Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #21: xSenselessxPositivityx/Nabat/No More Lies/Shockproof/Hybridized/The Ammonoids

Hey brutal bangers,

this new appointment of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" is very particular because it's completely dedicated to the bands from Rome, that is the city where I currently live and where I was born 31 years ago. So, in some senses, this article is a little intimist since it talks about bands that, often, I saw live on stage, with the result that they reminds me a lot of memorable nights in the name of good music, solidarity, fun and important relationships, and all this is fundamental, especially in a tough period like this in which every live gig is forbidden.

In addition, today the genres are veeeery different since they ranges from noisegrind to punk rock or to death/thrash metal, so the lovers of the good music (and anti-music hehe!) will find a lot of interesting bands, and there is also to say that I featured all of them in "Come on, burn my ears! #7".

So, don't waste other time and ENJOY this new appointment with "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss"!

XSENSELESSXPOSITIVITYX - "XSENSELESSXPOSITIVITYX"

Ok, I confess, here I am "a little" biased haha! In fact, xSenselessxPositivityx is the one-man noisegrind band guided by xPositivityxEaterx... that's me! I am very happy to present you the homonymous debut demo of my project, whose two tracks "Rumore come terapia" and "Vendesi amore" were featured in the "Death to Capitalist Grind Vol. 1" mega-compilation while the same "Rumore come terapia" was played in the last playlist of Radio Fango FM, an Italian radio program all focused on hardcore punk and related genres. So, this new adventure of mine started very well! But what's about the demo?

Well, I recorded its 20 tracks between 18th March and 1st May 2020 with an app for iphones, so the "production" is really obscene hehe! The (anti-)music is a noisegrind with influences from genres such as black metal, doom metal, crust punk while other tracks have a more experimental sound (like "Rituale stonato"). Instead, the lyrics, almost all in Italian, deal with themes such as black humour ("Essere straight-edge ai tempi del Coronavirus"), sarcasm ("La paura di farsi male"), socio-political topics ("Rivolta a data da destinarsi") and personal topics about love and self-consciousness ("Questioni irrisolte", "Omicidio-suicidio emotivo"...) while others are taken from novels like the Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" ("Addio alle armi!"). Finally, the demo contains two guests on vocals like IacoPUS ("Covidaloca"), that made also the logo of the project, and xBeppex ("Brainsplit"), that is also the singer of the No Look City and the drummer of the Blair. Now, it's a shame that Italy has so few madmen that want to play noisegrind (one of them is the fantastic trio Eddie x Murphy) but, if you want to listen to the demo, please click on this link and, then, let me know... if you have still your ears where they have to be haha!

NABAT/NO MORE LIES - "RESTA RIBELLE"

From noisegrind to something more musical and catchy. Here you are "Resta ribelle", an all-Italian split that is the second release so far by Tufo Records. It sees the participation of two realities belonging to the punk and hardcore Italian scene: the historic Nabat, existing even since 1979 and always guided by the singer Steno; and No More Lies, already featured on these pages also through other playlists ("Come on, burn my ears! #1", and "Rose's quarantine playlist: let the music scream for you #2"), that is a quartet leaded by the ex-Payback Fabrizio, also part of the HC punk collective Rotten Inc.. In addition, the cover artwork of "Resta ribelle" was made by none other than ZeroCalcare, a very famous Italian cartoonist, so, needless to say, this release is of high quality!

The split starts with Nabat (FB page), that are the only not Roman band into this article since they come from Bologna. Throughout their side, you can listen to a catchy and classic punk/Oi! characterized by the raucous vocals of Steno and some rock'n'roll tunes that are exemplified also in the good guitar solos. Lyrically speaking, "Paolo Sollier" is a football anthem dedicated, indeed, to Paolo Sollier, a former Italian football player and also Communist activist. Instead, the following "Modus" (that sometimes sounds so close to the Girlschool!) is a celebration of the skinhead's way of life.

