Vanadium
Born To Fight

The 1980s in America were marked by the arrival of some grand "heavy metal bands" that would make history in their field, many of whom were even called the Midas kings of the genre: I'm talking about Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pantera, and more.

Unfortunately, in our country, rock music, especially metal, did not enjoy the same fortune and impact that it had in the rest of the world (I say "world" in general because over the years numerous other subgenre metal bands would emerge, like System Of A Down, an Armenian band), but the little it did have is not entirely poor, in fact, from many points of view, it's quite good, even though it sadly risks being more of a "copy" of other already known international bands, and the weak point lies precisely in originality. But apart from these small exceptions... Necrodeath, Death SS, Rhapsody Of Fire... and finally and above all, Vanadium. A band that needs no introduction....

Headed by the leader Pino Scotto, for many an emblem of rock in Italy and for others a clown, a man who dedicated much of his life to appreciating this genre, thanks also to his voice, not very original but aggressive and very raw; but above all by the left-handed guitarist Stefano Tessarin, one of the greatest and most virtuosic that our country knows in the metal field. Needless to say, Vanadium had originality because for many their sound is a mix between Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, but despite everything, their sound works, their grit, the anger that bursts from their instruments, and that over the years has improved more and more.

Their peak was reached in 1983 (the year Metallica released the hard "Kill 'Em All") with the excellent "A Race With The Devil," but it was only with "Born To Fight" in 1986 (the year of the birth of Exstrema, one of the few Italian bands of the genre remaining today) that Vanadium reached their zenith and quickly entered the Olympian of heavy metal bands. This work was a success, with a much more massive and matured sound compared to previous albums: eight adrenaline-filled songs, where the instruments blend perfectly, where every member of the group gives their best. Every song has something magical: from the fabulous keyboard intro of the grand "Run Too Fast," which seems inspired by Bach's "Toccata and Fugue," to the enchanting "Easy Way To Love," an almost melancholic song where Pino gives a great performance as a vocalist, to the more than good "Never Before," a cover (coincidentally) of Deep Purple and "I Was Born To Rock," a very catchy song with almost hair metal tones, and even an instrumental track ("Ridge Farm"). In short, this album exudes pure heavy metal atmosphere; "Born To Fight" represents the essence of this band, a masterpiece that marked an era in our country which until then, in the rock field in general, had always been used to bands like Litfiba, PFM, or Banca Del Mutuo Soccorso (all great bands, especially the last two).

A work that all great lovers of heavy metal will surely love: an album that grabs you immediately on the first listen, that never bores, and above all, never risks venturing into banality. Great respect for this band which unfortunately, after this album, would release new works, although quite good, never again reaching the same heights of this immortal work.