Il Teatro Degli Orrori
A Sangue Freddo

Why keep extolling the same bands that have been in the scene for years? Bands, yes, with highly respectable careers, but now "tired," merely producing good albums... Why ignore the existence of a hidden circuit that produces incredibly valuable records? A circuit from which Il Teatro Degli Orrori emerged, back with the album “A Sangue Freddo”, which becomes one of the most important releases of this 2009 musical year.

An album in which Pierpaolo Capovilla proves to be among the greatest songwriters of the current Italian scene, accompanied by that inescapable, devastating sound reminiscent of Jesus Lizard. Yes, because the influence is all there, you can feel it, but the four do not simply become a poor imitation of one of the main bands from the noise genre. Instead, they showcase their qualities and create something, perhaps not innovative, but certainly very original! The differences from the first album, “Dell’Impero Delle Tenebre” are there and noticeable… “A Sangue Freddo” does not spare the listener when it comes to the power of sound, but Il Teatro Degli Orrori, at some points, aimed for a much more easy-listening album, without ever becoming trivial, keeping away from easy chart-friendly choruses.

This is a bitter and full of anger album, composed of words that display the insecurity and discomfort caused by everything that goes wrong in this world, in this brief life that flows by while we stand still, afflicted by loneliness, melancholy and war, by hunger, as if nothing mattered, as if it were right, begging someone who will not help us… There is social commitment, love (always suffering…), criticism of triviality in the songs of “A Sangue Freddo,” stories told with the decadent touch that characterizes their lyrics. The title track is a dedication to Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer and activist, hanged for “loving too much,” opposing the exploitation of his land by multinational lords. It’s one of the group’s most catchy tracks, which nonetheless does not hold back the ferocity that distinguishes Il Teatro Degli Orrori.

“Direzioni Diverse” is disconcerting, quite an unusual track for the band, boasting a collaboration with Bob Rifo, the mind behind the Bloody Beetroots, an electro duo from Bassano Del Grappa, known especially abroad, even before their album “Romborama” was released. We find ourselves with a piece of amazing and intense electronic rock, with dark undertones and lyrics resigned to what life has offered us. The truth hurts as sung in “Il Terzo Mondo.” An Italy too close to that third world that seems so distant to us. An Italy victim of the “miserables in power” and full of “fools walking around.” “Alt!” will undoubtedly be one of the hot moments of their concerts. A quote from Celentano and the dance begins. A musical outburst, this one. An attack on self-righteousness and the easy clichés often rooted in the mentality of the authorities.

In closing, the 11 minutes of “Die Zeit,” the most experimental track of the entire album, which completes what is the most beautiful album of this 2009 musical year. A record to be revered possessing its own sacred force, released through the 11 sparks of pure genius that compose “A Sangue Freddo.” Join the Teatro Degli Orrori and let yourself be enchanted by the splendor of this band that confirms itself as one of the major representations of Italian music today.