Thursday, December 27, 2007

What The Fuck, Italy?

What the fuck is it about the Italian bands that just make them so not afraid to "go there"? It's almost as if they were born without the gene that makes it possible to be embarrassed. Seriously, be it Death SS, the power metal of Rhapsody, the doom of Dark Quarterer, or even the satanic prog of Jacula, Italy has produced some of the weirdest, corniest, overly-ornate music to date and has shown no sign of slowing or toning anything down. So this brings me to Wyxmer, a metal/prog/rock band from Genoa that are unafraid, and even proud, to sing epic tales with such titles as "Mystical Wyvern," "King of the Ladies" and "My Princess Bride." I should add that this feat is pulled off without so much as a molecule of irony. Black Widow Records, who are also based in Italy, specialize in this sort of thing and released Wxmer's "Feudal Throne" on vinyl and cd. Black Widow's usual attention to excellent packaging makes this (and all things Black Widow) worth getting, even if their wares tend to be pricey. Recently, it has come to my attention that any album with a castle on the front is usually good, and "Feudal Throne" keeps this tradition alive by being so bold, so weird, and so very cheesy. The singer's heartfelt crooning almost borders on Las Vegas camp, or Broadway, and only serves to make the whole affair that much more engaging. Kind of like older Queensryche meets B.O.C. in a D&D game held in the banquet room of an Olive Garden in Long Branch, New Jersey. If that means anything at all to you get it here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UKVIM3HH

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not bad at all, even though they're no Rhapsody.

Fiddlestixx said...

the queensryche/boc/olive garden description is perfect. all the extra wide parking spaces jersey has to allow for hummers and that are perfect for parking wyverns, so no worries for wyxmer on that front.

Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

"...any album with a castle on the front is usually good..." That is fucking priceless. Just bumped into Cosmic Hearse via your Sweeey Todd post. Yes, I am Canadian. It is not hockey season so I am in a polite mood. Looks I am going to have to go through your archives. You ever write anything about going to Golden Gate Fields?

Aesop said...

I have never been to Golden Gate Fields.