DeGenere: NY HARDCORE "Scratch The Surface" è il terzo album (escludendo il primo EP) per la band dei fratelli Koller, e primo disco pubblicato sotto una major, Eastwest Records. I Sick Of It All sono una band Hardcore, anzi sono un gruppo di New York Hardcore che ha saputo costruirsi negli anni (nel 2006 festeggeranno il loro ventesimo anniversario) una indubbia fama ed una vastissima base di fans, grazie al loro suono, alla loro integrità e alle loro energetiche e potentissime esibizioni on stage.
Se dovessi definire il suono dei Soia a chi non li conosce, direi loro di pensare alla velocità ed immediatezza dell'Hardcore, e perché no anche alla sua melodicità ed allo stesso tempo di pensare alla distorsione, all'Overdrive propri del Thrash metal togliendo però gli assoli. (Tutto questo sempre dando delle linee guida). Detto questo che sicuramente avrà provocato qualche dissenso, va anche detto però che i ns. sono bravi nel costruirsi un suono esclusivamente loro che li ha sempre contraddistinti. Questo Album che si inserisce nell'enorme calderone del genere Punk/Hardcore e si fà notare perché quando uscì, nel 1994, il panorama americano era sotto l'effetto di Green Day, Offspring e compagnia cantante. Tutte le case discografiche erano alla ricerca della next big think in ambito Punk(?!). I Soia, al primo contratto con una major come dicevo, sono stati bravissimi a rimanere fedeli a loro stessi e alla loro fan-base in un panorama così finto e "commerciale" come quello dell'epoca, e si sono contraddistinti per l'onestà con la quale hanno affrontato il "salto". Inoltre, i Soia hanno sempre spiattellato in faccia a tutti la loro visione della società ed il loro modo di vivere privilegiando quelli che per loro sono dei valori fondamentali.
Nel disco a mio parere gli episodi migliori sono rappresentati da "Insurrection" indiscutibilmente una MAZZATA, "No Cure", la velocissima "Goatless" e ancora "Step Down" o "Desperate Fool". È un po' difficile citare i pezzi migliori (questi non sono assolutamente gli unici presenti) perché se vi piace il genere questo disco è da avere. Per tutti i motivi elencati all'interno di questa recensione, "Scratch the Surface" si impone a pieno titolo come uno dei migliori prodotti di tutti gli anni '90 nella scena Hardcore. Ultimo punto, la particolarità dei SOIA e la loro integrità li rende comunque un gruppo assolutamente Indie/Underground nel senso più puro del termine. Per tutti gli appassionati. Consigliato... ora scusate, vado a fare Stage-diving lanciandomi dalla scrivania...
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 No Cure (02:58)
No cure, no end in sight
No cure for poisoned minds
No change, no change, after all this talk still living foul
Ignorant, Ignorant, you think we would've learned by now
Over and over same mistakes as before
No end, no end, look around no end in sight
When the damage done is to extensive
Everyone ignores consequences
Hatred, hatred, the only thing we give ourselves
Heartless, heartless, no regard for anyone else
Sickening, sickening, the way that greed rules our lives
No cure, no cure, for the disease called mankind
Look deep inside - for the cure to what ails mankind
Look deep inside - we've got to live a more righteous life
Look deep inside - can't change the world
but you can change yourself...
02 Insurrection (01:50)
Resentful, I'm sure the feeling is mutual
Power for those with the most capital
Upper echelon not in touch at all
Grabbing at straws, desperation
Whatcha' gonna do about it?
Where are you gonna run?
Whatcha' gonna do about it
that you haven't already done?
No more joy in the lives of the skuoned and exited
Screaming from silence,
pent up inside us
All this frustration, has bred all this violence.
In the commotion power was at hand,
in the confusion wealth was up for grabs,
both looked appealing we took all that we could,
control was ours and then we understood
Helpless, I'm sure the feeling is typical
Glory for those with the most capital
Upper echelon we rule with an iron hand
Crushing any insurrection
Whatcha' gonna do about it
There's nothing you can do...
04 Who Sets the Rules (02:45)
Fly by night scenester, Fly by night hipster
One more newjack wants to set the rules
Fly by night scenester, Fly by night hipster
Never suffered, never paid the dues living contradiction,
live a lie oh so fashionable what a goddamn pitiful sight it must
be a great thing knowing it all spreading nausea with a brazen show of gall
Who sets the rules
The snobby fools
Who sets the rules
The facist who wants to rule
Living independent what a joke those caught dipping in a trust fund won't go
broke all this rhetoric is so hard to bear when the fool assumes a high and mighty air
People come and go, only some can really know who is laughable
who should be on a pedestal.
Trendy we'll see in the future what'll be, who is obsolete
The one who takes it to extremes.
05 Goatless (01:20)
Before us is an empty slate
We can impress how we please
Bombard them with the usual schlock
Whatever we've got up our sleeve
Teach them that violence
Can solve all their problems
Teach them to act on a whim
The horror the one we present is
Just where the horror begins...
