PornoRiviste
Tensione 16

The world is full of pseudo-punk bands that blossomed in the '90s, and unfortunately, many of them have achieved considerable success. PornoRiviste was formed in 1994, with the arrival of Dani (guitarist/singer) who helped produce their first record "Chi Non Combatte Cade".
In 1997, their first real album as a group, "Cosa Facciamo?", was released, immediately identifying them with that trash-punk style that so captivates teenagers. This style continues in all the group's subsequent albums: "Fino Alla Fine", "Codice a Sbarre", and the reissue of "Sogni, Incubi e La Cosa Inutile". And finally, their latest release, "Tensione 16". In this production, something changes, not only in Tommi's voice (singer, guitarist, and leader of Porno) but also in the music.

The album opens with "Il Pianeta del Panico", a track that delivers a furious criticism of society, the same anger we find later in "L'esecuzione", "Io Sono Da Comunità", "Buoni Sconto". This anger is a winning weapon, giving the entire production a much more impactful feel compared to the previous albums.
In tracks like "Pinolo" or "Mi Dispiace (non hai vinto niente)", there’s still a glimmer of melodic punk-rock, but the style has changed, the "sexy punk" is becoming darker. The poetic touch that Dani successfully imbued in all his songs faintly resurfaces in "Voglie Impresse" (probably the album’s most beautiful song) and "+ Niente Ci Sarà", but even this is now compromised.
"La Vita di Città" is an almost amusing piece, reviving the band's hatred, already evident in older albums, for the city and bureaucracy. Finally, there's "Black Night", where the group outdoes itself, not targeting society, politics, or the system, but directly... antennas...
Shouts, canonic choruses, more or less banal punk clichés, a little insignificant touch of poetry. And then?

Live, they're not the best, they pose, act cool... They have very little punk spirit. So what's the connection between these 4 guys and the Clash or the Ramones?
Is it possible that listening to punk today means listening to sterilized rubbish? Why has no one managed to properly carry the genre forward after Grunge?
Today, one goes to a punk concert just to drink, smoke, go wild, and not to enjoy two hours of pure musical listening, or even just to think...
The only reason to save these little bands is that they are "gateway bands", leading very young listeners towards more committed music. This is what Tensione 16 did for me.
Recommendation(?) the album to all the young lovers of punk-rock.