THE PRESS RELEASE: “Macello, the fourth record of the duo Zolle, wants to symbolize the human condition of living in ambivalence, contradiction, paradox. Macello (Italian word for Slaughterhouse, but means also “mess” or “shindy”) is the crudest expression, in all senses, of the coexistence of end and beginning, death and life, absence and presence, tragedy and opportunity. A significant place, a time suspended, a powerful ritual, a real mess. It is certainly a convivial record, but a little poisoned, it takes you with feet on the ground, sometimes it makes you dream. Macello was born to be born, genuine, in the rehearsal room, faithful to the meeting of Stefano (drums and voice) and Marcello (guitar and voice), distinguishing itself from albums conceived in function of a premeditated and probably written destiny. Macello is meat, not plastic. In Macello we find the value of authenticity, with a real, direct, analogical performance on tape, with overdubs reduced to the bone, so that the listener can perceive himself in the dimension of Zolle’s concert, vibrating with energy. This time, perhaps to mark a bridge to the future of the Heavy Rock duo, there are trails of voice, never used in the past.”
MY TWO CENTS: I’m going to assume it lost something in translation, since I don’t really know what any of that gibberish above is supposed to mean. Nor do I understand the few lyrics on this mostly instrumental album, since they seem to be in Italian. But I do understand what top-shelf guitar heroics sound like — and that’s what Zolle deliver in spades on this nine-track collection of thunderstruck riffage, hammer-of-the-gods percussion and shape-shifting arrangements. A few more melodic elements and sonic accessories might not hurt them hold your attention a bit more firmly, but there’s no denying these burly bruisers know what they’re doing.
