In attesa del nuovo "Twilight Of The Innocents" in uscita a luglio (e già anticipato dai singoli "I Started A Fire" e "You Can't Have It All"), soffermiamoci sugli Ash targati 2004, che proposero un buon disco battezzato "Meltdown". L'album rappresentò una decisa sterzata rispetto al precedente "Free All Angels", dominato da sonorità pop (non a caso il disco dell'esplosione internazionale dei quattro, con hits del calibro di "Burn Baby Burn", "Candy", "Sometimes" e "Shining Light"), e propose invero una maggiore aggressività delle chitarre e un impatto sonoro più potente unito a una minore ricerca del ritornello ad effetto (quest'ultima caratteristica, onestamente, non è -come vedremo- del tutto svanita). Oltretutto, questo è l'ultimo lavoro del gruppo irlandese in compagnia della brava e bellissima chitarrista Charlotte Hatherley, ormai lanciata come solista (dopo l'esordio di un paio di annetti fa, "Grey Will Fade", è appena uscito il suo nuovo solo-project "The Deep Blue") ed uscita definitivamente dalla line-up dopo dieci anni.
La title-track, nonché opener, inaugura il disco con una bella mazzata di chitarre aggressive ed un testo non di certo zuccheroso ("Revolution/we're the solution"), e ci introduce al primo singolo "ufficiale", la frenetica "Orpheus" (il primo estratto, unicamente in download, fu "Clones", altro pezzo very-aggressive). "Evil Eye" riesuma la vecchia, cara ricerca del pezzo pop-rock perfetto che ha impegnato gli Ash per una decade: la canzone e quella del lotto che più ricorda le "vecchie" sonorità. "Starcrossed" è una ballata elettrica molto radiofonica, non a caso un piccolo classico del gruppo. "Out Of The Blue" ha la sola pecca di non possedere un ritornello particolarmente incisivo, ma si lascia ascoltare. Utile invece soffermarsi su "Renegade Cavalcade", che inizia con un intro vagamente minacciosa per esplodere in un vortice di chitarre e un refrain iper-melodico marchiato a fuoco Ash (da sentire col volume a manetta il bridge, veramente aggressivo ed incisivo). "Detonator" vira leggermente su sonorità spolverate di hard rock fine anni '80, ma mantiene il marchio di fabbrica dei quattro irlandesi. "On A Wave" si può cassare come riempitivo, mentre "Won't Be Saved" è l'altro pezzo pop-oriented dell'album; le due canzoni ci introducono al finale di "Vampire Love", in cui si sente l'influenza metal (peraltro dichiarata) che allora colpì il gruppo, fra giri di chitarra frenetici ed un assolo invero un po' esagerato, ma indubbiamente valido ed efficace.
Un disco che mantiene una qualità di scrittura medio-alta, ma che non possiede picchi qualitativi particolarmente alti; rimane comunque l'abilità degli Ash nel confezionare dischi piacevoli e, come in questo caso, obiettivamente divertenti ed incisivi. Alla prossima.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Meltdown (03:24)
Revolution, we're the solution
We're gonna take it to the overload
Rebel radical retribution
We're here to get what we are owed
I think my head, my head is gonna explode
I think my head is gonna explode
I think my brain is gonna overload
I think my head is gonna explode
We're unified in a sonic nation
Leave all the fakers and the lies behind
You want to meet us in a confrontation
Our psychic weapons will destroy your mind
I think my head, my head is gonna explode
I think my head is gonna explode
I think my brain is gonna overload
I think my head is gonna explode
Now is the time, yeah
To do it right
Take no more lies
Make up your mind, yeah
The witch doctors and the politicians
They rule by fear and try to keep us down
But they can't see that these conditions
Will spark the fury of the underground
I see it on the global transmission
It's almost ready to overload
I see a dark apocalyptic vision
One minute now the world is gonna explode
I think my head, my head is gonna explode
I think my head is gonna explode
I think my brain is gonna overload
I think my head is gonna explode
I think my head, my head is gonna explode
I think my head is gonna explode
I think my brain is gonna overload
It hink my head is gonna explode
02 Orpheus (04:16)
That summer I did nothing
Just sleeping, thinking and hanging around
Left the dark streets of September
As the air was cooling down
Woah yeah it was cooling down
I need the sunshine in the morning
I'm heading for the open road
Sunshine in the morning
Lord you gotta let it flow
Ever since I lost her
Seems the more I learn, the less I know
Everyday I think about her
But if I look back I'll turn to stone
To stone, woah yeah gonna turn to stone
I need the sunshine in the morning
I'm heading for the open road
Sunshine in the morning
Lord you gotta let it flow
I need the sunshine in the morning
Yeah I gotta feel its glow
Sunshine in the morning
Lord you gotta let it flow
I'm heading for the open road x8
It hit me without warning
I was left out on my own
The sad times they were forming
I went through them alone
A new day it is dawning
I feel the pain is gone
The open world is calling
And I am moving on
I need the sunshine in the morning
I'm heading for the open road
Sunshine in the morning
Lord you gotta let it flow
I need the sunshine in the morning
Yeah I gotta feel its glow
Sunshine in the morning
Lord you gotta let it flow
04 Clones (04:01)
Now you're a clone
With a heart of stone
Synthetic soul
Brainwashed and cold
You're just a drone
Got no control
Forced in a mold
Processed and sold
Hey!
