Forse, il loro talento, non è mai stato valorizzato a sufficienza, o forse, sono loro che non si sono mai voluti piegare alle logiche del mercato. Oppure, molto più semplicemente, sono bravi e basta.

I Biohazard (il loro esordio risale ormai a quasi sedici anni fa, era il 1990), sono una band virtuosisticamente perfetta, capaci con poche note di trasmettere rabbia, grinta, carattere, voglia di vivere, di sopravvivere e di far passare messaggi, a volte forse un pò equivoci, ma pur sempre solidamente efficaci.
Evan Seinfeld (basso e voce), Bobby Hambel (chitarra), Billy Graziadei (voce e chitarra) e Danny Schuler (batteria) sono quattro ragazzacci cattivoni e geniali: sul finire degli anni Ottanta accordano musica e strumenti sul suono della periferia di New York utilizzando il linguaggio del rap (ma non quello caciarone e cafone dei tanti gruppi rap emuli sparsi un pò in mezza Europa, Italia compresa), ma la loro velocità è folle, e segue i ritmi del metal con in corpo la rabbia del più feroce e gagliardo hardcore.

Hanno potenzialità enormi: saper mescolare metal, rap e hardcore non è roba di tutti i giorni e in pochi lo saprebbero fare. Il loro esordio però, stranamente, lascia interdetti e un pò delusi: "Biohazard" contiene una manciata di canzonette e una perla ("Survival of the fittest") che però non convince i primissimi pioneristici fans. Si riscattano ampiamente col secondo album, "Urban Discipline", ma toccano vette altissime solamente con il terzo disco, "State of the word address", magnifico album che segnerà, paradossalmente, la fine dei sogni e della gloria: Hambel se ne andrà per conto proprio (intraprenderà una miserrima carriera solista), e il quarto album, "Mata Leao", oltre ad essere un solenne flop commerciale, si rivelerà ben presto vuoto e asfittico.

"State of the word address" però, è un piccolo gioiello che, se non definibile come capolavoro (ma poco ci manca), potrebbe essere benissimo qualificato come 'capolavoro mancato'. Finalmente scritturati da una casa di produzione famosa, la WB, il crossover perfetto e intransigente dei Biohazard riesce finalmente a trasformarsi in purissima delizia musicale: coerenti, e violenti, fino alla morte, e non si vergognano mai di dire quello che pensano: la title track è una feroce accusa contro certa ipocrisia made in Usa e viene sbattuta violentemente in faccia sia al pubblico sia alla critica (e giunge persino alle orecchie, spesso un pò sorde, del Governo Americano), mentre "Tales from the hard side", ribadisce il concetto della fusione fra rap, metal e hardcore. Tutto naturalmente, con grande eleganza e grande stile.

La cattiveria dei Biohazard potrebbe risultare, a tratti, persino insostenibile e sconvolgente (almeno per tutti quelli che si avvicinano per la prima volta a questo genere di musica), ma sono la grinta e la rabbia le chiavi di volta del loro successo che, come dicevo all'inizio, meriterebbe (o meglio, avrebbe meritato) un pubblico più vasto e meno di nicchia, soprattutto in Europa dove la loro arte è sempre stata pochissimo recepita.
Vivere e sopravvivere a New York è difficilissimo, ma ascoltare con calma e pazienza i bellissimi assoli chitarristici di Hambel mette sempre, anche dopo l'ennesimo ascolto, un briciolo di pelle d'oca. Non tutto fila liscio, e almeno un paio di brani sono più che altro catalogabili come semplici riempitivi, ma "State of the world address", volenti o nolenti, è ancora un album di grandissimo impatto e notevolissima resa.

Ma se amate i Biohazard, fermatevi qua: andare oltre e ascoltare i successivi album, vi potrebbe mettere tristezza e malinconia. Qui finisce la storia, e qui finiscono i sogni.

