Il Teatro Degli Orrori
A Sangue Freddo

Two years after the acclaimed "Dell'impero delle tenebre," we find Il Teatro Degli Orrori tackling their new album "A sangue freddo," a work that is a punch in the stomach given with love.

The themes covered in this new chapter revisit those of the previous work, namely religion, love, politics. What is noticeable at first glance is the greater attention paid to the lyrics and a greater sophistication in the sounds, which partly deviate from the Jesus Lizard-like scheme we've been accustomed to (especially with the old moniker OneDimensionalMan: how I miss them!).

Let the curtain rise! 

The opener "Io ti aspetto" serves as an intro before the curtain rises on our favorite theater: subdued sounds, a sweet melody supported by the cello and violin of Angelo Maria Santisi and Nicola Manzan and the piano of Paola Segnana, the creator of the musical score for this piece.

"Due" and "A sangue freddo" are the next tracks, pieces that some of you may have seen in embryonic form live: in the former, we find Capovilla personifying the woman left alone after a troubled love story, the background is perfectly supported by the rhythmic insertions of Franz Valente (in my opinion, one of the best Italian rock drummers) and the very "of the darkness" guitar of Gionata Mirai; the title-track focuses on the murder of Ken Saro Wiwa, a Nigerian poet and activist hanged for allegedly inciting the murder of eight of his opponents. Pierpaolo lashes out against the sentence and cries for revenge, the music is unexpectedly pop-rock (in the broadest sense of the term).

"Mai dire mai" is the ideal link between old and new sounds: the beginning seems to be taken straight from the attack of "Nub" by Jesus Lizard, while the final tail fades acoustically, linking back to "La canzone di Tom."

"Direzioni diverse" will leave many of the faithful fans of this group puzzled. No guitar outbursts, no pounding and syncopated drumming. Instead, a completely electronic outfit where bass and guitar paint colorful and atmospheric sounds (much credit should go to the collaboration with Bloody Beetroots).

"Alt!" is the tragicomic analysis of what might happen if you were stopped by a patrol for a routine check. The music is unexpectedly danceable and will surely become another showpiece during their fiery performances, along with "Terzo Mondo," in which the Italian situation is described rather covertly (but also overtly) as equivalent to the current Third World, and in which Capovilla allows himself to self-reference with the phrase "Ma porca miseria..." (go listen to "You Kill Me" for confirmation).

Noteworthy as well is the concluding track, the extended "Die Zeit" which stands out significantly from the rest of the album. A very dark piece that vaguely reminds me of the musical experiments of Melvins and Tool in "Divorced." Inside, we find ourselves facing the percussion clash Valente-Battaglia (drummer of the excellent Zu), the clinking of glasses (by Robert Tiso), and the ticking of an alarm clock, reminding us how short life is and how time passes relentlessly.

The production is once again entrusted to Giulio "Ragno" Favero, who allowed the new album to sound more rock and slightly cleaner compared to the previous record, without compromising the group's "communist tick" impact.

I remember that the album will be distributed by Universal, probably to make it available not only at their concerts but also in some more reluctant chains. Or perhaps the intention is to have significant public feedback? "But who cares!"