Here's the awesome Wretched's comics taken from TVOR#3 from 1982. For those of you that do not speak italian, it's all about the Wretched guitarist asking to turn up the guitar volume when it's already way too loud!! Something that really happened during one of their gigs. Caos non musica, indeed...
We already got some local documentaries about italian hc bands. While some were quite good (like the Cripple Bastards one), others weren't that interesting (Rome & Torino '90s scene). Of course it's just a matter of taste and how relevant those bands/scene were for you. But if you're even vaguely interested in local hardcore, this is the definitive movie. The one about italian 80s punk/hardcore. It was firstly announced at least 5-6 years ago. Then nothing. A trailer surfaced online two years ago. Then nothing again. At some point I guess that I've lost any hope about this being finally released and completely forget about it. Then, suddenly, last month F.O.A.D. announced it's imminent release.
What can I say? This is definitely worth a view. A LOT of the main characters from back in the days had been tracked down and interviewed in this movie. Everyone, from the main bands to the most obscure ones, got to say something. While
most of the most well-known bands got a fair coverage (Negazione,
Indigesti & CCM), there could have been way more Raw Power (there's just a
brief part about their US tour). But if there's someone missing here,
well that's goddamn Wretched for sure! Zambo appears briefly only two
times and that's it. There's NO Wretched live footage. Not sure if the
band didn't want to be in this movie or what happened. All I can say is
that the most iconic band from that period needed more coverage in this
movie and, without them, something is definitely missing.
This doco lasts almost two hours. The fist part of this movie would be an awesome introduction to those unfamiliar with this kind of music. You know: first influences, squats, DIY and so on. Perhaps it's the most boring part. The second hour is way more entertaining, with lots of funny anectodes (expecially in the part about the gigs). Generally, a great retrospective view about that period, with all its values & contradictions. This movie also confirmed me that, while big cities scenes tends to be over-politicized (a.k.a. boring), people from smaller towns seems more genuine and down to earth. I would indeed gladly hang out with the guys from Impact, Upset Noise or Chain Reaction and I'm sure I'd have a lot of fun. Not sure if I can say the same thing about the few uber militant PC people feature here. The lovehate80s logo appears on the upper right corner for the WHOLE movie. Honestly, it's quite annoying. Anyhow, as I've already say, a very good documentary about a magic period when italian hardcore was absolutely the best in europe. Order a copy now!
The older I got, the less I'm interested in new bands. Not sure about the reasons but I don't feel anymore the need to keep myself updated about new bands. Today I simply prefer to waste my energies on something else. If it wasn't for a friend that gave this to me for free, I would have missed this one for sure. Well, for sure Sinnacion is not the most hyped band of the moment, but being a sucker for everything that came straight outta Medellin, I'm a bit surprised that I've missed this. So yeah, this is fast and raw hardcore that somehow follows the roots of the most well know colombian bands from the past. The reverbed vocals give it a finnish touch but I don't think they are working well with this kind of stuff. Also the guitar sound is too clean for my taste. Something heavier and more distorted would have worked perfectly here. There's still room for improvement but this ain't a bad debut release for sure. Co-released by many labels, something that unfortunately in these years always happens more and more rarely.
When talking about certain records, it's hard to find the right words. Expecially if the band has the legacy of being the very first black metal band ever. Not sure if this is true or not, but they certainly are one of the first and most influential south american extreme metal bands. I'm taking about Medellin's Parabellum since recently I've scored their second 12" ep "mutacion por radiation". Music was written in 1984 but this ended up being finally recorded & released only three years later because of money problems (just like it happened for their debut 12" "Sacrilegio"). I guess this band reached a cult status thanx to Euronymous claiming them (as well as their town mates Reencarnacion) as one of the main Mayhem influences. And you can definitely hear it. This is some of the nastiest, most brutal, disturbing & raw music ever recorded. Something that would make Celtic Frost or Venom sound like your regular early 80s' metal bands in comparison. But I guess that labelling Parabellum simply as black metal is too reductive. Their unique sound is more like a strange hybrid between speed/thrash metal & hardcore/punk. Something so unique that I'm not sure the band had completely control in its inception. Like indeed for all the medellin punk/hc bands that came a few years later, I'm pretty sure that the lack of proper equipment & resources got a big role in shaping Parabellum's sound. But that's not important. What matter is the fact that they've been able to record some of the tracks they wrote over the years and to release them as two separate 12" ep as a testament of a very important moment for extreme music.
As you can see, the copy I just got has tapes all around the edges of the cover. Quite annoying especially if you consider that originally this was a fold-out cover and that the edges don't look in such terrible conditions. But I guess this was made to preserve it since it's printed on thin cheap paper. Plus there's nothing printed inside so no big deal in the end. Of course the insert was missing but I've already remedied with good scans and a printer. The vinyl has some surface noise but overall it's playable & in great condition. Normally I think I would have passed up a record in such condition but when it comes to colombian stuff, it's very hard to find them so you gotta take what you got offered. In the end I think I've payed a bit too much for it but no regrets since I don't know if another copy will ever cross my path again...
While front cover is quite boring & a bit generic, I love the cheesy artwork in the back! Total ultramedallo classic style. Check their interview I've previously posted here.Now if you can help me to get a copy of their "Sacrilegio" lp, please get in touch since I need it badly!