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   State of the World Address (03:18)

02   Down for Life (03:46)

If you were to ask for a favor
There is no such thing, just natural behavior
You see we're family inside
To say we're down with you, yo we say it with pride
Because to us you're real people
Never talkin' down, always as an equal
We're brothers of blood, we share the knife
And now we'll see, Who is down for life
But you front and leave us in doubt
We know who you are and what you're all about
Not sharing mutual respect
And Having to worry about stickin' out our necks
Instead of crying about the loss
We're thankful for those who are down for the cause
We live our lives full of rage
Keepin' ourselves down, mentality of the stone age
Negative emotions project zero
Worryin' and hating, you'll never be a hero
Reach around our back and pull out the knife
And knowing exactly who's down for life

03   What Makes Us Tick (02:23)

04   Tales From the Hard Side (05:39)

00:00
00:00

05   How It Is (04:01)

00:00
00:00

06   Remember (03:40)

Here's a dedication
To the men and women who've served in Vietnam
From our generation to you and your family...
Respect is long overdue
Memories of blood, red, white, blue
Orange skies at night, southeast Asia knew
You were called to serve and you did it well
For us you've made a round-trip through hell
Wars within wars, within wars
To survive you made your own laws
Every day and night to stay alive
You kept your head down and your powder dry
Memories of families
It's God i've known
Take me home
Now you live asking God why
He didn't take you when your brothers all died
Explosions shake the dreams in your head at night in bed
Don't wake him up or you'll end up dead
Try to understand his pain
He still sees blood stains that remain
In his heart and mind, try to numb the pain
People think they understand
Sat watching TV back on quiet land
They spit on you now we'll spit back for you
Our hearts, our voice, gift of our hands
What can they do for you and those who served
And died, we pay respect to the families
Who still cry
Your kids are now full grown
With the love and pride you should have known
Back when your country brought you home
Still now you fight the tears and face your fears each day
But the horrors of fact won't go away
For 2300 MIA's or POW's to this day
We remember and pray for you

07   Five Blocks to the Subway (03:13)

00:00
00:00

Walkin' five blocks every day to earn my keep
It ain't easy when you're walkin' on these streets
Runnin' on a tightrope it's a real thin line
Thinkin' that you might die this time
Some things will never change, a street education
So close yet so far, just a block from the station
Standin' on the corner, I might get taken out
Five blocks to the subway, just five blocks away
Five blocks to the subway, I can do that any day
There's a local wise guy he owns the whole damn block
It's easy doin' business when you're payin' off the cops
Makin' money pushin' drugs wouldn't stop if he could
Killin' kids in his own damn neighborhood
Watch out for muggers and the pickpockets beware
You get to play these games when you pay transit fare
Trials and tribulations, a journey made each day
This is my reality,the hardest game to play
Standin' on the platform and I'm waiting for the train
Good thing I'm underground, now it's startin' to rain
Always stand alone, hold the wall up with my back
Or else you might get pushed on to the tracks

08   Each Day (03:52)

Each day I have another choice too
To try and make things right
I awake from the nightmare
Another day closer to the grave
With a personal affair
And my fright is in moderation
It just might be the death of me
I am aware


I'm not worried about tomorrow
Don't give a fuck about yesterday
To get through this day of sorrow
I must face what comes my way (each day)


Each day I need some kind of release
To pull the trigger on my soul and
Breathe through the bullet hole


I need some peace
Before I am deceased
I want to see my world in its
Negative state became a positive
Place my unleashing all the hate within


I'm not worried about tomorrow
Don't give a fuck about yesterday
To get through this day of sorrow
I must face what comes my way (each day)

09   Failed Territory (05:40)

10   Lack There Of (04:46)

Lack of trust, all alone Lookin' down at the bottom of a hole I've no trust, bare my soul Are we alone or do we have friends Or are we just searchin' for a means to an end What up, peace out, my boys and all that But as soon as we leave they talk behind our backs Low selfimage of the way things are Either way we lose and we can never go far 'Cause always we'll wonder as to just what's the deal It just depends on what you feel is real Perception is everything inside our brains With much bigger problems, no time for games Of people acting down but it's just a facade Can't say it to my face, isn't that odd Just what exactly does trust mean Is it about being down with the scene Or is it about following your own true heart And being true to your friends to the end from the start Just what is wealth it's just how you view it It's not having to wonder whether or not you might lose it It can't be about material gain If you're drowning alone neck deep in pain To trust and lay your soul on the line May not be the nature of most humankind Lookin' over your shoulder is no way to go So stick with true friends and do without the doubt