You know i find it frightning
How you change just as fast as lightning
You fell from grace
Leavin no trace
You've been replaced
You're name erased
Hey!
It's just self-destruction
You never listened to my instructions
Shame, shame, shame, shame
Shame
That everyones the same
I thought u stood alone
We're different from the clones
You were a flash of white
A major ride
You're making time
Now im outta sight
For I have seen
What could've been
A very dream
A prophecy
Hey!
Now there's no use waiting
Everything is disintegrating
Shame
Everyone's the same
I thought u stood alone
We're different from the clones
I thought u were the true
Exception to the rule
But the truth is cruel
Clones, clones, clones, clones
Clones, clones, clones, clones
Yeah!
Hey!
Now theres no use waiting
Everything is disintegrating
Shame
Everyone's the same
I thought you stood alone
We're different from the clones
I thought u were the true
Exception to the rule
But the truth is cruel
05 Starcrossed (04:51)
Behold this night, still and clear
You look here just like an angel sleeping
I wish I could ease your fears
I would catch the diamond tears you're weeping
In your eyes I would hide
By your side I could defy
The forces tearing us apart
But reality, as it seems
Looking back, is that our dream
Was fated from the start
Girl we're star-crossed and can't escape
We're condemned and can only wait
At this time now it's far too late
To save us from our fate
I'll remain in your hold
Body, mind, heart and soul
As long as I breathe
Though consequence takes its toll
All is out of our control
That's how it will be
So close your eyes my young bride
Listen to me one last time
There's something I have to say
When your faith turns to despair
Always will my love be there
And never fade away
Girl we're star-crossed and can't escape
We're condemned and can only wait
At this time now it's far too late
To save us from our fate
You can't save us
You can't save us
Girl we're star-crossed and can't escape
We're condemned and can only wait
At this time now it's far too late
The poison's in our veins
It's true
You know that I'd die for you
You know that I'd die for you
You know that I'd die for you
Forever true
I'll see you through
06 Out of the Blue (03:24)
Not feeling, broken-hearted
Feeling just like when it started
Awake, it's a new day
No more heartache
Breaking away
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Sky blue, nothing to lose
Girl I want to, get to know you
It's come from out of nowhere
All is changing, it's in the air
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
In a free-fall out of the blue
In a dream world out of the blue
Into the sunset out of the blue
In the slipstream out of the blue
Do you feel, what I feel, Is it real?
Can't conceal, so unreal, what I feel
Yeah! out of the blue
Not feeling, broken hearted
Feeling just like when it started
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
Out of the blue, into the slipstream
07 Renegade Cavalcade (03:28)
As I walk in the dirty rain
Acid seeping through my brain
I'm never gonna crack
There can be no turning back
Water runs down the windowpane
As she sucks on a sugarcane
You can see it in my face
Staring into outer space
We're renegades
We belong in the gutter singing
This song, all the bells are ringing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
And it feels like a dirty dream
Like I'm walking to the guillotine
Feel the voodoo in my brain
Sipping on a hurricane
How's it feel to be a freak?
Oh so pale and so unique
To walk lonely in the rain
Unashamed that we are not the same
We belong in the gutter dreaming
Sing along, at the stars we're screaming
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
How does it feel to be alone?
Set apart from all the clones
We're the ones who can't be tamed
Who go against the grain
Alright
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
We belong in the gutter singing
This song, all the bells are ringing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
How does it feel to be a renegade?
We're condemned for we are not the same
Visionaries in the cavalcade
No we can't be tamed
Original Lyrics
As I walk in the dirty rain
Acid seeping through my brain
Like a tragic paperback
How long until it cracks?
Water runs down the windowpane
As she sucks on a sugarcane
Down a lonely cul-de-sac
And I know there's no way back
We belong in the gutter singing
This song, all the bells are ringing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
And it feels like a dirty dream
Like I'm walking to the guillotine
Feel the voodoo in my brain
Sipping on a hurricane
How does it feel to be a freak?
Oh so pale and so unique
To be travelling on your own
To be spat on and disowned
We belong in the gutter singing
Sing along, at the stars we're singing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
How does it feel to be alone?
