Verdena
Requiem

Let's get straight to the point. "Requiem" is a magnificent album.

"Requiem" is the result of the band's sound reaching full maturity from their debut up to now. Thus, we see how raw and gritty guitars coexist in perfect harmony with acoustic guitars with a soft sound, never-too-demanding bass lines, very cadenced drum rhythms, and splashes of synth, Rhodes, and Mellotron here and there.

The album kicks off with "Marti in the Sky", a very brief intro where distant gunshots can be heard. It’s a warning for your ears. Requiem wants them, desires them. Along with them, your attention as well. The second track is "Don Calisto", one of the angriest moments on the record, screamed (note, not "sung") in the manner so dear to Alberto. The third track is "Non prendere l’acme, Eugenio", the first great gem of the album. The lyrics, as usual, border on nonsense and leave a lot of room for interpretation by the listener.

The album continues with "Angie" (produced with Mauro Pagani) which brings to mind the typical sound of the Beatles, with sweet arpeggios and a skillful use of Mellotron and synth. Another angry moment on the record is "Isacco Nucleare", an electric ride that floors the listener in just 4 minutes. The track is preceded by "Aha", one of the three instrumental pieces (excluding the intro) that Verdena wanted to include in Requiem.

We mentioned soft-sounding acoustic guitars in the opening, and here they are in "Canos", accompanied by electric guitar phrases and arpeggios that we’ve never heard from Verdena before. This track is one of the emblems of the group's "new" sound and precedes one of the highest moments of the entire album; "Il Gulliver", an 11-minute piece of pure rage characterized by marked rhythm changes. Keen ears will notice many similarities in the drum intro to "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin.

The single that Verdena have chosen to promote the album is, in my opinion, very appropriate; "Muori Delay" is indeed the perfect transition point from the "old" to the "new" Verdena. Short, direct, and with a chorus that immediately sticks in your head. "Muori Delay" is preceded by a short semi-instrumental track, "Faro", composed by Alberto with just the acoustic guitar.

"Trovami un modo semplice per uscirne" and "Il Caos Strisciante" are tracks where Verdena compose sweet melodies, at least on the surface, to hide a rage and pain that simmer within. And they do so by mixing in an almost magical way 12-string acoustic guitars, harmonium, synth, and electric guitars with almost disarming ease. The two tracks are separated by the last instrumental piece (it’s also the most beautiful), "Opanopono", entirely composed by Luca on the synth.

Requiem closes with a very atypical track like "Was?", an exceedingly quick ride of just 2 minutes that intrigues the listener's ear for its minimal nature, and with "Sotto prescrizione del dottor Huxley", a piece over 12 minutes long in which rhythm changes play an important role. At the end of the piece, you will find an excerpt of a church song called "Santa Maria del Cammino" played backward.

There’s nothing more to add. "Requiem" is the pinnacle that Verdena, today, can reach.

And they are the future of Italian rock’n’roll. Why stay behind?