Massimo Volume

After getting lost and splitting up, after coming back together and producing the indispensable “Cattive Abitudini”, after delivering further invaluable confirmation with the recent “Aspettando i barbari”, Massimo Volume set off on their 2013 tour in support of the new album. We caught them in Rome, at Black Out, a fine venue along Via Casilina, as part of an interesting series curated by Ausgang.

From the very first notes the band appeared in splendid form: Vittoria Burattini doesn't miss a beat, her drumming as impeccable and effective as ever; Emidio Clementi dispenses his sublime declamations with his usual authority, looking slightly thinner than on the previous tour; and the extraordinary guitars of Egle Sommacal and Stefano Pilia interweave masterfully, sketching out the post-rock landscapes over which Mimì's lyrics rest so securely.

The first part of the show focuses on the solid new album, already known by heart to those in attendance, and it comes across as remarkably strong, starting with the opening triptych of “Dymaxion Song”/“La notte”/“Compound”, which immediately warms up the crowd. Just a moment to catch their breath, with the more relaxed title track, and then comes “La cena”, with its memorable closing built on precious sonic digressions.

The ten tracks of “Aspettando i barbari” are split into two blocks by a one-two punch that sets the crowd ablaze, made up of “Litio” and “Le nostre ore contate”, which send the emotional temperature in the room soaring. In the live rendering of the new songs, a few interesting small details stand out: on “Vic Chesnutt”, for instance, the work done by Mimì and Stefano on the heavily effected double bass makes quite an impression. Pilia once again proves to be a perfect fit within the well-oiled Massimo Volume machine, able to add doses of experimentation and novelty, the ideal foil for the seasoned Sommacal, who today also handles the backing vocals that on the record are performed by Vittoria. Before “Da dove sono stato” closes out the first part of the set, there's the arresting “Fausto”, the third track drawn from “Cattive abitudini”.

The encores turn the gaze back to the band's glorious past, starting with the hugely acclaimed “Il primo dio”, one of the quartet's anthems. Through the rarefied atmospheres of “Sotto il cielo” and the suburban adventures of “Senza un posto dove dormire”, we arrive at the closing statement of “Altri nomi”. But it's still not over: there's room for one more, furious encore, paying tribute to a piece of history with two of the band's most beloved songs among their fans, “Fuoco Fatuo” and “Ororo”, both still immensely powerful, able after twenty years to hit just as hard as the first time. It's the sublimation of Massimo Volume's sound in its most violent form: the best possible way to leave fans longing for the next chance to meet again.

And so ends a practically perfect evening, with the four musicians playing flawlessly while still leaving room for a few experimental flourishes. As always, the emotional tension in the room reached significant heights, and the amazement was plain on the faces of the younger members of the audience, those who were perhaps witnessing Clementi's vibrant declamations for the very first time.

Massimo Volume confirm once again that they are one of the most important and beloved Italian “alternative” rock acts of all time: it would have been a real shame if the story had come to an end forever after “Club Privè”, especially for younger generations who, for reasons of age, never got to see them during the Nineties. Massimo Volume chose to come back, but certainly not to present themselves as faded caricatures of their former selves—rather, with the intention of continuing to produce albums of an almost embarrassing beauty and power. This in a musical landscape where, incidentally, many emerging bands openly draw inspiration from precisely the style that Clementi and his bandmates helped establish two decades ago.

Honorable mention for the lovely merch table, packed with t-shirts, CDs, books and vinyl. Just one note: to mark the twentieth anniversary, couldn't they finally have decided to reissue their remarkable debut “Stanze”?

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