Strana Officina
Rising To The Call

Once upon a time in Italy, specifically in the seaside land of Livorno, many years ago, there was a band that, after years of hard rock/hard blues apprenticeship, decided to present themselves as one of the main voices of an emerging utopia: bringing heavy metal to the beautiful country. That band was named after the place where the founders, the Cappanera brothers, and bassist Enzo Mascolo, worked to support themselves and continue their dream, gathering at the end of the workdays in a makeshift practice room within the same workshop.    

La Strana Officina quickly became one of the main entities of this new movement, a movement of bands, including among others the more celebrated Vanadium and Vanexa, which had the utopia of bringing that hard and metallic sound to Italy that was finally emerging and establishing itself in the States and especially in England. However, "La Strana" distinguished itself from the others: in addition to showcasing enviable musical talent, they offered lyrics in their mother tongue, unlike almost all their contemporary bands.    

After a while, however, they too had to give in to label pressures and, after an extraordinary self-titled EP, they were forced (reluctantly) to switch to English. The results were excellent, but no longer as extraordinary as before; it wasn't the same thing, in short.    

The band's rise, slow but progressive, was abruptly and tragically halted on July 23, '93, when the two founding brothers perished in a car accident. After a failed attempt to continue with their nephew Dario and Roberto Rolando's son as replacements, the turning point unexpectedly arrived in 2006: an unexpected reunion over 10 years later for a celebratory concert at the Gods Of Metal. It was supposed to be a temporary reunion, but evidently, this shook the group, bringing a certain magic back to it, so much so that they decided to continue definitively.    

And we arrive today, at the closing of the circle: "Rising To The Call", an album released in the early months of 2010. There were some doubts, albeit perhaps minimal given the heirs' quality, needless to deny it. The weight of the history of what is rightly considered a legend of our rock was too great.    

However, the doubts quickly vanish: "In Rock We Trust", an epic opening anthem, violent and melodic at the same time, which immediately outlines the direction of the entire album. Immediately, the peak of the work is reached with this wonderful piece. The rest of the album, however, to be clear, is absolutely no less.    

The strong and decisive (but never lacking its own dose of melody) "Boogyman", "Night Flyer", "Beat The Hammer", "Gone Tomorrow", "Media Messiah"; the more melodic "Pyramid", "Life: When It's Gone", show a classic hard&heavy sound that has nothing to envy of celebrated foreign bands. A sound hard and powerful enough to satisfy any fan of the genre. In closing, space for 2 classics reinterpreted with even the old Mascolo on bass, unfortunately absent in the rest of the recordings due to work reasons: "Amore e Fuoco" and, especially, "Non Sei Normale", a rebellious anthem that has always represented the Tuscan band, wanting justly to pay homage to its past.    

An excellent work, without real weak points, showcasing a perfectly cohesive band. A clean and clear sound, an appropriate production, musicians in great shape.    

A special note deserves him: Daniele "Bud" Ancillotti, now in the dark night we see only him, given the absence of Enzo Mascolo from almost all the recordings, as mentioned. The old great frontman, despite the status of being the only remaining veteran that would suggest the opposite, seems almost sidelined compared to the Cappanera heirs, who also present themselves as co-producers of the work. Even the cover is eloquent: the 2 historical members on the sides and the cousins in the middle, almost to highlight their absolute centrality in the project that they themselves stopped in '95 to focus on personal projects. A passing of the torch. Almost sidelined, I said, but his presence is felt and his voice absolutely delivers as it did in the best times. And that can be enough.    

In short, the Strana of the early days, the one of unforgettable pieces of Italian rock history, of songs sung in Italian (here too 8 pieces out of 10 are sung in English with lyrics written by James Hogg), romantic, epic and dreamy, no longer exists and hasn't for a long time. But this new version of the historic Livorno band convinces; it may not be quite up to their original version, but it deserves respect and attention. It especially deserves the unconditional esteem it has built over the years because the passion has never lacked, and you can feel it. An album that makes things clear: La Strana, after having died, has risen from its ashes and still has much to offer. Enough to continue the continuation of a path interrupted too abruptly and wickedly. Because, deep down, rock is their faith. And we with them, so: "Do you believe in rock n' roll, to this rock we give our soul. Do you believe in rock n' roll, down the road to another show. Do you believe in rock n' roll, in rock we trust now don't you know. Do you believe in rock n' roll, we're the ones who never... let go forever... on with the show forever and ever, all right now".    

Never forgetting that: "Fabio, Roberto and Marcello, your memory give us the strength to carry on".