mementomori

Hello everyone. I take this opportunity to correct a detail of which I realized the inaccuracy, alas, only after sending the review: Christopherson will found Coil right after the experience with Psychic TV and not before (as I mistakenly wrote in the review). Regards.

Thank you all... purpulan: actually, The Kovenant were originally called Covenant... since they played black metal, there was no risk of confusing the two bands... then at some point, the Norwegians had an industrial-metal-goth turn, and although still largely tied to the stylistic elements of metal, they were forced to change their monicker...

fuck, it’s true, it’s Milan Kundera… I always mix him up with the guitarist from Death’s… Emil Bandera… anyway, thanks to everyone for the compliments and the non-compliments. I want to clarify that this wasn’t meant to be just a simple review, but a gift I wanted to give myself to pay tribute to a genre that I have loved deeply (and in some ways still do), but that I haven’t had the chance to tackle on Debaser as I would have liked, since I usually don’t do double reviews (and many albums I’d really love to talk about are already present on the site). Bye everyone, see you next time…

"mementomori repudiates every form of war and violence (except for artistic and self-directed violence)" and I quote my review of "Time is thee enemy," also by Blutharsch. Those who read my reviews know how I feel; in my review of Blood Axis (which was among my first), I even reveal my ideological beliefs. I repeat once again: I consider myself a leftist fundamentally antifascist. I despise Nazism; I can analyze it from a historical perspective, but I cannot tolerate its modern-day supporters. It’s something that, personally speaking, I find idiotic and senseless. I’ve finally said it; the rest is just putting into words the images that a type of music, which I generally like and listen to without feeling in contradiction with my worldview and conduct, evokes for me. I am not here to act tough under the cover of anonymity nor to provoke (the very publication on the Day of Remembrance was a coincidence: I had the reviews ready for a long time, due to contingent factors I access the internet sporadically, and having the opportunity to publish exactly last Sunday, not wanting to wait another week and finding it hypocritical not to do it that day and then do it the following week, I ultimately decided to send it anyway; I apologize if I offended someone's sensibility, but I don’t think that, today February 2, the contents of the Blutharsch album are any more respectable than they were a week ago). Finally: I am here to talk about music and to introduce lesser-known bands; I enjoy writing and emphatically describing certain images that music evokes for me. I leave the appreciation of the work and the review to personal sensibility. As for style, those who know me know that I change register depending on the content. If I wanted to discuss an album that glorifies pedophilia, I would be here talking about sweet little bottoms of children. In this regard, I admit I am a mercenary in service of artistic dissemination. This identification with the images evoked by an album is precisely the transfer that I am reproached for, which actually applies to all types of listening. Robert Wyatt's review seems to me a good antidote to those of Blutharsch. We’ll talk next week.

Hello everyone. I see that, now reaching the third review, the Blutharsch continue to ignite passions. Much has already been said, both here and in previous reviews, and what I feel like adding is this thought of mine: without delving into the content (which is a judgment arising from the sensitivity of each individual), I believe that art (and forgive me for the abuse of this term) should not have pedagogical or educational purposes. With this, I do not want to assert the primacy of art above all, but rather highlight its belonging to a separate cognitive plane. Art, in my opinion, does not necessarily need to have a civil mission. There exists an art that sets such goals (and I'm reminded of Pasolini's literature) and it is great art, but this is just one of the possible expressions. In my view, art must also be "immoral," it must go beyond the dictates of dominant culture and even common sense. Art has often been a disruptive phenomenon within culture, frequently an avant-garde movement, an early indicator of the times and the dominant thought of society. Something uncomfortable precisely because, addressing the heart and not the mind, it has the freedom to create turmoil, for better or worse, within the categories of common thought. Art must have this sacrilegious freedom, precisely because it operates in the realms of irrationality, because it is escape, evasion from established constraints, from the conventions of social life. Art belongs to a sphere that is not only intellectual but also, and above all, emotional, as it is an expression and metaphorical representation of the being of an artist and their vision of the world. Art should be judged, in my opinion, with the heart and the skin, more than with the intellect. This is naturally my view, and I think this perspective, perhaps too pretentious for many forms of supposed art, also applies to lesser art such as that of the Blutharsch and to all popular/commercial music in general. Thank you all for your contributions. Until next time.

Good job yes, but masterpiece seems like a heavy word to me, and I would only grant it to the previous Abducted... when this final chapter came out, I was a bit disappointed, too obvious in reiterating the band’s clichés, too predictable in alternating fast and slow tracks. In my opinion, it’s the beginning of the end, or rather, the end of the gala phase of Hypocrisy, especially in light of the subsequent works, which I found quite disappointing... the review isn’t bad, but I would have added that it’s a concept album (it tells the story of a guy kidnapped and analyzed by aliens), while, for the record, this album was supposed to be the band’s last, as Tagtren, increasingly demotivated, burnt out, and overwhelmed by his commitments as a producer, just couldn’t handle it anymore...

masterful review: I like how you manage to contextualize the releases within the relevant social/musical landscape time and time again... and how you analyze and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the album in question... the Atrocity, to be honest, I've never quite digested, especially not their phase with Kramm...

Hi Fidia, have you seen the latest by Cronenberg? It seemed like a load of crap to me, I think we've lost that man forever... what do you think?

Oh you? Have you started reviewing? Congratulations from me as well, a smooth and timely review, a truly excellent debut... I missed it because I was unaware of the band and the name didn't catch my attention, but when I saw your nickname, I immediately dove in out of curiosity... I'm leaving satisfied... until next time...

If I may say my piece, there’s a difference to be made between the commercial Elii and the non-commercial ones... for example, the singles that make it onto television have always struck me as pretty terrible (il pippero, la terra dei caki, spalman...), while hidden in the albums you can find truly exceptional gems. So it’s true that, also for contractual reasons, our guys sound a bit castrated, having to give a lot to the general public, ultimately slipping into either the banal or the strictly adolescent. However, among the grooves, it is possible to discover genuine talent, almost making one regret that the Elii are not an underground band and thus totally free to express themselves. To all those who scorn Elio, I recommend listening to "La follia della donna" (in Cicciput), where there is a sublime opening that pays homage to "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd, but sung with a baritone and emphatic voice that imitates Renato Zero... if this isn’t genius...