Thee Silver Mount Zion

On Friday, October 24th, one of the most anticipated concerts of the Bolognese autumn season took place at the Covo in Bologna. The night's protagonists are Thee Silver Mount Zion, currently the finest and most authoritative post-rock outfit around, Mogwai aside. Far from being a mere side project of the celebrated Godspeed You!Black Emperor, the Canadian combo has won over a devoted fanbase and media attention thanks to a series of albums marked by poignant romanticism.

Thee Silver Mount Zion arrive in Italy for a six-date tour with a lineup missing a few members compared to the one that appeared on the band's latest album, the thunderous "13 Blues For Thirteen Moons". The crowd's involvement befits a major occasion, and, setting aside the back rows, the silence of the audience during the performances is truly astonishing, something now more unique than rare.

Efrim, accompanied by a drummer, two violinists and a cellist, makes his way to the stage.

The start is dazzling: the self-titled track from the band's latest effort is performed with energy and power. Efrim, actually rather composed in his movements, screams and shakes his thick mane of hair as he plays a riff worthy of Morricone. After a couple of minutes of applause from an ecstatic crowd, they move on, following on from the opening notes: "One Million Died To Make This Sound" is a dirge that stretches out for a quarter of an hour: its surges cut through the warm air of the Covo and the final litany sends chills down your spine.

The quintet genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, trading quips with a few fans and chatting rather casually. Now it's the turn of "God Bless Our Dead Marines" and then the unreleased "I Built Myself A Metal Bird And Fed My Metal Bird The Wings Of Other Metal Birds".

Spellbound by such power, the crowd lets itself be carried away by violins tracing perfect harmonic circles, by drums that carefully balance powerful hits and light touches, and by a cello that, together with Efrim's electric guitar, dictates the structure of the songs. Once again it's time to return to the notes of the latest album: "Black Waters Blowed/ Engine Broke Blues" starts quietly, then shoots up into a free-form frenzy, before settling back down again. The crowd goes completely wild, with minutes and minutes of applause.

It should have ended there, but the band decides to give us one last thrill: "Microphones In The Trees". A concert that will remain etched in the memory of everyone who experienced it. Whoever chose other music that night will never know what they missed.

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