THE FRANCESCO'S METAL (AND A BIT OF PUNK) TOP TEN OF ALL TIMES!

Metalheads, what an ugly breed! They’re ever being alternative to mainstream, ever seen like a bunch of madmen, ever seen like subversives, Satanists, antisocials, evil and so on. It’s all spite! Being metalhead is an attitude, a way of life, an example of coherence and it’s very cool! Why this introduction? Because it’s time for me to post my personal rank! Now you can say: “we don’t care about your fucking rank!”. You’re not right , because isn’t impossible living any personal experience without the right playlist!

Slain: Back from Hell (Steel Mantis, 2016)

Title: Slain: Back from Hell

Genre: Videogame

Release date: 25th March 2016

Vote: 76/100

3 months ago I finally opened the videogames section with Valfaris, and today I'm going to review its prequel: Slain: Back from Hell. It was originally released on 25th March 2016 but, after an amazing launch trailer, it disappointed everyone for some features programmed badly. For the truth, I never played this unripe version simply named "Slain!", so I have no clue on how it was bad but the fact is that the developers, Steel Mantis, rolled up their sleeves so to release, after some months, a better version of the game, aptly entitled "Slain: Back from Hell". The game, even though still not close to perfection, was a lot improved, and it isn't a case if the new reception was good. And today also Timpani allo Spiedo 'zine says its word about this sanguinary piece of (metal) art!

Galera - "Fai finta che mi ami" (Fresh Outbreak Records/Sedation Records, 2020)

Band: Galera

Title: Fai finta che mi ami

Genre: Hardcore Punk with Metal and Crust Punk influences

Time: 12.04 min

Release dates: 9th June 2020 (self-release)

                       18th September 2020 (Fresh Outbreak Records/Sedation Records)

Vote: 75/100

The story of the hardcore punk band Galera ("jail" in Italian) from Rome Caput Mundi is very tormented: born in 2012, they started their career with big enthusiasm and they had also the honour to support bands of the calibre of Napalm Death, Cripple Bastards, Anaal Nathrakh and Brujeria. But, throughout their parable, they released only 2 EPs before 2020: "Roma Isterica" in 2012 and "Sanguine" in 2015. After some years of total silence, Galera came back live in 2019 in a gig where I was present and so, took by a new energy to destroy the stages, they supported nothing else than Sick of It All. But after other time, the silence failed again on the band. Fortunately, Galera recovered their activities in 2020. In fact, they were reborn like a phoenix since they are now a one-man band directed by their guitarist Roberto, that recorded alone everything for their new EP "Fai finta che mi ami", initially self-released on CD in June 2020 and then edited on tape in September by the Italian labels Fresh Outbreak Records and Sedation Records. Do you know what I say? Fuck, Roberto did very well to roll up his sleeves because projects like Galera deserve to continue to annihilate ears, and soon I'll explain why!

Closed Speech - "Rookies" (Self-released, 2018)

Band: Closed Speech

Title: Rookies

Genre: Punk Rock with Melodic Hardcore Punk influences

Time: 31.40 min

Release date: 15th December 2018

Vote: 81/100

The first time that I saw on stage Closed Speech was a little strange: it was a grindcore night that they opened, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the other bands! At that time they were working on their debut album, then self-released during the last remnants of 2018. Well, while Francesco and I were working on the "Se beccamo ner pit!" compilation focused on the LazioHC scene, I received directly from Closed Speech their debut album in order to put two tracks of in into the aforementioned compilation. After some months, I am finally going to review this debut album called "Rookies"... but, after Milksnake, also this time expect nothing belonging to the extreme metal!

Nulla+/Othismos - "Nulla+/Othismos" (Self-released, 2020)

Bands: Nulla+/Othismos

Title: Nulla+/Othismos

Genre: Black Metal/Hardcore/Sludge

Time: 11.43 min

Release date: 27th April 2020

Vote: 85/100

Hey manic brutal bangers,

after Rise of the Stateless Wolf, the good Francesco Bazzurri comes back today with another fantastic review, this time about a split album between two Italian bands: Nulla+ (already known on these pages thanks to their split "Impronte/Lacrime" that they shared with Nomura) and Othismos!

Both of them have a similar and alternative way to conceive the black metal genre contaminating it mainly with the hardcore punk. In addition, it's important to underline that this split was self-released in full quarantine time, so, as much music created and/or published during that damned period, also this release has a special meaning.

But now let's go to read this article and enjoy it! 

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Welcome back, my wicked brood, fed with growls and killer guitars!

There was a time when double feature movie show was very popular and the viewers could watch two movies paying only one ticket and some of these movies have influenced the collective imagination. Shifting this idea in music, when you get a double feature or better, a split album, you’re sure to have on your hand something very interesting like this “joint venture” of extreme metal music, born from the dreadful marriage between two Italian bands, Nulla+ and Othismos, respectively from Perugia and Montepulciano.

Blair: "Cry for Revenge" single is out!

Hey (ultra-)brutal bangers,

after The Ammonoids, there is another very good news about the Roman punk front!

In fact, the five-piece beatdown band Blair, after setting a new line-up, have released just today their single "Cry for Revenge", a little but interesting taste of their debut EP to come.

