title track, it's evident that the Oi! soul meets various similar influences (I would almost say that this riff, like other moments on the album, has its own "epicness"). The sound is full-bodied, abandoning hardcore schizophrenia but remaining fast, without yielding to pachyderm mid-tempo that often don't blend well with the street punk sound. Moreover, there's an evident melodic taste, for example in the alternating voices, the construction of the choruses, and the riffs. I almost feel that the result would have been even better if a more consistent arrangement had been chosen to give more space to this vein, for example through more substantial solos, with a more heavy metal-oriented approach: but, then again, on second thought, that flavor that few like Banda del Rione have would have been lost. But what truly enriches this album in my opinion is not how it's played per se, but rather its atmosphere.
It's evident from the title track: dreams of adolescence, uncertainties, fears, anger, energy, all mix together. The chorus is beautiful: "is a mother waiting awake and will still wonder: what fate for us?" The mother may be the real mother, perhaps it's Turin, who knows. But the image created, which is almost an oxymoron (an affectionate figure amidst so much roughness?), is wonderful. Nice pair of aces "Lotta"/"Gronda il sudore", very political, successfully picking up the baton from Nabat. Yet again, "Oi! Romanticism" reaches peaks with "Lei", an anthem to Turin, mother and stepmother, father and master: "Turin, whore!" our people shout. Masterful chorus. "Birra", "Non ti sei fermato mai", "Te ne vai": songs that ooze street atmosphere, raw and heartfelt, sick, suburban. Up to "Eterno amore", dedicated to Torino and not to Turin, an excellent closer. No emo whining, no "classic" romanticisms: it's about feeling connected - yes, even emotionally - to those streets, that life, that sound.

The imagery retrieved is cinematic: social anger, factory shifts, youthful memories, afterwork. A showcase of hard everyday life mixed with great musical sensitivity, venting pains and memories in fierce street punk. Streets become a stage for crying, shouting, fists in the air, "nights spent listening to Oi!", few relationships and so on.
To be listened to and listened to again: it will take you by the hand through atmospheres every rocker - or true person, in general - has felt, giving you emotions and constructive strength. Rating: 87/100.