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Rating: Three years after their self-titled debut, the Clan Bastardo and their punk-rock are back riding the wave (could there ever be a more fitting term, one might say...). Led by the Di Gugliemo brothers, the group has been able to build a fanbase and general credibility over the years, enabling them to work with illustrious figures while managing it all with discretion and the right amount of humility. You can have all the money in the world, fundamentally, but if you don't have the right amount of talent and ability, you're unlikely to be considered by international artists, as we know.
Nevertheless, heads down and hard work; this is the Clan Bastardo's mantra, a way of doing things that eventually pays off and, in their case, has borne fruit in this second discographic chapter entitled “Ancora brucia”. An album played with the passion of those who love and know this music, and who therefore move comfortably in certain scenes, then giving the voice the task of telling stories of lived life and spitting their disgust at the world around them. A record that is "bold" in certain respects, if only for the choice to insert elements outside of the classic punk-rock cliché (see ska), something that may make some people frown but actually breaks up the otherwise monotonous rhythm of the work. “Ancora brucia”, as a good live-oriented record, shows its best when our guys step on the gas, demonstrating how energy – even today – remains a primary source in alternative circles.
Speaking of rhythms, it's impossible not to mention the presence of Jamie Oliver from UK Subs on drums, a figure whose experience has brought even more credibility and ideas to the project itself. Add to this a now well-rehearsed line-up, and there you have it, a good punk-rock album. It's useless to look for flaws and so forth, the Clan Bastardo is a band that puts passion above all, and for this – at least for me – they should be appreciated. Nothing new on the horizon, to be clear; we're talking about musicians who grew up with the sound of Clash and Rancid on the stereo, and it shows quite a bit. We're simply talking about a well-made album, at least professional and worthy of the money of a potential purchase.
Final mention on the production, which is decidedly well-calibrated and the result of the work of Alessandro Sportelli of West Link Studios and Jason Livermore (who has already worked with Alkaline Trio and many others) at Blasting Room Fort Collins Studios.
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