Review Summary: After 25 years, Distruzione are still kicking, regaining their past integrity and hardening their sound.
The thunderous "Il Signore delle Mosche" makes it clear: Distruzione's self titled release is not a simple nostalgic celebration of the band's 25th anniversary. Accompanied by a warm and thick production,
Distruzione is possibly the heaviest album to date released by the Parmesan act. The formula itself is nothing new. Hard hitting death metal filled with groovy sections, neat tempo changes and occasional melodic leads, all without forgetting the band's characteristical Italian lyrics, halfway between concrete and abstract images. Yet, the formula still works wonders when competent players pursue the simple aim to craft a boulder of an extreme metal album.
Not only that, but
Distruzione will also delight the old fans of the band because it sees the return of original vocalist Devid Roncai, who was replaced by Francesco Colla for
Malicidium, released in 2005. This marks the reunion of 3/5 of the original line-up. The two new acquisitions are drummer Dave Colombo and guitarist Gianluca De Lillo, and they blend with laudable chemistry with original bassist Dimitri Corradini and guitarist Massimiliano Falleri. A chemistry that translates itself into a very tight instrumental side, which features a certain easiness in providing focused riffing and parsimonious leads over pounding drumming. Commendable is also the presence of the bass guitar, not buried in the mix and provider of a pleasant fuzzy warmth.
Truth be told, the album does not make it easy to pick highlight tracks. With a running time of almost exactly 40 minutes, it feels a more adequate experience as a complete listen. It is possible to forcedly pick standout moments, like the extensive guitar soloing in "Nel Tuo Nome" or the riffing during the verses of "Homo Mechanicus", but played alone the tracks often tend to feel as not entirely satisfying, due to some abrupt endings. Consequently, it is when played in full that
Distruzione manages to achieve its ultimate purpose, opening with a bang ("Il Signore delle Mosche") and not letting the listener go until the last moments of the moody closer "I Tre Vivi E I Tre Morti".
As it is,
Distruzione may very well be the album that could have followed 2000's
Pianeta Dissolvenza, or arguably even 1996's
Endogena, considering the polarizing nature of the former. Long story short: time does not seem to pass for the band, with Roncai's low, crushing vocals sounding just as powerful as they were before the split. The only thing that really indicates such a big time skip is the production, this time sensibly thicker. Ultimately,
Distruzione fulfills all the reasons for being a self titled album, defining the band in the present day.
