Marlene Kuntz are one of the major Italian alternative rock bands. The group, which became famous in the 90s, combines typically alternative sounds with strongly songwriting texts. Recently the band commemorated their most famous album "The Vile" (1996) with a tour called "Honor the Vile", where Godano and his companions performed the album in its entirety.
In 2016 the band releases "The long wait", a record that most of the hardcore fans have been waiting for after the not excellent "Pansonica" of 2014.
The disc opens with "Storytelling“, A piece with alternative sounds in full style Marlene Kuntz. The song, with a strong impact and the guitars in full evidence, perfectly matches the deep and songwriting text, the right opening for an album that promises strong sensations.
The second piece "Boredom”Is also a piece with typically alternative sounds. The song focused on the daily boredom to which the human being is subjected is anything but boring, the sound of the song is strongly rock with well cared for arrangements and with the typical sounds of the historic Italian band.
"Nothing new”Is the third song on the album, the softer sounds of the beginning of the song immediately leave room for guitars with a strong rock rhythm. The text with a political theme tells the Italian situation in 2016 made up of interminable migratory flows and brutal femicides. The piece manages to communicate to the listener a strong state of anxiety and restlessness, no doubt caused by the perfect mix of music and text.
The title track "Long wait", Immediate continuation of the third song" Nothing new "is a song with soft and relaxing sounds. The guitars of Godano and Tesio manage to create a splendid melodic intertwining that fits perfectly with the rhythm section of Bergia and Saporiti. The song radically changes direction re-entering typically alternative rock territories, the guitars, this time in drop D tuning, are in the foreground as always.
The fifth song "A little rest”Is an electric ballad in typical Marlene Kuntz style, the arrangements and the text manage to make the atmosphere of the song less heavy than the previous ones.
"The sun is freedom”Is the sixth track on the disc. The piece opens with an incipit of guitars rich in tremolo, the piece continues with tight rhythms that blend perfectly with the rhythm section. The song continues with an alternation of dynamics that manage to make the song fun and never boring.
"Leda”Is the seventh track of the album, the sounds are strongly rock, the tight and intense vocal line clearly characterizes the piece. The bass arrangements of Luca Saporiti and the guitars of the usual Godano and Tesio manage to give the tense and dark atmosphere typical of the genre in the middle of the song.
The eighth song "The dormitory city”Is a riot of fuzzy guitars, which give the piece a modern yet soft and non-violent sound, certainly thanks to the excellent mixing of the piece. The text talks about small Italian suburban cities, devoid of any kind of fun and where even trying to do something that goes out of the usual routine becomes a nightmare, a nightmare that a large slice of Italians find themselves living practically every day.
"On the path of memories”Is the ninth song on the album. The song begins with a splendid guitar incipit and continues with an alternation of dynamics, which lead the song to have splendid rock peaks and then return to softer sounds. Probably excessive at least in my opinion the duration of 7:10 minutes.
The tenth song "A divine momentIs a melodic ballad, perhaps the most boring piece on the album. The piece drags on for its entire duration without having a real evolution and no particular peak.
The penultimate piece "Fertility”Is a song full of adrenaline with strong rock sounds, which alternate with the softness of slow but well arranged parts. The typically alternative sound of the song makes it blend perfectly with the flow of the whole album.
"Formidabile”Is the last track of the album, the piece is like all the previous ones a strongly rock track, but with lighter atmospheres. The structure of the composition recalls the rest of the record, with an alternation of dynamics and minimal arrangements that fit well within the piece.
In conclusion, we can say that "The long wait" is a record consistent with the latest productions of Marlene Kuntz, a historic band that is about to celebrate its 30-year career.
The general sound results in the typical style of the band, without digressions of any kind or excessive experimentation, an enjoyable album but certainly not jumping from the chair.
Other recommended plays: The vile, Cathartic.
Simone Gison
