Ministri
I Soldi Sono Finiti

It is evident, it immediately stands out that these Lombard guys wanted to skip some stages in a musician’s development and threw themselves into the fray too soon. Why? What is this anxiety to succeed at all costs, this performance anxiety? It takes time for a band to gear up and to form not only an important rapport but also songwriting that is peculiar and demonstrates its own personality.

The 12 tracks of this debut album are too immature, simple, and careless; it could be from any alt-rock group of the '90s, and I’m sorry to say, I can’t even give them the benefit of the doubt for their live performance, where they prove to be very stiff and not engaging.

The power trio as a formation leaves no room for error; to work, it must have a more-than-capable guitarist and a confident drummer with a powerful but light touch. Instead, i Ministri just thrash, and this is not enough to give an imprint to effective dynamics or to emphasize emotional tension. There are other tricks of the trade for those who play alternative. Yet in Italy, we had an excellent example like Verdena, but in this album, I hear only a great outburst, but confused, not channeled, without form, just beating hard on the drums while the guitar goes its own way. Yes, i Ministri are aggressive, but it's true that they also take aim at the same things every average Italian does (church, conformism, sense of inadequacy), and it’s the same things that my janitor complains about when saying the postman doesn’t even ring to leave registered mail and she has to chase him down the street. The same type of outrage, identical, but absolutely populist.