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Due anni dopo “Magica” (lavoro ispirato palesemente agli anni settanta dei Rainbow) veniva annunciata l’uscita di “Killing The Dragon”. Si è trattato, negli intenti del suo ideatore, del disco che doveva rispolverare l’approccio stilistico al rock d’assalto. Una sorta di revival hard‘n’heavy in stile “Holy Diver”.
Tempo fa lessi un’intervista al singer nella quale spiegava di essere un pessimo chitarrista, ammettendo la sua dipendenza compositiva da coloro con cui collaborava di volta in volta. Detto ciò si spiegano le incertezze ed il piattume di “Killing The Dragon”. Via Craig Goldie (del quale quest’album porta ancora la firma in alcuni brani) viene assoldato Doug Aldrich, axe-man tanto virtuoso quanto artisticamente bolso e sorpassato (e pensare che fu presentato da Ronnie come l’erede stilistico di Viv Campbell... mah...). Aggiungiamo che Simon Wright ha oramai sostituito in pianta stabile dietro le pelli l’imponente Vinny Appice, ed in alcuni pezzi, causa forse i suoi trascorsi negli AC\DC, contribuisce non poco ad appiattirne la sezione ritmica (soprattutto quelli tirati).
Le riviste specializzate scrissero “un disco per i fan”. Pappa per polli, tradurremo noi. Mi duole dirlo, perché Ronnie Dio ha contribuito alla storia di un genere, ma i fatti sono che questa oramai è gente anziana, che ha campato di musica per tutta la vita e desidera continuare a farlo anche adesso. Da ciò, questa affannosa scelta di un ritorno al passato. Ad oggi, in effetti, sono tantissime le band storiche del metal e dell’hard rock che, per un pugno di dollari in più, hanno imboccato la via del riciclaggio all’infinito dei propri celebri trascorsi.
Tuttavia, anche lasciando da parte i discorsi di purezza artistica, il punto è che questo disco non prende nè al primo, né al centesimo ascolto. Si, la titletrack è accattivante, c’è qualche altro spunto apprezzabile qui e lì, come i “riffoni portanti” di “Scream” e “Push”, ma a parte ciò, il resto non regge per niente il confronto con i capolavori della prima metà degli anni ottanta (e neanche con quelli più sperimentali della decade successiva). Tanto per citare qualche episodio: “Rock‘n’Roll” è a tratti un caso di plagio legale, “Better In The Dark” suona pure tra l’abusato ed il già sentito. Infine, per la serie “cavoli a merenda”, c’ è “Throw Away The Children” che vorrebbe essere un pezzo ispirato. Il brano soffre in realtà la presenza di Aldrich, che rovina le atmosfere con quel maledetto suono lustrato a mo’ di glamster anni ottanta (almeno i suoni potevano aggiornarli). Ed avanti ancora più o meno così per tutto il disco, tra un riff scopiazzato, un assolo impegnativo fine a se stesso e tante idee vecchie come il cucco.
Fa tristezza dirlo, il dragone forse non è ancora morto, certo è che non ruggisce più. Un disco figlio del mercato della nostalgia.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Killing the Dragon (04:26)
Silence - we hunt for the queen
Sign of the cross
And pray in-between
Look by the light of the day
She's hiding till dark
Waiting to play hey-hey
Something's taken a child
And it all must end
Time to be killing the dragon again
Silence - we'll hunt for the lord
He takes crimson and gold
Gave ice to the cold
Oh to be never afraid
Of wolves at the door
Howling for more
More's been empty for years
And it all must end
Time to be killing the dragon again
Kneel and behold your new king
Digital dreams
And wonderful things to tease you
Small gods with electrical hearts
And it all will end
Time to be killing the dragon
02 Along Comes a Spider (03:33)
Remember when you only needed no one
Every day's tomorrow
And it's all right
No confessions - not for you
Forget the things you've done
It's what you'll do
The first time you're suspicious
What's that gliding down
Along comes a spider
Suddenly the world has no more changes
You've run with an evil woman
So it's all right
No more strangers' candy lies
The light is so much better for your eyes
Now I'm not superstitious
But every time you've tried
Along comes a spider
Don't ask why - it's the long way around
Just go wild
Why do we believe in conversation
We never seem to listen
We only hear
Now you don't need permission
But don't get caught next time
Along comes a spider
A spider
A spider
Inside her
03 Scream (05:02)
You've made it through another day
Driving past the backroads of your mind
You could have turned the other way
And break down on the sanity you've found inside you
Someone said that you are fantasy
But in the darkness
Behind your smile
You scream
Scream
Scream for the crazy ones
Scream at the things you've done
Scream at the rising sun
We bless the beautiful
Let us forgive you for your sins
These must be holy ones
How could we believe they'd let us in
Oh, once I heard that they were fantasy
But in the darkness
Behind their smiles
They scream
Scream
Scream of a broken heart
Scream as they come apart
Scream cause they never started
Scream
No pain
No sympathy
You've always been so steady at the wheel
Some friend reality
You break down on the highway
About to see it my way
Scream at the crazy ones
Scream cause they all have sons
Scream as they point the gun at you
Scream at the bleeding heart
Scream cause the end won't start
Scream as you come apart again
Again, again, again...
06 Push (04:08)
You've ridden on a carousel
So you know the feeling
As the ring slips through your fingers
Sometimes you justify it
But there's the sword
And you're bleeding once again
Before you're in a corner
Can't crawl away
Here's a way to save you
You gotta push
Get out of my way and push
You can turn the wheel
Push
One more push
You're master of the broken heart
And so you know the feeling
As your soul starts going under
Sometimes you rectify it
Then out of the blue
The hammer falls again
Before you're in the water
Can't sail away
Here's a way to save you
You gotta push
Break the body down
Oh push
Out of my way I'll push
You better push
You gotta push
Hands against the wall
And push
Out of my way we'll push
You can turn the wheel
Go on and push
Push
Push
Push
Push
07 Guilty (04:26)
He'd never tell her lies
And she believed in magic
But when the magic died
She could see that all along he's just been
Guilty - a liar, liar
Guilty
Guilty - burn in fire
Guilty
It's time to say goodbye
Don't tell another story
Another alibi
Now you see that all along he's just been
Guilty - a liar, liar
Guilty
Guilty - you burn in fire
Guilty
Guilty - the great pretender
Guilty
You're guilty - just surrender cause you're guilty
Broken promise
But please forgive again
One more time for me
It's the very last time - you'll see
Guilty - liar, liar
You'll burn in fire
Guilty - liar, liar
Guilty
Guilty - the great pretender
Guilty
Guilty - just surrender, you're guilty
Guilty, guilty, guilty
A liar, liar
Guilty - you'll burn in fire
Oh guilty, you'll burn in fire
Surrender - guilty
So guilty
10 Cold Feet (04:13)
Tired of living in the black and white?
Where fools can tell you that you're never right
I know a place where the film's in color
Just step inside of yourself
Here's a place in the front row
So on with the show
The same old shadow on the run
That's no shadow, it's your shadow's son
I know a place where the pools got water
And you don't need to know how to swim
Here's the key to the back door
Do you want more
Do you need more?
Same old rhythm to the same old rhyme
The same old clock - same old time
There's a place where the grass is greener
And you can shake, rattle and roll
Here's the key to the front door
Do you want more
Will you need more?
Tired of living in the black and white
Where no-one's wrong and you're never right
Same old steps to the same old dance
Just one more reason - one more chance
Oh
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