Litfiba
Eutopia

Four years after the erratic Grande Nazione, the newly revamped awarded partnership of Piero & Ghigo decides to dive headfirst once again, following a brief reunion with the historical band, except for the poor Ringo De Palma who died in 1990, which resulted in the live album La Trilogia Del Potere, into the real Rock that characterized the band in its "second phase" until the late nineties. They first decided to renew the rhythm section by recruiting "Franky" Ciccio Li Causi, former Negrita member, on bass and the solid drummer Luca Martelli.

The combined efforts of the two legendary Rockers, lasting about a year and a half, give birth to an album with a strongly distinctive sound that has nothing to envy compared to the iconic works of the nineties, especially Terremoto, Spirito, and El Diablo. It kicks off with the siren-blaring Rock of Dio Del Tuono, proclaimed by Piero's verse: "Ecco il Dio del Tuono, ecco il Dio del Suono...con la chitarra elettrica e l'ampli a 10 10!", followed by the poetic L'Impossibile, which undoubtedly serves as a tasty appetizer compared to the main course on the first side, Maria Coraggio. This track focuses on the character of the "heroine" Maria, which echoes the story of the incredibly brave Lea Garofalo, a Calabrian woman who had the immense courage to stand up against her own family, belonging to a notorious 'Ndrangheta clan, only to be cruelly incinerated in Milan on September 24, 2009. The sound is reminiscent of Tammùria by Litfiba.

Another excellent dish is served with the fabulous Straniero, touching on high-level poetic strings right from the first verses: "Son Straniero ovunque io vada, son Straniero anche a casa...che cosa sei?", then continuing with the chorus that essentially encapsulates the concept expressed in the title: "Contro le forze di gravità / contro ogni logica / sopra razze e religioni verso quel che troverò!", all seasoned with sonorities where the acoustic guitar and Piero's initial whistle, in a country-western style à la Tex or better yet à la Louisiana, blend beautifully with a great final solo by Ghigo that completes a piece that indeed borders on masterpiece.

In the same vein of this "pastiche" between Rock and quality lyrics, we have the catchy Oltre that vaguely recalls Siamo Umani from El Diablo and especially the final song Eutòpia, where Piero, inspired by Thomas More's Utopia, dreams of a world where, in fact, everything is a continuous (Eu)topia that can be pursued with dedication to the fullest: "Se Eutòpia è un sogno, io voglio continuare a sognare sognare / Se Eutòpia è uno sbaglio, io voglio continuare a sbagliare sbagliare". The final part of the track with the interplays between the keyboards of "Marchese" Antonio Aiazzi and the unprecedented bass phrases by the excellent Li Causi are well worth the price of the album.

There is also room for pieces with decidedly more Hard Rock, especially In Nome Di Dio, where it attacks head-on, with the thunderous drumming of Martelli and Ghigo's nervous wah-wah solo halfway through the song, the so-called "Religious Wars", waged in the name of a deity, whether Christian or Islamic, behind which loom far more disturbing shadows, particularly the perennial war for oil.

Gorilla Go, which could be interpreted as a reprise of Diavolo Illuso from Spirito, deals with the "media dictatorship" (that of the "telebalilla", as one verse of the song says) with strong irony, endured over the last two decades by a sport as popular as it is controversial, like football. Intossicato, always punctuated by organ and guitar riffs, tackles themes such as the infamously known "Terra Dei Fuochi", while Santi di Periferia, although not a masterpiece, is still quite preferable for an engaging chorus that can be readily thrown in the face of the first arrogant powerful person in charge.

The result is, therefore, a remarkable work that satisfies the most varied musical tastes and that, although it is a bit harsh to say, also represents an excellent product suited to the needs of an audience, that of Rock, which lately seems to have fallen asleep momentarily, mainly due to the "bad currency" that favors the famous "law of the Dollar", paraphrasing the band Stadio, rather than the quality that still exists and is being excellently carried forward by this pair of "bad boys" from Florence who are always on the ball! Que viva..El Bandido Litfiba!