Stand apart from all the clones
To walk lonely in the rain
To be looked on with disdain
All your senses overthrown
As you walk to the unknown
We're the ones who can't be tamed
Who go against the grain
We belong in the gutter singing
This song, all the bells are ringing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
We belong in the gutter singing
Sing along, at the stars we're singing
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
08 Detonator (03:39)
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
High explosive girl you turn me on
So volatile like a walking atom bomb (just like a walking atom bomb)
Just takes one spark to kerosene
You go off like nitro-glycerine (you go off like nitro glycerine)
The time is right to deviate
The supernatural cannot wait
I'll show you how to detonate, yeah
I'm coming up, I'm rising from the flames
I've been born with fire in my veins (I've been born with fire in my veins)
The time is right to deviate
The supernatural cannot wait
I'll show you how to detonate
Yeah!
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Detonator
Bang! I'm in love
Baby, you're the bomb
I wanna make it
Wanna take it
Wanna love you
Wanna turn you on
Yeah, I wanna, blow your mind
Yeah, I wanna blow your little mind
Yeah, I wanna detonate
Yeah, I wanna detonate
Yeah, I wanna detonate
Detonate
Detonate
Yeah!
The time is right to deviate
The supernatural cannot wait
I'll show you how to detonate
Yeah
The time is right to deviate
The supernatural cannot wait
I'll show you how to detonate
Yeah!!
Detonator
09 On a Wave (04:28)
In a spiral, a comet on the blood-red horizon
Falling headlong, in flames I tumble into the ocean
In a fever, it's never gonna let you forget her
Come whatever, and who are you to know any better?
On a wave, never gonna see her again
On a wave, gonna ride it right to the end
A tsunami, slamming on floor of the ocean
An emotion, a butterfly has put it in motion
On a wave, never gonna see her again
On a wave, got it right right to the end
On a wave, breaking away
On a wave, don't care what you're saying
She always swore that
We'd make it whatever
Through any tempest
We'd stick together
She's in my system
She'll stay there forever
Like a virus that's in my heart
On a wave
On a wave
At night I'm floating on the seabed
White horses, charging over my head
And all is destined to decay
All is programmed to betray
In your heart and soul enslaved
Brake away on an ocean wave
Devotion, I'm falling to the floor of the ocean
I'm a depth of charge
A fireball of love and emotion
Yeah
On a wave, never gonna see her again
On a wave, got it right right to the end
On a wave, breaking away
On a wave
Don't care what you say
I'm leaving today
I'm breaking away on a wave
10 Won't Be Saved (03:41)
No I won't be saved
No I won't be saved
Heart is in my mouth
As I turn my face away
And I walk down the deserted streets
Desolate and grey
Nothing more to say
Whispering your name
Under winter skies
Imprisoned by the thought of you
Captured by your eyes
Mesmerised
No I won't be saved
I will always be enslaved
No I won't be saved
In my heart your name engraved
I'm down on my knees
In a willing sacrific
I won't confess my transgressions
I won't repent my vice
I'll pay the price
No I won't be saved
I will always be enslaved
No I won't be saved
In my heart your name engraved
No I won't be saved
I won't be saved
No I won't be saved
I won't be saved
The visions come at night
I feel I'm hypnotised
I tremble as I fall into
The furnace of your eyes
And out of sight
No I won't be saved
I will always be enslaved
No I won't be saved
I will love you to the grave
No I won't be saved
I will always be enslaved
No I won't be saved
In my heart your name engraved
Falling down
Falling down
Falling down
Falling down
11 Vampire Love (03:44)
Sub-cult fantasy, vampire love
A carnal sacrifice of the virgin dove
In the midnight court I scent your blood
Innocence drowning in the flood
Tonight I want you in my arms
It's not the end, no
Tonight I'll place you safe from harm
It's not the end, no
Yeah
Oohh
Victorian repression, I fantastise
Chromium lips and metallic eyes
The reverse cowgirl death defies
Virginal sinners tell sadisitic lies
Tonight i want you in my arms
It's not the end, no
Tonight i'll place you safe from harm
It's not the end, no
Soul searching on your knees
The time is always now for eternity
Black death market uniform
Submit unto my kiss and you'll be reborn
Yeah yeah
Sub-cult fantasy, vampire love
Erotic bombshell, she's the god above
Give me cardinal sin, sensual head
Vapour trail vision, I'm glad I'm dead
Tonight I want you in my arms
It's not the end, no
Tonight I'll place you safe from harm
It's not the end, no
Tonight I want you in my arms
It's not the end, no
Tonight I need to feel your charms
It's not the end, no
It's not the end, no (It's not the end, no)
It's not the end, no (It's not the end, no)
It's not the end, no (It's not the end, no)
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di francis
La virata verso un rock più duro e corposo si rivela uno specchio per le allodole.
Meltdown è un disco che a malapena si guadagna quelle tre stellette che do per pura stima.
