Punkreas
Elettrodomestico

Foreword: when I started writing reviews, I set myself the sole rule of NOT reviewing albums already present in the database. However, given that the other review for this album is quite lacking, I've decided to play the "exception-that-proves-the-rule" wildcard.

So: in 1997, Punkreas, following the success of their second album "Paranoia e Potere", released this "Elettrodomestico", which, while maintaining its position in the public's preferences, is a definite step backward in the evolution of the quintet's sound. It's evident they are moving away from their hardcore roots towards a pop-punk tinged with ska that will ultimately define them from "Falso" onwards, but it's also clear they haven't yet sharpened their focus. It lacks incisiveness, this third offering from Punkreas, and incisiveness, in a punk band with a teenage target, is everything.

Despite the non-trivial themes (Psychiatry, overly zealous security at concerts, there's even space for a piece against the Frecce Tricolori), the quintet never really gets to the point, making the ten songs seem verbose and all the same, without even a single piece that sticks in the mind (and it must be said, Punkreas have always been good at writing pieces that are memorable by the second listen). If forcefully saving something, I would save the first and last track, "Sesto senso" and "Ultima notte", the first being a good hardcore song reminiscent of the good old days of the first album and the latter a charming ska, an omen of many stylistic choices to come; in between, twenty-five minutes of boredom.

Ultimately, it is a transition album, a watershed between the old and new Punkreas; unfortunately, stuck between the hardcore immediacy of "United Rumours of Punkreas", the catchy vein of "Paranoia e Potere" and the melodic freshness of "Pelle", "Elettrodomestico" suffers too much in comparison with these three albums, valid works in their own way (bearing in mind Punkreas have always been far from producing masterpieces).

Rating: 1.5 rounded down.