Bluvertigo
Metallo Non Metallo

Do you know this band? I was just two years old when they made their debut, and if you're too young to have experienced them, I highly recommend them. A rare gem on the then newly launched Mtv Italia (1997). This is the group with which Morgan gained a bit of glory before his definitive downfall, corresponding with his media consecration: X Factor.

This album, "Metallo Non Metallo," is their second work, and also their most successful with the public and critics. I won't dwell on that nonsense about the "chemical trilogy," but instead, I'll try to analyze an album that combines the best of the '80s with the sounds that would become characteristic of the '00s.

Even though he had already been replaced by Livio Magnini in the tour of the previous "Acidi e Basi," who appears here as the official guitarist in photos and credits, in this album we can still find Marco Pancaldi producing about half of the guitar parts. It's his voice that introduces the listener to the first track "Il Mio Malditesta" where, many years before the infamous interview with Max, Morgan already admitted to having "need of pills."

We continue with "Fuori Dal Tempo," the track that will introduce the band to the wider public, based on danceable rhythms and falsettos, with a long tail covered with questions, echoes, distortions, and various vocal effects.

"Vertigoblu" seems to be an outtake of the previous album, led by a fun bass line, dealing with themes such as youthful rebellion against institutions (like school) and the need to build one's own values, on which to base an entire life.

The best track among the fifteen offered here, and perhaps of Morgan's entire discography, is "Cieli Neri." The lyrics tell the story of a tormented love affair that ended tragically, from the point of view of a king and his queen. The arrangements are particularly appreciable.

Regarding "Oggi Hai Parlato Troppo," another outtake from "Acidi e Basi," Morgan cited the album "One Hot Minute" by Red Hot Chili Peppers as an influence. Though I honestly struggle to find similar sounds.

Scrolling through the track-list, you arrive at "Altre F.D.V." This acronym stands for "Forme di Vita," and the song ironically talks about the supposed existence of worlds inhabited by beings other than ourselves, and "all that I still can't imagine." Perhaps it's the quartet's most popular track, thanks also to its entertaining video and Kraftwerk references.

In the pair "(le arti dei) Miscugli" and "Ideaplatonica," Morgan brings out his limited third-year high school philosophy knowledge. In fact, he stopped that year and had to abandon his studies for two reasons. The first was the contract offered to his band Golden Age, the embryo of Bluvertigo, which Andy was also a part of, with whom he published "Chains." The second, more tragic, was his father's suicide.

"Troppe Emozioni," a sad ballad about the impossibility of feeling anything after pain, closes the album with a ghost track.

Reading the booklet, under each text, the instruments played by individual members in the respective song, you realize how the entire project eventually boiled down to its leader Marco Castoldi. Besides being the voice and the author of almost every track on the album, he also plays bass, keyboards, piano, and parts of acoustic and electric guitar. The drummer Sergio Carnevale is often replaced by electronic beats, and the saxophonist Andy barely does anything except backup vocals and rarely plays his brass instrument. Only live does he become more useful as an additional keyboardist. Interesting guests: Mauro Pagani and Lucio Fabbri on the violin, Alice as backing vocalist on the final track.

I know how little the track-by-track format is tolerated, even by myself, so I've tried to avoid brief filler tracks or those that didn't deserve much space in this review. However, at least ten of these songs need individual comments, due to Bluvertigo's heterogeneous sound and the accuracy of the lyrics. Indeed, when analyzing an English album, it's much easier to avoid this aspect.

Perhaps, at first listen (or at first glance), this band may seem ridiculous and pretentious, but I urge a more careful examination, especially towards this "Metallo non Metallo" which, in my undisputed opinion, deserves a 4.5. Enjoy.