Folkstone
Oltre...l'abisso

They have hit the mark once again. This time earning more points than their previous work, the ambiguous Il confine, which contained tracks that could be marked as absolute masterpieces in the band's discography, such as Omnia Fert Aetas, Luna, and the title track, but when taken as a whole, appeared as an album capable of losing itself in some moments of innocent flatness, enough to lower the overall average. With Oltre…l’abisso this does not happen: just under an hour of direct compositions, yet unpredictable, straightforward in structure, yet filled with sudden tempo changes and subtle sound alterations, aimed at enhancing the quality and longevity of the final product.

Despite these subtle perfections, the musical proposal remains unchanged: a hard rock/heavy metal with folk and Celtic developments, with lyrics that predominantly delve into the political and social nonconformism of the previous album, through a tracklist devoid of real weak points, capable of never suffering from sonic flatness. And if tracks like the bouncing In caduta libera or the adventurous Prua contro il nulla might suggest a melodic and more hard-rocking turn, Mercanti Anonimi dispels all of this with a heart-pounding rhythmic session (almost power-oriented) and an effective vocal intertwining between Lore’s barbaric timbre and Roberta’s cutting voice. Nella mia fossa maintains the same sonic hysteria while L’ultima notte beats tempos close to thrash metal, keeping everything in check with frequent incursions of “lumberjack” folk. Among the most interesting and unpredictable moments is the pagan dance of Manifesto Sbiadito, where the listener sets up an imaginary circus and shares the acrobatics of a performer challenging fate with somersaults. Also worth framing is Le voci della sera, teetering between “Celtic-metallic” ballad and “Branduardian” nursery rhyme. Ruggine and La tredicesima ora are instead massive and evocative mid-tempos broken by frequent melodic incursions of harp and bagpipes. The album closes with the title track, which recovers the hard rock flavor from the beginning of the record, using some prog-tinged riffs that seem intent on opening new musical horizons for Folkstone.

As per tradition, here’s a cover in this album too: Tex by Litfiba! There’s also a hidden track: the new arrangement of Frammenti, present in Il Confine, transformed into a piano ballad with a theatrical atmosphere, thanks also to Lore’s recited singing. An unusual, but certainly pleasant, closure.

Oltre …l’abisso is an album decidedly superior to the already successful Il Confine, and slightly inferior to Damnati ad Metalla, the band’s undisputed masterpiece. It might take several listens to truly appreciate it, however, the advice remains the same: give it the proper space, and it will show you its true potential. Welcome back Folkstone!

Federico “Dragonstar” Passarella