How foolish I was! When one of my most beloved Hardcore bands released this 2nd 12″ record, I didn’t like it at all. Not only I didn’t – everybody said (and says) that this Mini-LP sounds “Metal” (which of course wouldn’t be no crime), but that’s bullshit. The difference from the band’s wilder days is obviously the higher production standard, best heard in the drum sound: In its dominance and with the reverb, it sounds almost a bit hardrockish, but that’s it as far as the metal thing goes. Also, the strings were downtuned, but that only results in a fuller sound, not unlike that of later CCM. Apart from that, this mii-album is not too far off stylisticly of the legendary “Libero di vivere, Libero di morire” LP. So all in all, you have the same desparate gut feeling of italian Hardcore. Gianmario, the singer has a way to put words into singing, that’s really unique. What power comes through, even when he holds himself back!
Two first two songs are maybe the best here. Especially “Sezionati vivi” (an anti-vivisection song), really haunts you with a gloomy guitar riffs, almost atonal, just what WRETCHED were always unbeaten in. The following “Verso il tuo Orizzonte” is a hectic thrash song, again spiced up by the use of some genre-untypical guitar bits. On the b-side, you get three more songs, of which “Vivere nell’ Incubo” stands out, not only with its AMEBIX-esque intro part.
All in all a really compact piece of work, ringing the bells of death for the fading Hardcore movement. Things had come to an end and this what this EP breathes.
As always, this slab came with a handful of inserts.
Senti il richiamo.mp3
Sezionati vivi (nei Laboratori della Morte).mp3
Verso il tuo Orrizonte.mp3
Angosce / Pensieri.mp3
Vivere nell’ Incubo.mp3
La tua Morte non aspetta.mp3
22 Comments
This is great!
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Oh, Geno! (wink) This is funny. Yesterday I was listening to this 12″ an thinking how much it’s grown on me since initially I didn’t like it, what a peculiar sound did Wretched manage to produce and how far was their evolution from the metal turns of some of their italo-HC pals (Negazione, Raw Power etc). And today I decide to enter into Erich’s cave (shall I say grotto) to see what he’s been doing lately and wow! precisely the same Wretched gem and so similar remarks!
The 45 that followed (In controluce) is pretty much in the same vein…
Btw I feel it’s some sort of a honor to write here after Marco aka Chromatiste to whom we should thank (well, I do) one of the earliest websites about Italian HC with great infos about Wretched, PSA and others. Hi Marco!
Fernando
PS Dear admin, I recently found somewhere a fantastic post on Franti with their 3CD discography and I thought of you. And I found another one with the somewhat obscure 1997 Nerorgasmo LP. If you’re interested I’ll give you the links…
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Hey Fernando (can you hear the drums?) – yeah, weird, that thing with Wretched. I guess they were maybe just ahead of their time a bit? Never heard the last 7″, will have to keep my eyes open for it. Wasn’t there some sort of a best 12″ too or was that a bootleg?
Somebody recently posted a link to that Nerogasmo LP. It’s pretty good, wish I had it on vinyl. I do have a Franti double-cd (official release from ca. 12 years ago). Most of the stuff is pretty jazzy/folky – “no future” is my fave track on it.
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Great listen, thanks! Some of the atypical guitar parts are really special, to the extent that it’s difficult to say what they are drawing from (certainly not Metal, it seems to me.) The Metal content ’round here has been a bit low lately, but the posts remain satisfying!
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Great pick, the Wretched LP and FANTASTIC pick the Dexy’s one. Never thought you would be into them. Imaginge having been in England in 1980. You could have seen Discharge one night, Dexys at the night, Iron Maiden the next then Joy Division and The Jam in weekend. And you could be in Italy six years later and watch Wretched and Negazione, ha! Which you probably did anyway.
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I thought this was pretty awful after the genius of their “Libero…” LP. I was very disappointed, to say the least! I’ll have to give it another listen. Funnily enough the 7″ that followed this was great!
Erich, there’s a “1983-1986″ 7″ which I have. Not sure if it’s a bootleg as there’s no label, though there’s the address of the singer on the back of the sleeve.
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This LP is quite good (and not really metal like you said), but I still don’t think it comes close to the power of their earlier material. Their 1st 7″ is still one of my all time favorites, it has that special “hey, we’re falling down the stairs while recording” quality, ha!
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Franti stuff have print in different year, first as single LP,in 1987 there is “Non classificato” box in 4 vinyl (only 200 pressed, one is mine), then reprint in 2xCD for BluBus and in 1999 the last edition in 3xCD with another unreleased stuff for italian anarchist magazine. Erich can your live recording of Wretched live at Virus?Ciao
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The “in controluce” 7″ep is really good, Erich. Kinda melodic, but still desperate. Giulio the bastard repressed the 12″ and 7″ along with the last show ever from 1987, on cd.
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i too own that dr hooker album!
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I never understood all the flap about that D.R. Hooker record–it is a top notch 70′s psych obscurity but I have heard plenty of equal or better caliber–Kit Ream for starters.
On a related note, Sky Saxon died today. One less GOD now walks the face of the earth and the dial on the Musical Suckiness Meter just moved up a big fat notch. The members of the Old Guard are dying and I see NO replacements rising from the ranks of boring SHIT that passes for music these days. Very sad.
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hahahaha D.R. HOOKER!!!!
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never heard of kit ream, thanks for the tip grabbing it now.
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Thanks for posting this Erich, I hadn’t heard this. I like it. All in all, I feel they found a way to expand on their sound without sacrificing their vision or vitality, a few few bands are able to achieve. More on my aimless postulations on the intangible qualities of Good (goodbad) music such as “vision and vitality”… it’s 2am and I’m drunk on hatred and I wanted to go on a long-winded rant but now I’m realizing I’d rather get some sleep after a long and unfulfilling day.
Oh, by the way, I got some inquisitive comments about my Fear Of God shirt from some nonthreatening whitebread suburban people today. I told them it was “a Swiss band from the 80s” and made some disparaging comments about Michael Jackson to shut them the hell up.
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Didn’t heard this, thanks for posting it!
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As for the Dr. Hookers remarks (which was on “heavy rotation” here for a few days): I think it’s a great record. Keep in mind that it was selfproduced and for that it’s really astounding. Did you know that Jello Biafra played a role in unearthing this gemm?
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I think it’s the final track that echoes their earliest works the most (drums are off the hook!!!).
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“Jello Biafra played a role in unearthing this gemm”
where did you hear/read that from? this stayed underground since the day it was made in ’71
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Ulrich: I heard that from a guy who’s been a long time collector of rare 60s and 70s music. I will ask him for more information.
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Jello Biafra spoke of D.R. Hooker in one of those “Incredibly Strange Music” books that RE/Search put out. Biafra is a huge collector of obscure / weird shit like that, literally scouring the world for oddities while touring with the DKs.
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wreched! great band, congratulations for your blog
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no it’s not metal. it’s dark though. that one guitar intro is amazing. what you have is really good dark hc. thanks.
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