Fiaba
La Pelle Nella Luna

Fiaba is undoubtedly a very original and courageous band that, in twenty years of activity, has always carried forward its musical discourse with passion, managing over time to create a good base of enthusiasts and supporters. For those who don't know, their style draws from certain folk atmospheres, revisited in a Heavy metal/progressive key, and narrated through fantasy and fairy-tale lyrics (written and conceived by drummer Bruno Rubino), which certainly represent their trademark.

One of their characteristics is also the fact of not taking themselves too seriously (as can be clearly seen from their lyrics, garish and certainly excessive), something that led the band to be subject to numerous criticisms despite the goodness and undeniable quality of their proposal.

After no less than seven years of silence, the band bids farewell to 2012 with this "La Pelle Nella Luna", a sort of concept album on lycanthropy which, compared to the past, presents some differences in terms of sound. In fact, the last album of the Siracusan group is less characteristic than previous ones, with a sound that leans more towards Heavy Metal tout court rather than the certain folk atmospheres typical of their style (which only occasionally emerge among the grooves). Furthermore, the arrangements are less complex than usual (although Bruno Rubino's drumming retains a certain progressive approach), with powerful and effective guitar riffs, and solos that generally follow the main melodies, without venturing too far.

The first track, "L'Inquisito", indeed shows a band grappling with clear Heavy Metal guitar riffs, constructed through powerful and direct rhythms, where the drums (often offbeat) try to restore a bit of progressive charge to the arrangements.

A bit of theatricality surfaces instead in "Le Due Nature", a piece played exclusively through acoustic guitar arpeggios and Giuseppe Brancato's voice (which offers moments of rare suggestion, thanks to its lyrical and theatrical setting), while the following tracks in turn appear very homogeneous (perhaps too much) and without particular stylistic variations.

"Il Povero Giacobbe" is indeed a brief and simple track of slow and rocky Heavy Metal (where the lyrics however manage to fit perfectly with the music), while the following "L'Uomo E La Preda" and "Le Bestie Del Villaggio Di Ogre" do not certainly change the substance, perhaps only varying the rhythm.

The second half of the album, however, proves to be perhaps slightly more varied, with "La Piccola Greta" bringing us back the typical Folk and fairy-tale atmospheres of their repertoire. This Folk ballad manages to enchant the listener thanks to the perfect harmony between music and words, where Brancato's voice in turn impresses with technique, expressiveness, and vocal interpretation.

After a heavy track like "Il Patto Coi Lupi", the band tries to diversify the sound even more with two well-executed tracks like "Il Cerchio Della Morte" and "Morte Di Un Presunto Lupo Mannaro", which present fairly different characteristics. The first track is certainly darker and more atmospheric, assisted by simple but percussive arrangements (which somehow manage to blend well with the themes addressed by the lyrics), while the second track is certainly more lively and playful, partly recovering the typical sense of humor of the Sicilian band. Less successful instead is the concluding "All'Ombra Della Giustizia", a somewhat cloying and anonymous acoustic ballad, where however it's worth noting Brancato's umpteenth standout performance.

Drawing analogies with their past productions, this album shows thereforea lesser characterization of their usual style, with arrangements certainly less articulated and varied than expected. Nevertheless, it is a work of excellent level, well played and produced, even if the band’s fairy-tale charm partly fails.

P.S: The album is dedicated to the memory of Ronnie James Dio (as expressly mentioned inside the booklet), and this might partly explain the musical approach used by the band for this album.

TRACKLIST:

1) L'Inquisito

2) Le Due Nature

3) Il Povero Giacobbe

4) L'Uomo E La Preda

5) Le Bestie Del Villaggio Di Ogre

6) La Piccola Greta

7) Il Patto Coi Lupi

8) Il Cerchio Della Morte

9) Morte Di Un Presunto Lupo Mannaro

10) All'Ombra Della Giustizia