Gianni Maroccolo
The Vigil

An expectation charged with adrenaline, mixed with a reverential awe: this is the state of mind with which one approaches "The Vigil", the latest, fascinating effort born from the encounter between two giants of alternative music, Hugo Race and Gianni Maroccolo. When artistic personalities of such stature merge, there’s always the risk of a collision, but success, as in this case, gifts us with a work whose value surpasses the already considerable sum of its parts. A masterpiece that bursts forth with the intensity of a long-suppressed truth.

"The Vigil", or La Veglia, is not just a record: it is the Decameron of the third millennium, a collection of stories of wounded souls, united by the common denominator of betrayal at the hands of a neo-positivist scientism. Yet, in this dark night of the soul, an ember stays alight: the hope that, at the end of the vigil, the dawn may bring with it a new, secular redemption.

The appraisal of the tracks is an uncompromising journey into the beating heart of contemporary unrest. The opening is not coincidental: "Never surrender", the iconic cry of the title track, is a manifesto of resistance. It continues with "Phoenix", evoking the myth to aspire to a secular resurrection, freeing desire from earthly gravity.

The structure becomes a denunciation in "Soldiers" and "La Pace" (the only track in Italian), where Race’s voice, between talking blues and spoken words, becomes a dramatic megaphone against indoctrination. We are blind fighters against an enemy whose true nature eludes us. One verse, in particular, rings with dramatic relevance: “Sai cos’è la pace? No / Nemmeno io / Una volta che scappa via non torna”, sealed by a mocking, bitter laugh.

With "Pandora" we enter the territory of hermetism, into a spirituality that becomes “cosmic.” Then, the minimal and dreamy dialogue of "Where Does The Night Go" – with Race’s voice, Antonio Aiazzi’s piano and electronics – flows into a disturbing message: “Everything has changed / Outside’s unfrozen / But we’re not the same / All the doors blew open / And the walls shake, is it too late? / Feel the heart burn / Sense the worm turn in its cage / Morning is broken”. Immediately after, the instrumental "Duro Duro" envelops us, moving from desert-rock and western atmospheres to a mounting anxiety generated by twang guitar and electronics.

The finale, however, opens up to an airy breath, almost merging into the instrumental reprise of "Phoenix". A glimmer of hope, a faint yet stubborn optimism for the future of such a fractured humanity, seems to allow us to glimpse the dawn.

Musically, "The Vigil" is the perfect synthesis of the two artists’ skills. While Race’s captivating voice and songwriting (as in the beginning of "Where The Night Goes", worthy of his Fatalists) at times seem to take center stage, Maroccolo’s work, with his unmistakable bass and the masterful use of electronics, is the backbone, the essential counterpoint.

This is a dark gem that demands—and deserves—more than one listen. "The Vigil" is not background music, but a complex work that, if given the right time, rewards with rare emotional and intellectual depth. You will not regret it.