Review: Petrolio ‘Club Atletico Voces Y Gritos’
In a world filled with peculiarities that we often have no clue exist until someone points them out, it’s completely plausible there’s a whole wealth of strange and beautiful music entities which will have passed under the radar without ever knowing they existed.
I am forever discovering new music and artists – whether from friends, reviewing colleagues, or merely social media suggestions – and it remains a constant source of wonder to me.
With Petrolio, I was asked to cover the project by one of my Italian friends, the enigmatic Samantha Stella. Obviously, there was a vested interest in the invitation, but I couldn’t help but accept the offer. Having collaborated previously in a reviewing capacity on projects like Nero Kane, I knew it would be an eye-opening experience. Still, I had no real clue what I was getting myself into until I turned the stereo on and pressed play for the very first time. What I discovered was one of the most mysterious, compelling works I have witnessed in quite some time; to say it left me breathless would be an understatement.
Imagine, if you will, an album filled with track after track of outlandishly striking, jaw-dropping vocal discomfort, interlaced with a pensively peculiar, unsettling sonic backdrop, and you won’t be far off. It’s a disconcerting opera filled with otherworldly voices that stay with you long after the record has finished. Masterminded by Enrico Cerrato, Club Atletico Voces Y Gritos sees the Italian artist venturing out in a solo capacity, exploring raw darkness via the medium of sound. Each track features evocative vocals by a different international artist, and as we work through the album, I will throw a little information on to who is who at each juncture accordingly.
As for the opus itself, it’s made up of five sonnets, each one distinct from the last, but as a whole it makes for one cohesive encounter. At times deeply challenging to hear, and yet at others dreamlike, it flits between cool and calamitous effortlessly.
Opening track 2403, which features the talents of Pallas Athene – the pseudonym for alt-pop artist Breanna Johnston – is an unsettling experience. It oozes sorrow, yet at the same time is enigmatically beautiful. There is a slow, mournful sombreness throughout, and as it lurches forward, it is the vivacious vocal performance that elevates the mood beyond total despair. The mix of slow-pulsing percussion and muted drone invites the yin to Breanna’s yang, and in doing so it creates something beautifully broken.
a disconcerting opera filled with otherworldly voices that stay with you long after the record has finished…
Track two, Y Nadie Queria Saber, has a completely different feel. Darker, harsher, and stepping unequivocally into a gothic industrial vibe, it features the vocal skills of Alos – the stage name for performer Stefania Pedretti, known for her work in OvO and Allun. Her forthright yet eloquent monologue – an excerpt from a text by Silvia Levenson – drives the piece and masterfully trails things off at its climax.
La Picana sees Pierpaolo Capovilla invoking the spirit of David Bowie with his darkly mumbled outpouring. Having been part of Italy’s independent rock scene since the nineties as a member of One Dimensional Man, he has since developed his career carving his own path in a way not dissimilar to Mark Lanegan, turning the vocal art into a more artistic performance than merely just reciting words.
On El Silencio we get to enjoy Julinko – the artistic project of Giulia Parin Zecchin – ritualistically enveloping us within a spiritual wall of sound. Known for dark experimental outpourings, at times delving into a dark post-rock vibe, on this track, it can be heard as well as felt. It is imposing and depressing, yet utterly engaging, to the point of hypnotising. As decimating as it is, it is only the precursor of what is to come.
Strangled Cry is the final act of the set, and Petrolio has saved the darkest for last. Featuring Bestial Mouths – the alter ego for Lynette Cerezo – on vocals, what is unveiled is a bitterly haunting, utterly devastating last hurrah, the likes of which will not be easily forgotten. Invoking the spirits of both Chelsea Wolfe and Lingua Ignota, Bestial Mouths woefully entices us to listen while casting a spell of deep despair. Heartbreakingly sorrowful, it closes the album magnificently, and with it, casts Petrolio forward as a real tour de force. An utter triumph, don’t be fooled by its understated appearance; this album truly is a thing of wonder.
Label: Subsound Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
