Timoria
2020 Speedball

In 1994, after a long grind, Timoria emerged from the triumphant "Viaggio Senza Vento" and were the most popular and prominent Italian rock band, probably second only to Litfiba and CSI. Between November of that year and January of the next, they entered the studio and created their absolute peak: "2020 Speedball." Although almost everyone describes the illustrious predecessor as their personal masterpiece, probably due to its lyrical concept, this their fifth album (not counting EPs and demos) stands as their best work musically, at least according to the writer.

This time there is no lyrical concept, and the effects are immediately felt in the first track, or second if you consider the unnecessary intro, "2020": the lyrics are very direct and explicit and not too engaged, let's say: "I want to burn the desire inside me 2020 times, until I have the strength to make love to you, 2020 stay with me, stay with me." Musically it's definitely one of the hardest on the record, excellent; the following "Brain Machine" and "Senza Far Rumore" are mediocre: the former has a good riff but overall seems quite insufficient, while the latter is too melodic and even the lyrics are not optimal: "But if you know love, wherever you go remember me, you know, it's bigger than the sea, wherever you go it will survive you." However, with "Speedball," we have the first real gem, and it is an authentic gem: pure hard rock on a text explicitly against drugs but still expressing rebellion and a desperate desire for escape: "Live, die quickly, give me the way out," something straight out of 60s classic rock. Worth noting is Renga, at his best in this track.

"Dancin' Queen" is the most controversial track, right from the title evoking Abba promises nothing good, but in the end, it reveals itself as an honest dance rock, appreciated for its courage, contributing at least to the variety of the work, though personally, I could have done without it. About "Sudamerica," there's little to say, another absolute gem after "Speedball": a fantastic lyric dedicated to the "sacred violated country": "I will walk the roads of the bandit, loved by the people killed by the state," an anthem, also musically one of the absolute best in the band's discography. With "Week End," we return lower with a track that is decidedly skippable; however, from now on, there will (almost) be no more mistakes: the Santana-esque "Duna Connection" introduces the stunning "Europa 3" which starts with the famous intro similar to "Shine On," then becomes an excellent ballad to explode into the suggestive violent final delirium: "On a new star to find what is not here: no more life, no more love," tension and violence at their peak, it strongly positions itself as the best track.

However, the next "Mi Manca L'aria" holds its own: a very violent piece with Renga in a way you wouldn't expect, at least for those who got to know him (unfortunately) in the 2000s, with an unprecedented growl singing style akin to death metal, though obviously far from the true growl of masters like Schuldiner or Becerra, but that obviously isn't his genre; Pedrini's counterpoint as the leader is grandiose: "Men without souls, poetry is long dead, music, plastic flowers... will I die? I'm short of breath." "Via Padana Superiore": a masterpiece by the great Omar Pedrini, the authentic deus ex machina of the project, who sings in this wonderful ballad filled with melancholy and sadness: "The fog rises, it rises in my eyes, she sleeps and seems to smile a bit/ Will she continue to love a finished man? I have nothing left to tell." Speechless.

"No Money No Love" is another interlude; the usefulness of these mini pieces can be debated, but in this case, as with the previous "Duna Connection," the result is an enjoyable little piece with blues and funk influences; we are now introduced to the last 2 masterpieces: "Guru" and especially the magnificent epic journey of "Boccadoro," particularly the latter is the definitive proof of the greatness and variety of this work, among many great pieces, this one perhaps stands out as the best of all, at least according to me, with the excellent Enrico Ghedi excelling on keyboards. The unnecessary filler "Fare I Duri Costa Caro" and the excellent if not extraordinary "Fino In Fondo" close this great album, as I said at the beginning certainly the peak of the Brescia group, without taking anything away from other great albums of the band.

In the end, all in all, not an absolute masterpiece, but certainly a great album, the hardest and most varied of the group, which I feel I should recommend to those who do not yet know it. Before Renga messed things up with Pedrini and sold himself completely without any shame, before the various mishaps and misfortunes that befell both Omar and the great Illorca, Timoria at their best with one of the peaks of Italian rock in general in the '90s, the last fertile ones for rock.