Prosthetic Records has a rich history of picking up extremely talented bands and boosting the platform from which they can rage to wider audiences. Gratefully they don’t just aim at unearthing new bands and experienced Italian hardcore adjacent four piece Stormo is the latest to be added to the roster. Stormo (previously Storm{O} has been on large independent labels such as Moment of Collapse but album number four is getting the Prosthetic treatment and now their torrent of rage should fall upon the larger audience they have always deserved. Endocannibalismo is a collision of a multitude of ideas and an explosion of ferocity, it’s a rapid journey that is well worth riding round and round.
Endocannibalismo stands as one of those albums which is a bit of an optical illusion. Someone who doesn’t get it knows instantly but for those interested there is a great deal to explore. Within the first two tracks if there is no grip to a listener then it’s unlikely they will find anything in the remaining 9 songs to keep them listening. However those that like their vocals fluid and fast with post-hardcore mixing with flicks of chaos, will find plenty to dig into on the rest of the album. The overall characteristics are displayed rapidly from the start in ‘Valichi, Oltre’ and ‘PV77’ with whiffs of Birds in Row in the former and a d-beat drive in the latter. The vocals have the ability to pin a listener to rocks as the music crashes round like waves and the guitars mix between clearer riffs, rapid strums and match up to the ferocity of the bass and drums. The styles are ever present but there is a great range of differentiation through the album whilst holding together brilliantly.
With songs mostly raging under three minutes the band does well to make each stand out. The heavy fuzz of ‘Sorte’ almost sounds like Torche with a sense of urgency and this flows through the title track ‘Endocannibalismo‘ as well. ‘Frame’ shows the band can operate in a controlled environment where the riff is muh the same yet the song doesn’t ever become depleted in impact. Not two songs have the same attack or reprieve and that keeps the sounds flashing by the ears interesting, intriguing and fresh.
To fly through post-hardcore, screamo, mathy sections, even near d-beat in 11 tracks and 29 minutes whilst still encouraging multiple listens without being overwhelming is a great achievement. Stormo have been doing this for a long time but Endocannibalismo sounds so fresh and vibrant. Probably the most controversial part is the stunning artwork is actually AI generated. When considered with the themes, songs, pace and output it works stunningly well and completes the package on this blistering album.
