Teatro D'Ira - a review

    Teatro D’ira – Vol. 1 is an album released by Måneskin, an Italian hard rock and glam rock band formed in Rome in 2016. This is my review of it and my thoughts on Måneskin

    It is the second studio album released by the band and it includes well-known singles such as VENT’ANNI (“Twenty Years”) and their Eurovision & Sanremo Award-winning single, ZITTI E BUONI (“Shut up and Behave”). The album performed really well reaching number one on Finnish, Lithuanian, and Swedish album charts, reaching the top ten charts in fourteen other countries, and being certified platinum four times in their home country by the FIMI (Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana).

    The album itself is part of a larger recording project (Hence the Vol. 1 in Teatro D’ira – Vol. 1) and the band lived in London from late 2019 to spring 2020 to refine their skills, music style, and work on recording this album. It was recorded entirely live and not in a studio to recreate the same atmosphere as older albums from well-known artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and Queen.

    The album is really catchy and made well, already starting with ZITTI E BUONI, a track that has given them not only the top place in the Eurovision above all other European countries, but appearances on well-known American television shows like The Tonight Show. Then comes Coraline, a more different track, and a track that is more acoustic in parts than the others but also has a style very similar to Gothic Rock, it’s the longest song on the album and in my opinion, the best one. It’s filled with powerful lyrics and has such a good instrumental. LIVIDI SUI GOMITI (Transl. “Bruises on my Knees”) is more similar to the style ZITTI E BUONI has. The lyrics talk about how they do not care about the unhelpful judgement of those around them and emphasize the fearlessness one should have against such people, with lyrics such as “We don't lack courage, we are fearless”.

It has a less hard-rock style and a smoother blues rock vibe. Next is I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE which is one of the select few English language tracks. It’s a track that channels and shows a sense of internal struggle and an identity crisis, with lyrics such as “I wanna be a good boy, I wanna be a gangster.” “I wanna be a sinner, I wanna be a preacher.” Among other lyrics like this in the track that show a feeling of turmoil and uncertainty. IN NOME DEL PADRE (Transl. “In the name of the Father”) was a track inspired by the group known as RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE in some aspect, and has a southern rock feeling. It’s got a very hard-rock feel as well, the lyrics are explosive and the vocalist’s voice sounds like it just fits the lyrics that were written. When you listen to it, it’s a song that reminds you of what you would think of when someone mentions the genre of rock. That doesn’t mean it’s generic, but that it’s unique encompassing and perfecting the genre it’s in.

    The album is one of my favorites, and the beauty within it is like no other in my opinion. It’s very lively, and it has diversity between each song, channeling feelings of grief, internal turmoil, and nostalgia in its songs. It was an album made with passion. The message the album gives is also a very unique message, albeit a healthy one. The band member’s talents are unbelievable; Thomas’ Guitar and Ethan’s Drum skills played a huge factor and gave life to this album.

    Overall, the album is very good. It has performed well in several countries and performed excellently in Italy; it has given the band a spot in international music. It’s liveliness, quality, and the English tracks (appealing to a broader audience.) is one of a couple other factors that helped this quartet to win under Italy for the first place in the Eurovision contest.