11   Pride (03:16)

You don't care about
Self doubt coming out from inside out
Knock you down, across town all around the underground
Shooting and disputing you're always persecuting
With your attitude and fucked up views tattooed, rude and crude
Denying, glorifying your way of life while crucifying
Close your eyes for the ride while you glorify your false pride
In any case you're blue in the face
'cause you lost your place in the human race
That pushed you to do what you do so fuck you and your point of view
I used to doubt myself because I lived without
What I needed inside
My pride, comes from inside
Nothing to hide enough tears cried
My pride won't be denied
Moan and groan and chew the bone about the zone you call your own
Grow your own backbone hold your own and stand alone
Why pretend and be content with all the hate you hold innate
Pull your weight, it ain't too late to recreate your inner state
Discontent with time ill spent time has come and time has went
Now you vent while you torment why resent ? misrepresent
The scene between the lean and mean serene, extreme, the American dream
Live alive revive and thrive on life deprived as I survive
I'm fuckin' pissed off I used to be so angry
I'd disagree with anything that went against inside me
But things have changed I've rearranged in exchange for all the pain
I kept inside and tried to hide denied and lied, but kept my pride
By my side in good supply all the while, hostile
And senile, I never smiled at anyone but now I'm done
A battle won for number one so look and see and you'll agree
I live life free, I now know me I am a man who knows he can
I know I can, I take my stand

12   Human Animal (04:53)

I am an animal!
The human animal!
A human animal!

I am an animal!
The human animal!
A human animal!

The monster of hate overcomes rational thought
Fast fuse burning the lessons I've been taught
It's just too late to remember who I am
The things that I believe in and the way that I stand
About peace, harmony, respect for fellow man
All that shit just got thrown against the fan
In my violent rage, they say that I am a criminal
There ain't no labels within the human animal

I am an animal!
The human animal!
A human animal!

In this world of bigotry and pain
The violence spreads and terror reigns
The opinions in our minds replace our souls
As the human animal takes control

The path of self-destruction has brought me to this point
As modern day society cracks arthritic joints
No mercy is shown, it's hitting all my weak spots
I never had a gun, but now I wanna hear gun shots

I sleep not for fear, I get no rest
Twisted in a sense, 'cause my button has been pressed
How many ways have you shown me that you hate me
And then you wonder why what have you done to me lately

I am an animal!
The human animal!
A human animal!

In this world of bigotry and pain
The violence spreads and terror reigns
The opinions in our minds replace our souls
As the human animal takes control

Tension building, I'm being pushed too far
I need a release, take the lid of this jar
My voice seems useless in this situation
Time to take action, release frustration

Everyone has limits, only so much you can take
Antagonizing pressure is the icing on the cake
Physical abuse, induced or subliminal
Open the door, unleash the human animal

Everyone has limits, only so much you can take
Antagonizing pressure is the icing on the cake
Physical abuse, induced or subliminal
Open the door, unleash the human animal

The human animal!
A human animal!

I am an animal!
A human animal!
The human animal!

Flashes of red my vision of distortion
Like a virus, it spreads, giving each his portion
Contagious psychopath, the vibe is in synch
Movin' like a pack, we're back to basic instincts

Wild at heart, now we show our true colors
In the path of desperation, we forget about our brothers
Who would die for us, now, we die for no man
Deranged from the instance, violence came too hard

Instinctual behavior in the given situation
Leaves us with no call for rationalization
Every man has what it takes to be an cannibal
Never underestimate, the human animal

13   Cornered (03:10)

Sometimes I feel it's a waste of time
To listen to your shouting a wordless pantomime
Can't you see it falls on deaf ears
Filling me up with your point of view
Your opinions are your own, I got mine too
What I think don't mean nothing to you
When the shit hits the fan
And you're forced by the man
Who holds the key to our promised land
Don't misunderstand what's in the man's hand
'Cause it's all been laid out in the New World Plan
Makin' me feel like a laboratory rat
Without a mind of its own - diseased and fat
I can't let my life go out like that
'Cause I'm an extra skeptic, a true eclectic
I find it hard to trust all the people we've elected
Take a look around, do you feel protected
Like garbage in a dump our lives have been rejected
A blind man leading the not so blind
Creating false truth to fill our minds
To listen to yourself would be a crime
It all comes back to you some time
Like it or not, they got a number on me
I will not break for your demands
Rabid, defensive, in the corner I stand
Caught in a trap, the bait was free
Like it or not, they got a number on me
I can't trust anyone, they're all out to get me
Gonna run until I can't run from the laws that ruin me
Faster and harder so God help me flee
From the lies that we're free and the powers that be
That push the rich forward between you and me
But agree to agree with no guarantee
Of something to live for I'll die if need be
I stand up for all as I fight to be free

