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!

Before talking about their music in "The Real Eye of God", there is need to unveil some notable technical details of it. Firstly, it was mixed by Fabio Banfio, a well known name in my local hardcore punk scene because he is into bands like Rake-Off and Taste the Floor, and, in addition, he also recently recorded the upcoming debut album of The Ammonoids (that are now searching for a second guitarist, so, if you are interested for this role, don't hesitate to contact them!). Secondly, the album was recorded at the Vecchio Son, a cultural association in Bologna (Italy) managed by Steno of Nabat and famous also for its punk and metal concerts. As you seen, there are also big names behind "The Real Eye of God", so it couldn't be but good, don't you think? In fact, IT'S SO FUCKIN' GOOD!

Now, it is composed of 8 tracks showing a very interesting sound not so far from Kaw, a US band I talked about some time ago. Specifically, it is an impactful and direct punk rock characterized by the corrosive vocals of Giuzu, the wild guitar solos of Davide and of various influences mainly coming from hardcore punk and rock'n'roll but without forgetting some heavy metal touches here and there, at least in some solos. Hence, we're talking about a band able to offer a nice variety, so the album ranges from "Freak", that starts it with very sick and ultra-violent tunes (listen also to the impressive screaming vocals of Giuzu!), to more melodic hooks like "Kelevra" (but don't expect ballads in any case here, uh!), or from the raging "No Regrets" (that's surely the fastest song of the album and the only one with a more hardcore punk speed) and to punk'n'roll anthems such as "R U Ready" (watch its promotional video below!). And, of course, all the songs are so direct that they last (almost) always 2 minutes full of intensity!

If musically the album is various, the same thing goes to its lyrics. To name a few, the titletrack is against religion and a God that is seen by the band as a pure lie. Instead, "What About Me" is really current because it talks about the workers and the sometimes very absurd conditions to find a job here in Italy. There are also interesting themes about drugs (like in "Cocaine", that I featured in "Come on, urn my ears! #8") and so on.

In brief, "The Real Eye of God" rocks and it's incredible that it sounds so good since Davide was in the band for a few days before its recordings, so the congratulations to Milksnake are even more necessary! Now I would be very curious to hear more hardcore punk tunes in their sound in their future productions to come, so to develop in a more systematic way the ideas of songs like "No Regrets" but without abandoning their peculiar style, that includes also contagious rock'n'roll vibes. And I would be very curious to see them on a stage. Speaking about gigs, in the early days of this year I bought the ticket for the 2020 edition of the Italian hardcore punk festival Distruggi La Bassa, where Milksnake were supposed to play also along with seminal bands like Youth of Today (that I adore!), but it was cancelled due to this fuckin' Coronavirus, so we're waiting for news about the 2021 edition of this fest. Meanwhile, watch also the funny promo of the "The Real Eye of God", follow Milksnake and buy their album!

Note:

I took some infos about the bio of Milksnake and of their lyrics from the following interview:

https://fullhc225440736.wordpress.com/2020/06/08/milksnake-bloody-punk-rock/

Tracklist:

1 - Freak

2 - The Real Eye of God

3 - Kelevra

4 - Cocaine

5 - No Regrets

6 - Young Generation

7 - R U Ready

8 - What About Me

Line-up:

Giuzu - vocals/bass

Davide - guitars

Hari - drums

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/milksnakeband/

BandCamp: https://milksnakebloodypunkrock.bandcamp.com/releases