Madina Lake
From Them, Through Us, To You

THE REVIEW

"Madina Lake is a sleepy and quiet lakeside town nestled in the valley with its guardian mountains. In the 1950s, the town, remote and isolated from the rest of the world, is a microcosm of a society enriched by social, political, and metaphysical nuances.
It is a place that serves as a backdrop for many strange events, a place where lies, crimes, and deception are buried by its inhabitants. Such a place demands a soundtrack..."

These are the words of the band on their official website.

Madina Lake is a band formed in 2006 from the fusion of two groups, with the same manager, with the intent to create Hard Rock with the aim of conveying a message through music, although defined by many as punk-rock and emo.

The band consists of:
- Nathan Leone (vocals) born in Chicago but with Italian origins;
- Matthew Leone (bass) Nathan's twin brother;
- Mateo Camargo (guitar) Colombian;
- Daniel Torelli (drums) from Philadelphia.

After the EP "The Disappearance of Adalia" in 2006, the band embarked on the album "From Them, Through Us, to You" released on March 27, 2007.

The work presents itself as a concept album (just as the title suggests: "From Them, Through Us, to You") about the town that gives the band its name, and in every song, the various characters of this small town are featured, just like in a book. In the story, the city is turned upside down when the popular Adalia mysteriously disappears.

"Madina Lake is a microcosm reflecting what is currently happening in America," explains Nathan, "Everyone wants to be famous, and everyone wants to have a more exciting life than others." and it is for this reason that the album is born from the desire to give voice to all the ideas and inspirations that pass through the minds of the group; it talks about things as they wish they were.
The music of these four guys is influenced by many types, from the Smashing Pumpkins (Matthew Leone's favorite band) to the dreamy sounds worthy of the Nine Inch Nails, with punk-rock influences from overseas; love and noise, in their songs, combined with dark and ominous elements.
"House of cards" is the first single of the album and is a song characterized by a very driven rhythm, "Here I stand" is the first track of the album characterized by heavy and fast guitars preceded by a brief melodic and delicate introduction; In "Adalia" there is a contrast between a dynamic drum and background screams with lyrics that see the aforementioned protagonist getting lost in a dark place that could be her mind (or that of the drugged songwriter N. Leone!); In my opinion, "Now Or Never" is the best track of the album, with strong emo influences.

In conclusion, this is an excellent album, and Madina Lake makes great music; don't be influenced by their clothes and hairstyles, or rather their look because they don't want to set trends, but they want to focus on the music, their music, and send strong messages like "now or never!" My rating is 7/10, but since there are no half scores here, I'll round it up... 4!