Cripple Bastards
Variante Alla Morte

When "variante alla morte" was released, I was puzzled. It had taken me quite some time to get used to "Desperately insensitive", an album I managed to love only after many, many listens. The shift towards a more metal and technical sound initially left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it was only later that I understood that Cripple hadn't changed in essence but had merely shed their skin. However, with the release of the new CD, there was a bit of fear. But no.

Because "variante alla morte" is a Moloch, a monumental anthem to grindcore, desperation compressed within tubes, guts flushed down the toilet, the insane fear of the clock. And Giulio's neurasthenia shouting all this through the album's tracks. The malaise is palpable, aching like a bruise. "Stupro e addio" is the cruelest and most negative piece that an extreme band has ever written, but Giulio's lyrics are to be read carefully, profound and tinged with lyricism. There isn't one piece better than another in my opinion, as "variante alla morte" constitutes a unique block made of intensely violent tracks that in some ways remind of "misantropo..." even though here the production is professional and the sound is slightly closer to Scandinavian bands (nasum, sayyadina...) but also to early Brujeria... but let's be clear, these are barely veiled influences because everything from start to finish is tremendously Cripple Bastards.

What else to say? That they are among the best grindcore bands in the world? Surely! By now, their album of thrash and hc covers has been released, and I haven't heard it yet; it would be nice to talk about it a bit here...