Stigmathe - Suoni Puri Dalla Liberta and Lo Squardo Dei Morti EPs
Little to nothing is known to me about the history of Stigmathe, a band that hailed from the Northern City of Modena in Italy. Rest assured though that the two EPs reviewed herein though are a little different from what one would expect when it comes to '80s hardcore punk releases from Italy as neither is full-on Italian Hardcore the way we all love it. The first EP was originally self-released by the band in 1983 and the copy I own is a 2013 No Plan reissue, a label known for releasing great but mostly unknown gems. The band's first output is first and foremost very much influenced by what had musically happened in the UK underground scene from '79 to '82. The two tracks on Side A are solid UK82 influenced smashers and if they were not sung in Italian they could just as well have been recorded by the likes of GBH, Discharge or Dead Wretched. 'Italia Bruccia' on the B-Side is a little different in the sense that it is very melodic, mid-tempo and takes cues from 2nd Generation Brit bands like Angelic Upstarts, the Ruts et al. while a big Clash influence cannot be overheard either. Overall this is a great little platter. Mille grazie!
Two years after having self-released their 1st EP Stigmathe released a 2nd EP, this time on Meccano Records from Torino. Worth mentioning is that the person behind Meccano Records, Giulio Tedeschi, was born in 1952 and could hence be considered "too old" to give a band like Stigmathe a chance but Giulio was always a man in pursuit of giving bands with a true DIY spirit a chance hence Stigmathe's 2nd EP landed with said label. Compared to the first one the 2nd EP is somewhat different yet again as the two songs on the first side are no longer just UK82 influenced but draw equally from post-punk and gothic as well creating an interesting mix with echoey vocals over dark and fast sounds while Side B is a great upbeat punky reggae track. In my opinion the 1st EP is the winner but both are equally strong outputs and worth tracking down if said above is up your alley.
I agree with you. I also think their first 7" is better, but many would disagree with me. That song, Italia Brucia, is one of the anthems of Italian Punk. This was my very first release and absolutely an instrumental record of my youth. This band deserved to be better known outside our country, but that wasn´t the case. i hope that the reissues and your reviews did it at least a little bit of justice.
ReplyDeleteWhat's "Italia Brucia" about lyrically? It's a great song. You are doing a great job with your label releasing gems that deserved to be discovered by old and new fans alike.
ReplyDeleteItalia Brucia (Italy Is Burning) is about the old and the new. Critique of the old ways and hope there´s a change in the air.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment. Very excited about this year; there are three amazing releases just about to come out.
Looking forward to see what's next on No Plan. Cheers!
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