Plakkaggio
Verso la vetta

With their solid punk-metal, Plakkaggio are without a doubt one of the most significant entities in Italian rock, like a bridge between the Exploited and Helloween.

Indeed, their ability to stand midway between punk and metal, proud and without denying anything, that is their way of simultaneously approaching two often conflicting genres, yields exhilarating results.

While their early albums were somewhat raw, the band has now found their sound of “seriously goofy dudes” perfectly crystallized in “Verso la vetta,” labeled 2022. The cover, alas, is crap, to put it bluntly, but the album is a 100% Plakkaggio rock concentrate.

The title track is a power metal blow as violent as an iron hammer to the teeth, with an amazing charge and an underlying metaphor of fists to the sky, that is, the mountain as a constant challenge, resistance to life, and finally redemption; a metaphor not new in fact: in other ways, Manowar in “Mountains” or Bathory in “To Enter Your Mountain” already spoke of it, to name a couple of examples. This is followed by the very pleasant “Giorni Lontani,” which lowers the stakes a bit but flows well, and then the well-chosen “Palaeoloxodon Antiquus,” dedicated to a gigantic elephant that once inhabited Colleferro, the homeland of the band.

Then comes the trio of aces that holds up the central body of the album: “Lutto,” with unexpected sudden changes that add dynamism to the listening experience, “Rivolta,” with lighter and more carefree tones, leading up to the punk 'n' roll of “Birra in lattina,” to be sung at the top of your lungs. “Valhalla” is a sort of tribute to Immortal, Satyricon & co, but it doesn’t rank among the most successful tracks.

Excellent are “Declino” and “Oi! Siamo ancora qui,” ending with the good, but by now predictable, “Oltre la vetta.” The lyrics are well-written, a violent anthem against capitalism, against the instinct to surrender, against conformism. An anthem to rebellion, to the hard work that will yield results, to sweat and canned beer like true metalheads.

So, the album flows like a charm, and you can be sure that you’ll find yourself listening to some tracks again. The sound is extremely thick and substantial, massive in its heavy progress, and despite its frankness, it seems to gather infinite influences: from Iron Maiden to Nabat, from 883 (did someone mention 666?) to Immortal. The voice is raw and convincing, the guitars extremely violent but versatile, and the rhythm section hits just enough.

Because in the end, they are not the new Black Sabbath, but what they do, they do well: they are technically prepared, and it’s clear that they don't just play three random chords as should work according to certain factions of so-called punks. The sound is quite homogeneous but doesn't tire in general, and even if the band doesn’t always pull off impeccable melodic solutions, there are several riffs and choruses that stick in your head. A great start to discover this band, recommended to all punks, metalheads, and rockers.

Rating: 85/100.