Review: Affluente / A Fora De Arrastu – Split

New split between AFDA from Sardinia and Affluente from Abbruzzo and Marche

“Today we roam like solitary wolves, surrounded by people vowed to individualism, to stigmatization and hating the different, focusing on skin colour, sexual orientation, culture, …. without realising that they are the different, humans that hail violence on other humans. We are solitary wolves but they are the real beasts.”

This wonderful phrase is written on the vinyl’s B side , the topic of this review, which is the split between A Fora De Arrastu and Affluente. It came out in vinyl + CD recently, it was DIY coproduced from 17 labels (Tuscia Clan, Kattive Maniere, SFA, Anfibio, Impeto, Rumagna Sgroza, Fast ‘n’ Loud, Tpic, Tadca, Oltraggio, Rumori in Cantina, THC DIY, punk4free, klas, Mastice, RockOut Fascism , including us!). On the Cover dominates the Eugène Samuel Grasset wonderful work “Tre Donne e Tre Lupi”, perfect graphic interpretation of the phrase written on the top. Talking about the album, on the A-side we found the A Fora De Arrastu ( in campidanese sardinian it means “out of the layout), sardinian band who play music since 2003 whith the peculiarity of singing in dialect. Let’s start with “Lua De Monti” (Euforbia), a fast song with extraordinary melodies, with more technical hardcore school influences and with a particular singing, between more powerful scream in black chores and unique vocal lines . The lyrics compairs medias and all that can distract us from ours real necessities to the euphorbia, a plant that is used to stun fishes during fihery. Then we find “Liberus tzeracus intra istadus liberus” (Free slave in (between) free states), a song that starts slowly and then runs wild in the end screaming their own need of freedom. Then there’s “Mascu” (male), that faces the hateful machismo and sexism topics’ as kind of authority between people. Here too, the rythm changes, intricate melodies worthy of Propagandhi, fierce screams and drums and bass that hold everything up. Let’s continue with the very rapid “Domusbombas”, a furious song in which they criticize who decide to live in war and death by serving the known territorial weapon factory. Then there is “Burrumballa” (bric-a-brac, insignificant people or stuff) which doesn’t hold back in attacking that “Movement for life” garbage, hypocritical rubbish, full of oppression and obstruction to free choices.
There’s solid punk hardcore, the rythm changes much and in the middle we have a particular interval that highlights even more the various music influences of the band. The last song, the sixth, is “Aresti” (wild, the title is an homage to Inzirli from Friuli) definitley calmer than the others regarding rythm and melodies bith, accompanies us gently to the end. The lyrics are dedicated to “Davide Delogu”, a sardininan anarchist imprisoned in Augusta’s (SR) prison, and it is retaken by Salvatore Poddighe’s composition, antifascist poets and miner which died suicidal because of regime persecutions.

Turning the vinyl we find the mythical Affluente, hardcore fundamentalism since 1992! Useless to hide the immense love I feel for this band, thanks to their music, lyrics and attitude. The Affluente give us 6 songs of great hardcore punk, dynamic and well studied. It starts with “un Piccolo Gesto”, a fast song that flows like a flood, before continuing on “Dottore”, whose lyrics are written by Alessandra, which is a perfect manifesto against those one who judge and hinder individual’s free choices, in this case against the anti-abortions infamouses. “The gravidance interruption is a fundamental right!”.

Let’s go on with “Cosa è successo”, which slows down bpms to concentrate on impact, and then with “Genuflettersi”, a devastating song for both lyrics that go straight to the point and its chorus against all religions “up the head and pround gaze, i follow only my mind”, and the incredible charge and catchy melodies powerful at the same time .Let’s go on with “Francesca”, a track that was written and partly sang by the poetess “Mariagiorgia Ulbar”, that stand up the speed and comes straight to the face like a punch from Tyson. The lyrics talk about the story of a woman wich, due to her different behaviour compared to the canons imposed by society, get’s appointed a whitch by people. Poetic words and, poor us, still actual.

The album closes with “I Giudici Vostri” with some estract from “Inno Anarchico” by Giovanni Pascoli and with an insert in theremin by Davide: a calmer song which accompanies us to the end slowly and inexorably with a “judgment day”‘ atmosphere. To say the least a perfect song for closing this split. What to say, A Fora De Arrastu are surgical, original and with big impact, thanks to sublime tecnique and sought and meticulously assembled ideas, while Affluente are powerful , unique and always on track, in fact the music and lyrics quality are high, thanks to the double singer formula. On the lyrics booklet I read: “What to say? To find attuned people and accomplices coming from the other part of the sea is like a lottery win, but when it happens is cristal clear, the fatigue and sacrifices get largely repaid and it will always have been worthy!”

I agree with this sentence written by two bands, because they complete each other, perfectly intersecting and making this album a masterpiece. A particular aknowledgement goes to the sounds and tho who treats, records, mixes and burns them, which is Fast ‘n’ loud for AFDA and Davide Grotta and Federico from Fast ‘n’ loud for Affluente. Wonderful split, to be had and listened to several times.

Alum’s mark: 8,5

Reviewed by tom, transalated by Anna Maria De Viencentiis