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Rating:
THE REVIEW
End of the 80s, Cuneo, stadium, free concert of Italian alternative rock... people gathered from all over Italy to see CCCP and Litfiba (among the already established names) together with many others, including the debuting Jack on Fire!... it will be this young band that will arouse our interest, as two of the members, Cristiano Godano and Alex will collaborate to form Marlene Kuntz. Also in Cuneo, at the "Mario del Pozzo" technical institute, the new guitarist Riccardo Tesio and Luca Bergia on drums began to try instrumental jams with friends. These last ones will join the former (disbanded) Jack on Fire! Cristiano Godano and Alex. This is how the story began of one of the greatest rock bands that Italy has ever produced...
The group becomes a rather serious thing, and Alex realizes he cannot continue because of work... Godano takes his place on vocals, and after making a name for themselves with performances and demos, the four decide to head to Tuscany, specifically Calenzano... a town on the hills near Florence... Cristiano Godano, Riccardo Tesio, the new bassist Gianluca Viano, Luca Bergia, along with producer Marco Lega and Gianni Maroccolo lock themselves inside a rehearsal room to rehearse and rehearse the future songs of Catartica...
This is the album I prefer from Marlene Kuntz, it is the most genuine, the noisiest, the angriest, but also very catchy...
Godano's lyrics, which mix rhetoric, anger, a desire to escape, and a touch of poetry perfectly transpire from the guitars and his voice, here "thin" and sharp like a knife ready to strike against the presumed genuineness of the local rap compared to rock in the first track "M.K", to scream his disappointment for a poorly executed party in "Festa Mesta", to describe a gruesome torture in "Giù Giù Giù", to provoke people in the province who "don't get their hands dirty" in "Fuoco su di Te", and finally the desire not to encounter chaos in the world during "Merry X Mas". But "Catartica" is not made only of anger, but also of sweet tracks like "Nuotando nell'Aria" and "Gioia", reflective ballads, one above all "Lieve", but also the beautiful "Mala Mela" and "Canzone di Domani". In my opinion, the best tracks on the album are "1° 2° 3°", where Cristiano recites three stanzas and recounts the sequences of an evening that ended in an unusual and awkward way, and "Sonica", an incredible and indescribable song...
In conclusion, a magnificent album even though it is the least mature technically and lyrically... Plus, there are already many hints of what they will produce later on...
P.S. I know it's a duplicate... But this album is among my favorites, and I wanted to share my thoughts...
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Summary by Bot
Catartica stands as one of Marlene Kuntz's most genuine and raw albums, blending sharp, poetic lyrics with noisy, angry, and catchy rock. The review highlights the band's origins, the emotional depth in Godano's vocals, and praises standout tracks that convey a range of feelings from rage to reflection. Despite being their least mature technically, it shows clear hints of future maturity.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Marlene Kuntz
Italian alternative rock band from Cuneo, fronted by Cristiano Godano; noted for the early albums Catartica and Il Vile and for intense live performances.52 Reviews
Other reviews
By pugliamix
"Cristiano Godano’s writing harmoniously combines vulgarity and lyricism, extreme refinement and naivete."
"Marlene is the only band that, from the debut, already plays at the same level as the best American and English rock bands."
By Fiumani
"Catartica is a beautiful and essential album for Italian rock, perhaps the best of the band."
"Balancing impetuosity and sweetness, torment and ecstasy, with expressive liberation, fascinating and incisive."
By Robutti
It was an orgasmic album, the only similar things I had heard coming out of the Italian scene were notes from CCCP and Negazione.
Of course: later I delved into New Wave and my listening habits took another turn. But today... what sadness.
