Misteri

I heard about this album through an interview on an Italian news program and it really struck me as interesting so I thought I'd give it a listen. Frontman Friar Cesare Bonizzi is a real Capuchin monk from Milan, to whom "Metal is the most energetic, vital, deep and true musical language that I know." Having released several albums previously, Misteri is his first (and last) venture into the world of heavy metal. Without knowing what to expect, I found it to be pretty impressive.

Musically, the album is not overly technical, nor extremely heavy, but it does groove well. The songs are competently written, and the lyrics are interesting if somewhat preachy. But he is a monk, after all. Topics range from faith and sin to alcohol and drugs and lust, and they're all sung in Italian. And speaking of singing, his gravelly voice goes well with the music and lyrical content. Although there are a few spoken-word parts in the album, he does sing on most of the tracks, and it sounds good. Another thing he does is some sort of shriek, I suppose you could call it. It's pretty strange to hear a 62-year-old monk pull this stuff off but he can sure hold his own.

There are 11 tracks on this album. They're all mid-to-fast-paced straightforward heavy metal with a few exceptions, but when the album slows down it's not really detracting from much. Friar Cesare is the standout feature of this band, and without him the band is nothing extraordinary. Worth a listen if you're interested in hearing what this monk can do, and if you're into pretty straightforward heavy metal.

Overall, without Friar Cesare this album might be something you could just skip over without missing much, but I think his presence on this album takes it just above that point. I didn't know what to expect, but I was ultimately pleased with the result. Fratello Metallo will not be releasing anymore albums, so I'd say Misteri is at least worth a spin or two.

Give it a listen. You might like what you hear.

Fratello Metallo is easily one of the strangest bands that I’ve discovered recently. Why you ask? Well, first of all, the singer is a monk who looks well into his sixties, that wears a priestly robe as he flashes the horns frequently. Second of all, this normally ridiculous image actually produces some seriously cool Italian metal.

I’ll begin with Cesare himself. The man usually sings in an aggressive, dark tone with a touch of some operatic vocals here and there. There appears to be some spoken sections as well. He also manages to pull off some of the most bad-assingly unique “shrieks” that I’ve ever heard. Lastly, he sings in Italian, which ultimately makes him even more unique for a heavy metal singer. This is very much a solo album though, so unfortunately Cesare’s bandmates don’t try to be anything impressive. Apart from some heavy riffing and the occasional solo, don’t expect very interesting instrumentals.

The album generally sounds like pure Italian heavy metal with some Middle Eastern influence. It is definitely very European sounding and also a bit dark.

The tracklisting of the album contains eleven short to mid-length tracks which are all good at varying degrees. The best tracks are probably Dio and the title track, Misteri. There are also a few ballads on the album, which are thankfully good, and manage to fit in with the rest of the songs.

This is a very solid release and definitely recommended for fans of heavy metal. Extreme metalheads may find this enjoyable as well. (I don’t know about thrashers or deathheads though) Either way, I would check this out if you’re looking for something a little different.