14   Love Denied (05:55)

A child is told from day number one
He's a worthless piece of shit, bad and dumb
Generations pass down low self self esteem
We're molded by things we've heard and seen
Or punched in the mouth for being unsure
Or locked behind the closet door
We learn what we live, we live what we learn
Abuse of innocence to evil we turn
Can anybody hear their cries
Can anybody tell them why
You gotta read between the lies
People die when love is denied
One of many lessons i learned to be like
You ain't gonna live like you
You made me what I am today
So close to you, yet so far away
The pain you lived with made you ill
An empty hole with nothing to fill
I forgive and love you forever still
A waste of time, a waste of life
Livin' on the edge of a sharp fuckun' knife
I can't blame you for never being around
I know you never meant to hurt and bring me down
Look in their eyes to hear their cries
And you will see all their pain lying dormant inside
Now realize as time passes by
That people die when love is denied


  • killgod
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    assolutamente d'accordo, sono alla base per chiunque suoni cross-over... contando che hanno spaccato di brutto...yeah
  • Recensione: Opera:
    Personale/mente, cordiale messer de-recensoreo Mister Vinsex, per quanto a Ella poco or nothing importi, de-prefereirei nettamente lo precedentibus Urbano Disciplinato-disquo rispetto al muscolar/farraginoso disquo preso in examination. Una straclassica (deluxe) degustibusiana carta et non se ne parli plùs (anzichénon). Ossequi urbanamente (in)disciplinati a iosa. Your s.c. di (s)fiducia. p.s. non mi de-convinc(i)(anche grammaticale/mente und assai) quel "..in pochi lo saprebbero.."
  • Recensione: Opera:
    De-mannaggia.. volevo dire Cordiale Messer Marco oltreché Poletti.. (sbagliai name: perdono und penitenziagite a josa).
  • dark_kingdom
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    Dunque, non voto perchè non li so usare io, i commenti. Comunque in generale è una bella rece, piacevole da leggere, ma secondo me c'è una pecca, cioè che parli troppo poco dell'album, parli più dei biohazard, secondo me. Scrivere scrivi bene comunque. I Biohazard non penso che mi piaceranno, li proverò ad ascoltare, ma il genere da quanto ho capito non è dei miei preferiti.
  • Dexster
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    Ottimo Marco...ottimo...
  • Fidia
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    Porca vacca, ecco il Poletti che non ti aspetti che passa dagli Articolo 31 ai Biohazard.
    Bravo, fa sempre bene allargare i propri orizzonti musicali!
  • michi
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    tutto bene, bella rece!
  • Massimof
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    Non male la recensione, stiamo su un 3,81.
  • The Punisher
    14 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    Recensione più che valida ma il gruppo non lo conosco (l'album ancora meno!)
  • leonid
    17 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    tra tutti i dischi di quel genere al quale manca sempre un soldo per fare una lira che è il crossover, questo è tra quelli che più mi acchiapparono. onesti, truzzi e brutali, li definirei. dal vivo delle vere e proprie furie: nemmeno un attimo di respiro, gente che volava da tutte le parti. rispetto alle checchine modaiole tipo RATM tutto un altro tiro e un'altra brutalità. poi la loro ignoranza e cecità li ha fatti finire male (il citato mata leao), ma da truzzi del genere non era lecito aspettarsi altro. domanda finale: perché tutti i dischi crossover (e questo lo amo particolarmente) lì per lì "esaltano", poi però non lasciano alcunché e anzi stufano?
  • leonid
    17 lug 06
    Recensione: Opera:
    ops

Ocio che non hai mica acceduto al DeBasio!

Per vivere con pienezza la vera esperienza dello stare sul DeBaser è bello esserci registrati.
Quindi Accedi o Registrati