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Rating:
Wow, at first I didn't like it that much; with this Endkadenz, Verdena are back among my favorites.
What immediately strikes you is a hyper-compressed, effected sound that seems to come from distant speakers. Verdena never accelerate, they push a slow and grinding sound, at times positively exhausting, especially when they reach peaks of lo-fi (Inno del perdersi above all). The drums are never too fast, the guitars saturated and grainy when present; we're far from Requiem and the blistering drums of Il Gulliver, we're closer to Suicidio (Ho una fissa) but only superficially; in reality, the evolution is visible and the result is something else entirely.
The sounds of Wow become an integral part: the drums are often electronic (Sci desertico, Diluvio), choirs and piano have now been sanctioned and assimilated (Vivere di conseguenza, Contro la ragione).
Not only is it historically necessary for Endkadenz to be the sequel to Wow, but I would go as far as to say that Endkadenz means and justifies Wow, in its fragmentary experimentation and its 26 tracks. A preamble to what is, in 2015, the re-consolidation of sound, the synthesis of the new Verdena, even though the volumes are two (and not by their choice).
In short, it's as if Endkadenz leads to rediscover Wow as a transitional moment to reach the final result, the final cadence.
The straightforward single is not missing, Un po' esageri (the new Muori Delay) as well as an excellent ballad, Nevischio, different from the usual ones, and the excellent closing of Funeralus, derivative just enough.
As for the lyrics, it's emblematic that, regarding Inno del perdersi, in an interview Alberto mentioned how it was born on the spot, including the vocal parts, obviously without the text. Obviously because the lyrics are always secondary, someone has said they always evoke the same images, yet they never disturb, and somehow they work.
There's time, then, to fully absorb this first volume while waiting for Endkadenz vol. 2, on an unspecified date in the summer of 2015...
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Other reviews
By Loconweed
Endkadenz is another double album...divided into two volumes.
In every track, one can find continuous and sudden melodic changes.
By zaireeka
If your CD player puts it, as the authors intended, after a track like "Derek," it's a completely different thing.
This album contains a lot of mellotron, which I, as a progster, adore.
By Allegretti
Once their show is over, it’s the turn of the 'hosts,' who immediately make it clear that they haven’t abandoned their sound violence after Wow.
The new CD might not be on the level of previous works, but live, the three (four, given the addition of a new touring member for this tour) never disappoint thanks to their energy and the sonic impact of their pieces.
