Bulldozer
Neurodeliri

What is the prevailing idea about metal bands from our peninsula in the '80s? That they were unoriginal bands, indeed very derivative, and that they all played a dated metal that was very hard-rock-ish, nevertheless a metal that never said anything new.

Bands like Death SS, Astaroth, or Adramelch certainly contributed greatly to dispel these rumors, but how can we forget the fundamental contribution of the Milanese Bulldozer? A Thrash Metal band, offering extreme rock with a persistent tendency to harden, eventually bordering on sounds adjacent to Black Symphonic Metal and a primordial Death Metal, always tinged with the influences of their inspiring masters: Venom and Motorhead (as proof of the band's fidelity to their origins, I mention the cover of "Overkill" by Lemmy, featured in the live album "Alive In Poland"). A very original group and, in a way, ahead of their time, and the proof is this "Neurodeliri" which I am about to review.

Released in 1988 (along with "... In Death Of Steve Sylvester" by Death SS, "Back From The Ruins" by Vanexa and "Rock'N'Roll Prisoners" by Strana Officina), the album is dedicated to the memory of Dario Carria, former member and founder of the group, who died by suicide: in fact, the title "Neurodeliri" refers to the name of the group created by the unfortunate bassist before ending his life. Given the circumstances, the opening of the record (a hidden track) is entrusted to a slow and funeral organ, accompanied solemnly by the other instruments, but then swept away by the bursting of the title track, "Neurodeliri": a piece at the limits of Black Metal, so much so that it precedes the symphonic trend, at least in terms of sound, while the lyrics continually refer to the friend's suicide; the voice of AC Wild (a sort of our own Cronos, singer and bassist) is a rabid and scratchy growl and the trio (the other two, for those who don't know them, are guitarist Andy Panigada and drummer Rob "Klister" Cabrini) offers a great performance, expressing all their pain and anger. Following is "Minkions," a sort of macaronic Anglicism that would make one think of a ditty, while the listener is literally assaulted by an extremely nasty, fast, and pounding Thrash; the song talks about all the rockstars who think they are gods on earth and, losing touch with reality, are precisely "minkions"; the drums are a wall of fire and Panigada's guitar launches into dizzying solos. The next "We Are... Italians" is more in Motorhead style in melody, only of course with double the speed and power! At first, the lyrics seem to list the faults that foreigners might find in our country, only to turn things around and say that Italy might be the best place in the world and that the foreigners who criticize us might be even worse than us. After this recap of the Motorhead lesson, Bulldozer gives us "Art Of Deception", with evident reference to all the deceptions of which the political class is capable: this piece also rocks hard with devastating Thrash, and then gives way towards the end to melody and a marvelous duel between Panigada's guitar and our AC Wild on keyboards, here even in a Deep Purple version (Pino Scotto docet? after all, Vanadium was also from Milan!).

A pleasant Hawaiian-style ukulele arpeggio introduces us to "Ilona Has Been Elected", an arpeggio that makes me burst out laughing every time because it is shortly after swept away by a very violent riff, almost Black Metal, that picks up its theme: it's a bone-crushing piece, embellished by a crazy solo supported by a devastating rhythm section: enough to break your head from headbanging; the lyrics talk about the hypocrisy of a society that considers Ilona Staller a prostitute without reckoning all the worse people hidden behind a façade of respectability: better the leader of the "Love Party" than the corrupt politicians of our ruling class! Following is "Impotence", an irreverent, ironic, and misogynistic song, a bit more melodic than the previous one but always pushed to the maximum; the misogyny, for all those who might wonder, consists in this track in comparing the possibility of a woman faking an orgasm with the impotence of a man who cannot even engage in intercourse. Musically the piece is good, but it is not among my favorites, although the group included it steadily in live performances along with "Minkions", whereas I undoubtedly prefer the next track: "Mors Tua, Vita Mea", a violent piece about violence, a concentrate of power and speed, a real punch in the face, such extreme thrash that it reminds me of Deicide's "Scars Of The Crucifix" in some parts: and we're still only in 1988!! The excellent album closes with the excellent "Willfull Death", also, as can be easily inferred from the title, dedicated to the suicidal friend: it's a piece that encompasses in itself all the facets of the album: it transitions from parts in a style that anticipates Symphonic Black Metal, slow and almost doom, to faster, thrash parts, or others where the Motorhead influence returns; after the last outburst, the electric guitar's reverb fades and gives way to the funereal and feral outro, "You'll Be Recalled", another hidden track, with the organ reprising the theme of "Neurodeliri".

In conclusion, this is an album for all those who appreciate bone-crushing metal, but with some winking at melody and the music of past groups, and which would have deserved more prominence, at least in my opinion. An album from which all the irony, which is somewhat the hallmark of Bulldozer, shines through, an irony that becomes also social satire, as in the case of "Ilona Has Been Elected": a pity that this will be the last studio release for the band, which will give us "Alive In Poland" in 1990 and will then disband shortly afterward (truth be told, the quirky "Dance Got Sick" also came out, but it was a fleeting reunion in 1992 that brought little good fruits). I leave you with the refrain of the title track:

Filled by desperation

Another fallen angel's suicide

NEURODELIRI!!

NEURODELIRI!!!