4.Ballads for Men and Beasts
It's strange that an artist who has reached over 50 still has much of the polish he had years ago. In Ballads for Men, one can find an interesting thread that connects all the pieces: the man who is gradually becoming an animal and the animals that are taking on human traits. Time travels, the Aurochs climbs the mountains, The Poor Christ dissociates from the modern condition of man, the pig leaves its testament to humanity, death reveals itself in a dance and puts on display in Reading prison, nature and its perfect joy are destroyed, the werewolves and the giraffes of Imola are brought down; all of this while the wonderful viral plague circulates, an uncontrollable entity that knows no limits. In this album, classical songwriting (The Poor Christ, Perfect Joy), band music (The Town Musicians of Bremen), electronics (The Plague), and folk (The Pig's Testament, Le loup garou) dangerously approach the genre mashup that characterized Everywhere Protect. To conclude, Ballads for Men and Beasts is a necessary album because it describes modern times with a glance at the past and another at the future. Just like the snail: slow down time and enjoy the trail.
Meticulous Rating: 9+
The Gem: Il povero Cristo