Verdena
Demo

In 1997, in the province of Bergamo, brothers Alberto and Luca Ferrari, respectively guitarist/vocalist and drummer, welcome into their lineup Roberta Sammarelli, former bassist of a punk group. The creature (monster?) Verdena comes to life, armed with the violent influences of Nirvana and Melvins, ready to make its statement with the first demo. Without the presence of Manuel Agnelli from Afterhours on production, the sounds are raw, heavy, but at times also slow and oppressive. The lyrics, seemingly nonsensical, perfectly align with the musical confusion proposed by the Bergamo trio. The weak arpeggio of "Fuxia", accompanied by Luca's funereal drums, immediately introduces the first, almost fierce, track of the demo; it is followed by "Fiato Adolescenziale", where one seems to hear the early Nirvana from Bleach.

With "Nella Schiuma", in my opinion the best track on the record, there is a rupture: the first part of the song is slow, melodic, hypnotizing, (Rose lesbiche, posso credere...) but then Alberto, imitating the screaming Cobain from "Endless Nameless", shouts Verbena at the top of his lungs, convinced this is the name of his group. (A moniker that will be changed to VERDENA, a rare female name, as there was already an American group named after the demo track). Other songs, like "Zoe" (slightly different) and "Bambina In Nero," will reappear on the trio's first actual album, the self-titled "Verdena". "Sara" seems to strongly evoke Polly, and "Bevimi" is an obvious filler, which nonetheless does not bore. The drum work in "Mormorio Mucoso" is interesting, where Luca, despite his young age, already proves to be very skilful behind the drum kit; another excellent episode is "Blu Ninive", followed by "Omnia 2241", an instrumental where very Garage Rock echoes resound, mixed with a dose of hypnotizing psychedelia.

Far removed from the long instrumental interludes of "Solo Un Grande Sasso", here Verdena lay bare their influences without mincing words, causing an earthquake in Italian rock of the late '90s, offering a raw, violent sound, with obvious references to Nirvana, Mudhoney, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. An excellent debut, though slightly derivative, that can appeal to both die-hard fans and those unfamiliar with the Albino trio.