Verdena
Il suicidio dei samurai

Just as a human being goes through different phases in their life, Verdena, in their journey, have experienced different phases as well.

We've transitioned from a psychedelic album with prog influences ("Solo un grande sasso"), to the stoner phase (following this, "Requiem"), and even the pop of the sublime and latest "Wow".

"Il suicidio dei Samurai" (for which we could use the word grunge, although it doesn't mean much!) in the timeline of the growth of the three individuals from Bergamo, represents the third work, as well as the last one closing the first phase which began a few years ago with the eponymous "Verdena".

If we wanted to give a concise and sharp definition, "Il Suicidio Del Samurai" could be described as a summary and more fluid version of the previous record.

The songs in this work sound more compact and homogeneous, with the vast instrumental stretches of the predecessor drastically reduced, making them less dispersive.

But be careful not to dismiss the previous one as an invalid transitional work, as for some it might also be their best performance, it's a matter of perspective.

Coming back to the album, we have at least half a dozen songs that can undoubtedly be counted among the band's classics, requested at concerts and sung fervently by the fans (although in the latest tour not more than two or three at best are played).

Alberto's menacing guitars herald a cyclone that hits the listener with "Logorrea (esperti all'opera)", but the best comes afterward with the highly successful single "Luna". The distorted poetry of the elder Ferrari ("Dipingimi distorto come un angelo anormale che cade...") unfolds over a dreamy and melancholic carpet before the guitars take over the scene and give way to a fleeting (sic!) solo.

With "Balanite" (with its whimsical title), the tension accumulated during the track suddenly bursts into a screamed and liberating finale, as if trying to expel and exorcise all the demons within.

While "Mina", one of the focal points of the work, filled with disillusionment, for some reason always evokes a winter maritime scenario in my mind, on an uncertain winter afternoon when the sun shyly emerges and then hides again.

But even "Phantastica" manages to be evocative, highlighting an image "...c'è un Cristo che sanguina e che ci guarda con rabbia...". Shortly after, another small cyclone strikes with "Elefante", with Roberta's bass here sounding very menacing and prominent. The peak, however, occurs three-quarters into the song with that instrumental frenzy that makes us enjoy it and causes havoc live (and I know a little something about that).

The second part of the album maintains excellent levels, the only one that has always convinced me a bit less is "Glamodrama", mainly because of the choruses.

"Far fisa" and "17 tir nel cortile", for example, showcase a notable melodic and melancholic aftertaste (in some ways reminiscent of Muse at a distance) which, paired with their usual somewhat hallucinogenic lyrics, manage to extract further applause.

The more classic "40 secondi di niente" and the almost title track "Il suicidio del samurai" close with the same register as the opener plus an instrumental coda, succeeding even in surpassing the first in the lineup.

In this work, recorded at the Henhouse (their personal studio, formerly a chicken coop), keyboardist Fidel Figaroli is also featured in the credits, although he was only an official member for the span of one album.

It's challenging to rank their works, but personally in my personal hierarchy this album is just a breath behind "Wow", but we are always talking about works, each born from a different story and tied to different processes, of a very high level for the wavering and arrogant Italian musical spectrum.