Madre Del Vizio
Antonomasia

"Antonomasia," recorded between 1999 and 2002 and released after countless trials in 2005, marks the long-awaited return of the Italian-German combo after a full seven years since their last studio release.

The debut of Madre del Vizio, champions of death-rock made in Italy, dates back to 1991 (the split with Les Fleurs du Mal). "Dio Dio Dio," the dazzling debut, was released in 1992, quickly followed by an appearance on the compilation "The Crypt" (1993) and the mini-albums "Feast of Blood" (1995) and "All Around the World" (1996). "Mesmerismo," from 1998, is their second full-length, a work that did not fail to puzzle with its unexpected turn towards metal, while this "Antonomasia," a pleasing return to the roots, is described by leader Fulvio Tori as the natural continuation of "Dio Dio Dio," which remains their most successful strike to date.

In truth, "Antonomasia" does not seem able to replicate the glories of the origins, still suffering from excessive goth-metal temptations, which inevitably detract from the punk vigor and stifle the more properly rock energy emanating from the battered amps.

Fulvio Tori, who is not the quintessence of charisma, expertly carves Italian verses that, without due care, would hardly fit the metrics of typically Anglo-Saxon music. However, his lyrics are not mind-blowing, while his voice, somewhat too monotone, is nothing exceptional: more concerned with making the lyrics intelligible to the listener (a commendable intent), the singer ends up being swallowed by the solid rhythms and powerful guitar sounds, struggling to emerge from the chaos and lacking the theatricality and boldness that the genre would require.

Christian Roβbach (lead guitar and programming) and Matthias Kreis (rhythm guitar, bass, and programming) put together a solid death-rock worthy of respect, but, alas!, too beholden to the usual names, Christian Death, of course, but also Sisters of Mercy: sharp riffs, pulsating bass, danceable base, some keyboard inserts here and there to create atmosphere.

All packaged with utmost professionalism and attention to detail, even if the guitars end up sounding too modern, and the triggered double bass present in some pieces might have been avoidable, what is certain is that overall the sounds appear excessively polished, when instead we would have preferred them gritty and staggering.

It was said that these Madre del Vizio are not exactly champions of originality, and thus the reissue of "Dr Phibes" swipes the riff from "Alice," the start of "Invisibile" too brazenly recalls "Temple of Love," while in more than one instance Tori appears to be the Rozz Williams of our own. The lyrics, I repeat, do not shine, slavishly following the clichés of the genre: death, sex, perversions, and horror imagery galore (with the exception of "Ufo," which humorously tackles the theme of extraterrestrials), though not without a good dose of irony and a healthy taste for excess.

At this point, some questions are due: are we facing something phenomenal? I would say not. Is it still worth lending an ear to this "Antonomasia"? Absolutely yes: because if the goals were to entertain and get people moving, we can affirm that the intentions have been fully realized.

So, let us surrender to the overwhelming "Sogni dimenticati" (among the trio's most beautiful pieces) and "Il rasoio" (with its irresistible refrain: irreverently cheering for suicide). Let us be captured by the hypnotic mantra of the visionary "Il mio viaggio" and the restless evolutions of the gothic "Il tempo muove."

"Mi ricordo" and "Vampira" race fast along the double track of Love/Death, while in the closing "Il pittore maledetto" and "Vecchio pazzo" traces of early Litfiba can be found (in the former it is Tori's vocalizations that vaguely echo the flair of Piero Pelù; in the latter it is instead the tribal march that evokes the exotic atmospheres typical of the Florentine formation).

Far from being the worthy heirs of historic formations like Diaframma and the previously mentioned Litfiba, Madre del Vizio remains nonetheless a noteworthy reality of our dark-wave scene: the problems are mainly to be found in the intentions of a genre, death-rock, which, nearly thirty years on, has not only failed to evolve but remains firmly anchored to what was contained in that unparalleled masterpiece called "Only Theatre of Pain," from which everything originated.

May Rozz Williams rest in peace.