•
Rating: Great public success for the first edition of the Metal Festival held on Saturday, April 22, 2006 in the radiant town of Sinalunga, a village suspended between modern and ancient situated in the marvelous setting of the Sienese hills.
An extremely affordable entrance fee (3 euros) resulted in an unprecedented attendance in the recording studio/hall situated in the heart of the city: the anticipation built around the live debut of the Valkyrian, the breakout band of the Italian metal scene formed by the trio Tommaso Dringoli (guitar), Filippo Ferrari (vocals/bass), and Matteo Salutari (drums), laid the foundations for an exponential growth of the audience in the area.
The effective and succinct performances of three rising bands in the ever-flourishing Tuscan underground, such as 'Sheboneath,' 'Catalhepsy,' and 'Slaught Art,' served as an interesting appetizer to the main course of the evening, a performance of almost two hours generously delivered by the Valkyrian, who proved once more to be a leading name in the tricolor death metal movement and a dominant perturbing element of the Sienese area.
The gates opened around 10:00 PM, and the spacious hall kindly made available by the organizer Stefano Vivaldi (former bassist of the renowned Baustelle) immediately demonstrated to be suitable to satisfy an audience hungry for metallic notes: 'Sheboneath,' a solid cover band, delighted us with a repertoire invoking Saxon, Judas Priest, The Cult, and Steppenwolf; followed by 'Catalhepsy,' a death metal band benefiting (to the astonishment of those present) from the precious vocals of the imaginative Filippo Ferrari (singer and bass player of Valkyrian), and the black/death combo 'Slaught Art' splendidly concluded the first part of the show amidst resounding and heartfelt applause.
After paying full tribute to the promising and emerging local scene, it was now time to shine the spotlight on the dynamic trio of aces, Valkyrian, a band now speeding down the road to success. The ouverture of their live-act was entrusted to a magnificent track by the progressive rockers Goblin, extracted from the soundtrack of the film “Phenomena” (1984) by Dario Argento, featuring Jennifer Connelly and Daria Nicolodi. The extensive setlist performed by the band included numerous tracks from their debut album “…Of Boredom And Sorrow” (which is expected to be re-released on a large scale in a deluxe edition), the customary covers of “Tyrants” by Immortal, “Pull The Plug” by Death, and “Raining Blood” by Slayer, and some unpublished tracks of strong impact, like the elegant and delicate arpeggio of the instrumental “Valkyrian” and the rhythmic ride of “Funebry” (the title is provisional).
Dispensing a great energetic charge, the group completely engages the audience, triggering the crowd's enthusiasm. The formidable vocals of the increasingly charismatic screamer Filippo Ferrari surprise, perfectly at ease interacting with the audience: maintaining his prerogative of using all nuances (from highs to lows) of the less accessible “growl” style, the singer proves to be a master in dispensing powerful vocals without any apparent effort. The fluidity in this young promising singer's style suggests even to the least prepared spectators that they are witnessing a new institution in the death metal field. However, Mr. Ferrari's crystal-clear talent could not be adequately enhanced without duly considering the other two exceptional members of the band. Tommaso Dringoli, axe-man, composer, and mastermind of this immense project, provides the numerous attendees with a display of class and power, demonstrating that the inclusion of a second guitarist in the band's line-up is not at all a priority in Valkyrian's future plans. His wild and hyper-technical riffing, combined with impeccable execution skills, constitutes a solid foundation for a promising future.
Supporting the titanic-sized sound structure comes, timely as usual, the energetic and muscular performance of the leviathan Matteo Salutari, a drummer/athlete so fast and powerful that he can rightfully be included among the best Italian drummers and perfectly synthesized as an explosive mix between Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake), Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Grip Inc.), Rob Affuso (Skid Row), and Nicholas Barker (Old Man's Child, Dimmu Borgir). The Valkyrian display truly surprising confidence and command of the stage: their ability to move on stage and the painstaking precision in executing their music scores are distinctive traits of an ensemble destined to carve out an increasingly significant role in the European metal landscape.
Upon the show's conclusion and having paid the necessary tributes to Valkyrian's pure and unblemished talent, an enthusiastic audience left the hall in an orderly fashion, carrying in their hearts the firm sensation of having witnessed the birth of a project that, in a short time, could write new fundamental pages in the great book of heavy metal.
(Enrico Rosticci)
Loading comments slowly
