Kuadra- Kuadra
It is all too easy to be scared off by something you are not familiar with. Trying to watch a subtitled film for the first time; or choosing something on the menu that you have to point at to order because you don't even want to attempt pronouncing it to the waiter... it can be a little traumatic. Maybe this is the reason that it can be quite rare to get international artists releasing music in their native language to our sometimes antithetically timid shores. And even if they do, who can tell how it will take? Hands up who still does a hammed up Germanic impersonation when singing along to 'Du Hast'? Kuadra, a six-piece alternative act from Pavia, Italy are giving the cross-continental challenge a go with their debut self-titled album.
In the absence of comprehension, it's difficult to not draw parallels with other recording artists. Opening track 'Il Malale' feels like a hybrid of 'Take A Look Around' with 'Killing In The Name Of', but with enough continental vivacity to feel fresh and rather anthemic. You may even find yourself joining in with the punchy cries of 'Niente!' In fact the Rage Against The Machine-isms pepper the entire feel of the album, and their resurgence may prove to be very beneficial to a band influenced by the rap/metal crossover of the nineties. Given the translation of this song title is 'Pork', I'm sure that if one was able to understand Italian, or was indeed vegetarian, you would be treated to some very Rage-esque socio-political statements too.
There are even musical flirtations with System of A Down, as songs like 'Alieno Debole' conjure images of Serj Tankian admiring the beauty of the Sistine Chapel through the power of some relentlessly heavy riffing. Whether you can understand the lyrics or not, it is impossible to overlook the ferocity of the words being spat out on every track, the rap-metal approach being attacked with full-on guts and passion. 'Promemoria' and 'La Terra Su Cui Vivo' showcase the balance of metal brashness with rap attitude perfectly.
'Il Ritatto del Mostro', or 'The Portrait of The Monster', provides an excellently placed interlude. A hypnotic drumbeat, ethereal guitar and beautifully sultry whispered words rock you into a false sense of security before punching you in the gut with metal brutality in its choruses. The enthusiastic scratching on 'Urla' before hurling itself into the crash of its melody would make for a sure-fire crowd-pleaser at a live show. Closing track 'La Storia Si Ripete' ends the record on a high, the mind imagining a vision of a European, dark haired Fred Durst flamboyantly commanding the stage. I'd like to say 'at the Colosseum' but that vision is something that even dreams can't sufficiently make manifest.
This is a record that is worth a listen. It's refreshing, maybe because it is a different sound for the ear lyrically. There is energy running through this album from start to finish. It runs at the genre full pelt, eyes open, no sign of flinching. If you are willing to give something different a chance and the resurrection of Rage Against the Machine has been the best thing to have happened to you this decade; this could be something that might end up being your new favourite record.