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Rating: Returning to writing reviews is not easy. The urge to pour rivers of words into detailing works that someone may have already reviewed excellently is lacking. But something strange always happens in life.
It happens that one day in the now prehistoric 1996, you see on VideoMusic the clip of a Roman band engaged in playing angry and pessimistic rock. You jot down the name and title, but being thirteen years old, you don't have the twenty thousand lire necessary to buy the CD of these fellow countrymen armed with instruments and passion. Mom and Dad say the money is needed for serious things, certainly not for records. Time goes by and the album in question disappears from stores. With the advent of the internet, you even discover it's "out of catalog"! So, in despair, you try resorting to P2P programs. But even in this case... nada de nada!
To cut a long story short: the other day I almost burst into tears! The reason? Believe it or not, after twenty years, I was able to listen to "Vivi Il Tuo Tempo" by the Romans Fasten Belt in its entirety.
A band born towards the end of the '80s and promoter of Stooges-style rock 'n' roll with some "dark" and even pop overtones. To better understand them, listen to that masterpiece called "No Escape From Acid Hysteria." An Italian gem ignored by most. There should be a review on this site (I might have written it myself, but it doesn't matter).
But let's get back to us. Is "Vivi il tuo Tempo" that good? Not really.
The first four tracks are gems. Punk 'n' roll with a touch of melody and, new for us, lyrics in Italian. Energy and melody blend perfectly. A bit like if Litfiba had met Kina. Simple yet never trivial lyrics. Lyrics that denote the human sensitivity of the musicians in question. Notable are the energetic "Senza Pelle," the melodic "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," and the dark "Il Volo." Even "Brucia" shows intense vigor, both in the riffs and in the invectives against the mass media world.
However, the album's weak points arrive. "Nel Vento," "Il Tuo Tempo," and "Porte Chiuse" prove, in fact, to be rather anonymous.
"Venom Stomp" is really short (one minute and fifty seconds) and leaves no mark.
"E Non Lo sai" is slightly better, but especially "Diverso." A song with a sinister and bold attitude.
Honestly, I expected something more, also considering the twenty-year wait. However, as already written, the first four songs are delightful electric rides that, in my humble opinion, are worth listening to with interest and enthusiasm. Perhaps shaking your head or hopping around your room.
I conclude by dedicating this review to Claudio Caleno. Singer and frontman of Fasten Belt, sadly deceased in 2014.
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By Taxirider
The album is a concentrate of punk rock “stoogista”, some hints of ’77 and a lot of post-punk (sometimes enveloped in dark hues).
Fasten Belt, despite their skill, never decided which “side” to stand on... despite this negligible flaw, our guys were cheerfully snubbed by the press and public.