Come on, burn my ears! #11

Hey brutal bangers,

it's incredible but "Come on, burn my ears!" celebrate just today its first anniversary! In fact, its first episode was exactly released on 7th October 2019. I remember that I was very excited when I opened this playlist not only because it was a totally new thing for the 'zine but also because, with it, I offered for the first time a "sonic" way to promote the bands reviewed, so to let the readers to listen to them in a row. And now "Come on, burn my ears!" has arrived at its 11th appointment, beyond every expectation of mine!

The Ammonoids: cover artwork of the debut album unveiled!

Hey brutal bangers,

very good news in the Roman punk front!

In fact, the punk rock band The Ammonoids have recently unveiled the cover artwork of their upcoming debut album "Survivors of the K-T Boundary", whose release date will be revealed soon.

Milksnake - "The Real Eye of God" (DIY co-production, 2020)

Band: Milksnake

Title: The Real Eye of God

Genre: Punk Rock with Hardcore Punk and Rock'n'Roll tunes

Time: 18.58 min

Release date: 13th June 2020

Vote: 82/100

If I were to use two adjectives to describe a band like Milksnake, well, I would use "unlucky" and "determined". "Unlucky" because Milksnake suffered many line-up changes since their foundation in 2010, and it seems that, between 2018 and 2019, they had 2 bassplayers and 3 guitarplayers but all of them left the band for the most absurd reasons, in according to the words of Giuzu and Hari, that, respectively vocals/bass and drums of Milksnake, represent their core since their early days. But "determined" because, to finally record their debut album "The Real Eye of God" after only an EP in 2011, they said a gigantic FUCK to all these issues by switching Giuzu from guitar to bass and finding a stable guitarist in the person of Davide, that, before recording the album in 2019, did only two rehearsals with the band! After many efforts, Milksnake released this "The Real Eye of God" in 2020 in a DIY co-production involving Italian labels like Rumagna Sgroza Records, Mastice Produzioni, Rumori in Cantina, 02 Records and True Believers Booking along with Pogohai Records from Germany. So, here you are this Italian three-piece called Milksnake and their long-held debut album!

Rise of the Stateless Wolf - "Born Dead/Year of the Rats" (Italian Extreme Underground, 2020)

Band: Rise of the Stateless Wolf

Title: Born Dead/Year of the Rats

Genre: Black Metal/Hardcore/Sludge

Time: 16.06 min

Release Date: 14th February 2020

Vote: 85/100

Hey brutal bangers,

this is a very particular article because it is the debut review of a new collaborator of Timpani allo Spiedo after many months that it was a one-man zine! His name is Francesco Bazzurri! He isn't only a longtime metalhead but also a theatre director with a strong passion for H.P. Lovecraft. In addition, he worked with me for the HC punk compilation that we published on 15th July 2020 under the title of "Se beccamo ner pit!". Needless to say, I'm very honored to work with Francesco also for the 'zine!

But what's about his first review? His first review is about "Born Dead/Year of the Rats", the debut EP, released by Italian Extreme Underground, of Rise of the Stateless Wolf, an Italian three-piece with members coming from other bands like Nurmur and Heathen/Lifecode. So, enjoy a very enthusiastic review about a release that, edited digitally and also in a tape limited to 50 copies, promises a good future for this band!

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Experimentation is not an easy way!

A gloomy Ganesh lurks on the cover album like an omen of an aspiring and iconic first work: the path to perfection, a dangerous and halted road suspended in determining the Real from the Unreal.

Who are Rise of the Stateless Wolf? A group of explorers, because their musical trip goes across the purity of asceticism tainting it with an antithetical, obscure and brutal sound.

Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #32: Defechate/Ad Vitam Infernal/Tzun Tzu

Hey brutal bangers,

in these last days there is an enormous dose of episodes of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" like never before, so welcome to the newer episode of this column, that this time is completely dedicated to the death metal genre.

What awaits you is a selection of death metal bands coming from Italy, to Australia, that usually conceive their genre of reference with a lot of violence but without forgetting to create some dark or somehow bizzarre atmospheres, as you'll see soon.

So, enjoy the following bands and listen to their sonic murders!

INTERVIEW TO SKULLD! (WITH TEO & PAM)

Hey brutal bangers,

2 months ago I reviewed "Reinventing Darkness" by Skulld and, already after the first listening session, I was really hit by the outstanding music played by these 5 death metal maniacs. In addition, I found also very interesting their lyrics, that deal with occultism and esoterism from a feminist point of view, surely not so common in metal music. So, I thought well to contact directly the band in order to ask them some questions. The final result of this chat is awesome, as you will see soon!

Prepare to read an interview that is very interesting and full of enthusiast answers by Teo and Pam (respectively drummer and singer of Skulld), ranging through various themes regarding the metal culture, the feminism, the squats, the veganism... and lady Ines, the old woman to whom their guitarist Enrico dedicated the Slayer's "Raining Blood"!

Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #31: Grid/Sanity Control/Antipathic/Diabolic Oath

Hey brutal bangers,

I received a lot of stuff in these last months and I am "forced" to talk about many releases in a fast way, so here you are another episode with "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss"!

I advise you that this new episode, as you will see soon, starts violently and closes even ultra-violently, so I suggest you to be very prepared this time!

Well, are you ready? Yes or not, LET'S GO!!!