Concept albums are nothing new for Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. Each of their previous works has had a central theme, always within the horror genre. They’ve explored vampires, serial killers, and the apocalypse. With their latest album, however, the British band takes things to the next level.
“Nell’ ora blu” (Rise Above) looks back to the era of Giallo. A brief explanation: Giallo refers to small, gritty crime films, often explicit or particularly dark. Developed in Italy in the 1960s, there was a surge in popularity in the 1970s.
One distinctive feature of Giallo films was their soundtracks, often composed by greats like Goblin, Fabio Frizzi, or Ennio Morricone, serving up psychedelic sounds for brutal scenes.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats don’t aim to provide a soundtrack for an imaginary film with their work. “Nell’ ora blu” can be understood more as an audio drama. In the lead roles are two Giallo legends: Edwige Fenech and Franco Nero. Italian is the main language, with Kevin Starrs intervening as narrator in English only occasionally. The focus is on the listening experience and atmosphere, regardless of the exact storyline.
The album runs for 77 minutes, a mammoth work. Does it hold up? The bar is indeed set quite high, possibly because one might have expected something different under the name Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. The familiar doomy psych-rock appears only rarely. Musically, they adhere closely to the Giallo template.
Atmospheric sounds, sometimes with synths, other times with kitschy guitars. A bit of spaghetti, a touch of jazz. But no doom, no psych-rock. Once you’ve embraced this, the album reveals its charm.
The record flows smoothly, interrupted by angry phone conversations. It’s engaging, gripping, and truly unique. The band took a risk and it paid off.
Suggestion: Start with “Pomeriggio di Novembre Nel Parco – Occhi che Osservano.” While it’s somewhere within the overall piece, it gives a good impression. Initially complex, it dramatically builds to a rock climax. The world is in turmoil.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Nell’ ora blu: There's likely nothing comparable. – RIFL