Very different sound for No More Lies (FB page)! Their two tracks have a more hardcore punk-oriented style made more intense by the screaming vocals, helped here and there by some gang choruses, of Fabrizio, with "La tua città" showing more melodic touches if compared with the very raging "Colpo su colpo". I like a fukken lot the lyrics of the No More Lies since "La tua città" invites you to not forget your origins strongly rooted in your city ("Quanti amori quante notti/Non spezzare le tue catene", for example, are lovable verses!) while "Colpo su colpo" is a classic anti-system song. And now, considering that I am more linked to hardcore punk than Oi!, I prefer No More Lies, even though Nabat are really catchy and engaging.

SHOCKPROOF - "THE WILL THE REASON AND THE WIRE"

Born in 2013, Shockproof (FB page) is a trio of veterans consisting of the same, indestructible line-up since their early days. They are quite prolific because they released three full-lenght albums so far, included their still very fresh "The Will the Reason and the Wire", that was released this March by Time to Kill Records.

The band is admittedly influenced not only by metal bands like Motӧrhead (obviously, hehe!), Voivod and Anthrax but also by punk bands like Fugazi and Hüsker Dü. This combination of different influences leaded to this 10-track third album, in which thrash metal, heavy metal, modern metal, a little dose of punk, a good melodic taste and the raucous but melodic vocals of Riccardo collide for a style that, in some senses, is particular and also more focused on the mid-tempos than on speed and pure aggression. The problem is that, for my tastes, their sound could be faster, like in "N.I.M.N.", that is, indeed, one of my favorite songs of the album. But fuck that little "flaw" because, anyway, Shockproof deserve your attention!

HYBRIDIZED - "HYBRIDIZED"

It's very nice when a band remembers your work and your kind words about them, so it's a big pleasure for me to talk about this new release by Hybridized. In fact, after two years from their debut EP, Hybridized (FB page) come back on these pages with their self-released first and homonymous album, that was edited on 6th April 2020, so in full Quarantine time, and promoted through the official video of "New Generation Cannibalism".

Composed of 10 songs (two of them come from the EP), "Hybridized" mixes death metal, thrash metal and groove metal in a single solution including the growling vocals, alternated with some clean vocals, of Marco, some dark tunes and also some strange effects, even though I think these last ones are a bit out of place (like in "House of Nightmares"). To say the entire truth, the band is able to spew forth strong experimentations, like in the short and funny "Girl of Panama" (that, in practice, has nothing to do with the rest of the songs, also because it seem to be like only a divertissement!) while the closing track, "Voi", is experimental in the sense that it is the only song of the album to be sung in Italian. At the end, this band improved a lot their skills in these years, trying also to be very courageous in some ways, and all this does credit to them, so I hope that, soon or later (more soon than later, uh!), they will finally have a record deal!

THE AMMONOIDS - "DEVONIAN"

There is a thing that, for me, is truly important in life: the determination, the perseverance, the will to overcome every fuckin' obstacle on your path in order to realize your dreams. Well, The Ammonoids (FB page) are very determined and enthusiast three guys since they started their adventure in 2013 but they published their first official release only in 2019, after plenty of efforts. That release is a self-edited EP with a multi-colored cover artwork made by Marcoabout of Twister and it is called "Devonian". And, believe me, I'm surprised about myself because it impressed me a lot, despite the genre of reference played by the band!

In fact, "Devonian" is essentially a melodic punk rock 6-track release inspired by bands such as Green Day, NOFX and No Use for a Name that, as you know, aren't the classic stuff you are used to find on these pages. But the punk rock of The Ammonoids, that is similar in some senses to the one played by another Roman band like Closed Speech, is creative and also embracing since every instrument have their own importance in their songs. In addition, they play also fast and angry, so expect at times some more hardcore punk-oriented hooks, like in the raging "Hybrid Fear" and in "Let Her Go", that is my favorite song of the EP also thanks to its lyrics about a broken love. And I have to mention even "Do you remember", another love song that is notable for a unpredictable instrumental part where there is everything, included very atmospheric and also ska moments. In brief, a real good debut for a band that, on 30th May 2020, will perform at the "Fuck Covid-19 Edition", a charity event organized by Till Death so to help the 360, a location where The Ammonoids, last year, supported nothing else than the legendary US act Circle One for a memorable live gig! I can't wait for this event!