Artist: Strana Officina
Label: My Graveyard Production
Release: 2007
Rating: 4.5/5
Strana Officina are arguably the most important name in Italian heavy metal pioneering, roaming the Apennine peninsula way back in the eighties alongside bands of similar heritage like Vanadium, Sabotage and Elektradrive. The band formed as far back as the mid-seventies. Over their career, Strana Officina put out two proper EPs (“Strana Officina” and “Ritual”) and just one LP, “Rock N’ Roll Prisoners” (1988). In 1993 tragedy struck like nothing else could, when the band’s founders and leaders, the Cappanera brothers, died in a car crash. The compilation “Una Vita Per Il Rock” (1994) came out posthumously, and after that the band went into the coffin. Miraculously, they rose from it and were born again in 2006. Strana Officina got back together, with the late Roberto Cappanera replaced on drums by none other than his son Rolando “Rola” Cappanera, cousin Dario “Kappa” Cappanera joining him on guitar, and the lineup completed by original bassist Enzo Mascolo and vocalist Daniele “Bud” Ancillotti.
The band then locked themselves in the studio and in 2007 reworked most of the Strana Officina classics, and we got the compilation “The Faith”. It features a complete re-recording of the whole album “Rock N’ Roll Prisoners”, the entire EP “Ritual” (1987), plus a newly re-recorded Autostrada dei sogni, which first appeared on the EP “Strana Officina” (1984). On top of all that, the guys added two ancient creations written back in the seventies, which they’ve perfectly dressed up in heavy metal off-the-rack gear: Profumo di puttana and Officina. With the release of “The Faith”, these two are officially captured on any kind of recording medium for the very first time.
Strana Officina’s music is the noblest heritage of the original, purest version of heavy metal. If you know the term New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, you’ll feel right at home with Strana Officina. “The Faith” has its songs mixed into an order that follows no chronology, nor the original tracklists of the band’s official releases. The running order on The Faith was picked to the band members’ taste. Let me say that in production the new look of the songs keeps the right kind of mood, one that blasts you into the golden age of heavy metal without any trouble – the eighties. In fact, in sound (not just in style) the compilation feels like a real lost gem in time and space. Obviously the experience and know-how of the two old tomcats in the band, mixed with young blood hungry to prove itself, have borne real fruit.
Ancillotti is an excellent frontman. In the mid, high and highest registers his voice recalls Ozzy Osbourne, while in the lower registers he vividly combines that timbre with a raw, raspy vocal that adds to a rich palette of emotional expression. Agony, evil, rage, pain, fear, longing,… they all come to life convincingly through his lived-in vocal delivery. By jumping between clean and raspy vocals, Ancillotti opens up extra room to maneuver, and he uses it to the fullest. Another huge plus for Ancillotti is that he sings the English lyrics in proper English, and as an Italian he has no trouble with it whatsoever. The lines are also laid out so that the melody works optimally when sung in English. For all of you used to the Italian standard in this department, this will be a real redeeming shock therapy of joy and happiness.
Next to the impressively charismatic, commanding vocals, none of it would work without well-crafted guitar phrases, which of course don’t reinvent the wheel, but they’re incredibly real and grab your ears the moment you spin them. They’re simple, old-school, and delivered extremely convincingly. The opening King Troll alone grabs all your attention instantly, and as the album goes on, the songs only make it grow on you more and more. Production-wise, the material on “The Faith” is alive, dirty, with a slightly amateurish, obscure, evil, grimy tint. It’s a real miracle that in 2007 it’s possible to produce practically the exact same sonic charm as the N.W.O.B.H.M. legends from 25 years ago. That’s also the biggest strength of “The Faith”, which proves that the current lineup is worthy of the entire legacy of the late Cappanera brothers.
The songs flow smoothly. It’s a polished melodic road map of pre-chorus into chorus, instrumental mid-sections with excellent old-school solos, melodies in the verses that fit perfectly, a clearly separated thick bass line, and a forged undercarriage of resolute galloping drums. But the greatest pleasure across the whole record comes from the precisely played, varied passages in the instrumental middle sections, where the guitar shines brilliantly in its own spotlight.
Strana Officina don’t hide their seventies roots. A few times they touch on hard rock elements, like in Black Moon (once called Luna nera on the EP “Strana Officina”), which with a few cosmetic touch-ups could become a glam rock classic that even Whitesnake in 1987 wouldn’t be ashamed of. Right after it comes the catchy War Games, whose guitar sound can’t hide the AOR rock potential of its basic phrases, backed up by vocal harmonies especially in the chorus. The song Burning Wings (once called Piccolo uccello bianco on the EP “Strana Officina”) has an opening motif that sounds a lot like the song Krvave čipke by the Slovenian band Pomaranča.
“The Faith” is the cornerstone of the band’s rebirth. The new-wave revival is wildly fashionable in Italy again. A bunch of bands drawing on the foundations of N.W.O.B.H.M. are putting out records marked by N.W.O.B.H.M. stylistic influences, and Italy, unlike Slovenia, where steering through thrash and death metal waters is all the rage at the same time, turns to its traditional flirtation with melody. With the return of Strana Officina, those foundations are even stronger. And one more thing. Let’s hope “The Faith” has also laid the cornerstone for a brand-new, proper Strana Officina studio album. After all, the band still owes us quite a few of those. Great job, guys!
Lineup
Daniele “Bud” Ancillotti – vocals
Dario “Kappa” Cappanera – guitar
Enzo Mascolo – bass
Rolando “Rola” Cappanera – drums
Production
Dario Cappanera, Rolando Cappanera & Paolo Favati
Tracklist
1. King Troll (04.11)
2. Metal Brigade (03.57)
3. The Ritual (04.35)
4. Rock’n’Roll Prisoners 04:45
5. Falling Star (04.25)
6. Gamblin Man (03.30)
7. Black Moon (07.44)
8. War Games (03.46)
9. Don’t Cry (04.04)
10. The Kiss of Death (04.44)
11. Burning Wings (07.38)
12. Unknown Soldier (05.17)
13. Profumo di puttana (04.10)
14. Autostrada dei sogni (07.38)
15. Officina (05.26)
Album length: 75.50
