Nabat
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LA RECENSIONE

A split between two heavyweights of Italian punk. Rome and Bologna meet at a time when tricolor punk has already ended its golden age and is moving towards new acts: Nabat and Colonna Infame Skinhead, ever-present in the collective memory, will remain as reminders of a glorious past. Two similar but not identical groups. Nabat with their piratical tone, the raw Oi! style and the sound that seemed recorded in a basement, political influences present-but-not-too-much and classic hits like “Asociale Oi!” or “Laida Bologna.” Colonna Infame, with that raspy voice and uncompromising attitude, a sound more hard 'n' heavy oriented and already fully rooted in the ’90s, with a strong political edge and even a few covers of Nabat, precisely.

While a new generation of punks is getting active, these two bands put out a split that’s certainly not the greatest Oi! record of all time, but still should not be overlooked: in fact, it’s a declaration of strength and resistance, reminding all skinheads of the new millennium where they come from and who’s in their Olympus.

First up are Nabat, who deliver a muscular sound, true to style, with Steno front and center leading a band offering two energetic, chorus-packed tracks. Nothing new, but still solid. I firmly believe, however, that the real highlight of this split comes from Kozza and company, with two songs that take their early sound, make it more structured and a bit less iconoclastic, hitting the mark twice. “Nessun rispetto” has a massive sound and ultra-powerful choruses, with a fierce and proud lyric. Despite a predictable text, “Non ti arrendi mai” also stays at a high level, with a chorus that, however, reveals that Kozza doesn’t exactly have the finest ear: but after all, with Colonna, that’s nothing new and there are plenty of times where slightly different or more defined vocal lines would have helped without losing that rawness.

A memorable record: yes and no. Yes, because anyone who follows Oi! can’t not know it; no, because both bands have done better. Thus, this work, more important for its historical than its artistic value, turns out to be a good way to spend ten minutes enjoying some honest Italian punk sung as we like it—if we’ve gotten tired of listening to the old stuff from these two bands.

Final words on the cover art, which in its simplicity I truly find really well done and perfect for t-shirts and patches. Score: 77/100.