Violent fantasy, comes reality
The effect will be quite a tragedy
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
Of blame, Before us is a twisted world
No one can work out the knots we've got
An enemy here they could be blamed for a lot
We'll say they're the problem,
We'll say they're the cause
They'll be the scapegoat now
Goatless - we'd be on the spot
We can't let the truth come out
The pressure cracks another
And they know who to come
After whe'd be goatless
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
We'll point the finger!
The pressure cracks another
And they know who to come
After whe'd be goatless
06 Step Down (03:09)
In the underground, integrity lies within
in the underground, image doesn't mean a thing
when the substance lacks it's plain for all to see
if the deal is right then respect is where it should be.
For the fakes and frauds it's a fucking fashion show
total compromise will have them sell their soul.
all the negative all the useless influence
all the emptiness all the violent detriment
makes no sense...
Please have more to give than fashion and images
please have more to give than fashion and images
Caught up in a trap of media crap that's no way to live
Caught up in a trap of media crap so little to give
Caught up in a trap of media crap that's no way to live
Caught up in a trap of media crap so little to give
In the underground, integrity lies within
in the underground, image doesn't mean a thing
we can do away with this negativity
it's a golden day we can force them to stepdown
07 Maladjusted (02:24)
Nothing satisfies, nothing will cause it won't get a chance to.
Altered spirit and altered mind take a turn for the worst soon.
Fear has struck, fear is stuck maladjusted
Assurance won't sit well at all cause no one is trusted
You've got what you wanted
the reason you came
control the action control of the game
See through the happiness,
see through the sappiness
See through the front that obscures all the truth
and see ugliness, torture, torture and ugliness
Nothing satisfies, nothing will cause it won't get a chance to.
Altered spirit and altered mind take a turn for the worst soon.
Fear has struck, fear is stuck maladjusted
Assurance won't sit well at all cause no one is trusted
See through the happiness,
see through the sappiness
See through the front that obscures all the truth
and see ugliness, torture, torture and ugliness
Selfishness lost in a quagmire of human filth
Fear has struck, fear is stuck Maladjusted
Fear that rules a twisted fuck, Maladjusted
08 Scratch the Surface (02:51)
Scratch the surface serve a purpose
scratch the surface don't waste my time
Such empty life
night after night
all hidden faults
such shallow sight
Such simple sheep
herd to the creeps
beauty is null
barely skin deep
What is the force that drives the superficial
tell me what keeps their minds remaining little
What is the force that drives the superficial
tell me what keeps their minds remaining
so afraid of what they'd see underneath the fantasy
so afraid to actually scratch the surface
Scratch the surface serve a purpose
scratch the surface don't waste my time
All mirrors hide
faillure inside
that's maybe why
they take so much time
Big money lies
big lying eyes
eyes are the soul
big dollar signs
What is the force that drives the superficial
tell me what keeps their minds remaining little
What is the force that drives the superficial
tell me what keeps their minds remaining
so afraid of what they'd see underneath the fantasy
so afraid to actually scratch the surface
Scratch the surface serve a purpose
scratch the surface don't waste my time
09 Free Spirit (01:53)
We've taken to much for granted
the basis that some are denied
some choose to ignore this right while others would give up their lives.
For the chance to voice their opinions through all of the torture and crime
lies and deception won't change the direction of will in it's fight to survive
Freedom, not free, freedom
Even when kept in restraint the spirit continues to thrive
lies and deception won't change the direction of will
in it's fight to survive
Figures of oppression breathing down our necks
Free spirit continues to thrive
Free spirit in the face of denial this oppression,
the depression answer it with indignation
12 Return to Reality (02:43)
Return to reality Avoiding the treachery
Return to reality Witness against the fools of the world
playing a game so cruel
how long before the lesson is learned
will it be understood
Witness against the fools of the world
caught up in their own trap see how they look
so insecure just holding their weakness back
Suddenly stripped of focus in life
suddenly faced with loss
hitting just like a slap in the face bringin' it down to earth
Channeling this aggression,
confused how will it manifest keeping the sanity
without just keeping it all repressed
In the end what presents itself is the truth and the ugliness
never seen when the eyes are closed or blinded...
The effect of the file world amplified upon return
and so tempted to play the game so malicious...
Witness against the fools of the world playing a game
so cruel how long before the lesson is learned
will they ignore the words
Witness against the fools of the world caught up in their own trap
see how they look so insecure Fakely hard in their own act
13 Farm Team (02:22)
A new direction, old approach
ideas are borrowed, bought and sold
they take the credit, not the blame
leading the blind in their game
They want control with no truth
the token phrases won't come thru
Don't rest your hopes, on their backs
When their gone they won't look back
They're on the outside and looking in
for what can shape the latest trend
they'll rape the substance with no return, and steal the credit not
earned you think that we're the ones the ones who lost out when
the rules were set to win at any cost we'll stand defiant, we'll stand alone
Through years of disrespect that desecrates the soul
The times are changing but not our minds
The spirit strenghtens with the passing of time
We'll stand defiant, we'll stand alone
Through years of disrespect that desecrates the soul
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Di Taurus
"Scratch The Surface è un macigno compatto, ben costruito e in antitesi con i trend dell'epoca."
"Lou Koller irradia carica positiva e coinvolge da subito l'ascoltatore, portandolo ad un headbanging sfrenato."