Bull Brigade – Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento
The third full-length of the iconic Italian streetpunk band Bull Brigade feels like their most personal and introspective record to date.
Artist: Bull Brigade
Title: Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento
Release: LP
Year: 2021
Label: Demons Run Amok Entertainment
Iconic Italian band Bull Brigade formed in 2006 from the ashes of the finest Turin streetpunk/Oi! bands Youngang and Banda Del Rione. Their debut album Strade Smarrite came out in 2008, followed by a bunch of EPs, a second full-length Vita Libertà in 2016, and split releases with Action Sédition, Curasbun, and Non Servium.
Celebrating 15 years as a band, Bull Brigade’s third full-length Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento feels like a natural progression from their previous releases. Leaving behind the tough skinhead attitude they were known for in the past, the band has developed into a more complex version of themselves. Perhaps the album is best summed up by its title track: “Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento”, which translates to “The Flame Still Burns”.
On these nine tracks, their frontman Eugy devoted himself to writing much deeper, introspective lyrics about personal relationships, losing family members and friends, and struggling to stay afloat when time is running so fast, while musically taking the band more towards catchy, melodic punk with the honesty and authenticity of a DIY punk band that makes a record like this great. Talking about this record, we shouldn’t forget that the album was written during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Italy was the most affected country in Europe, which means that they had more time to reflect on their lyrics and polish their sound before releasing the album through the German label Demons Run Amok in 2021.
The most emotional and personal Bull Brigade album to date, Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento reveals a more complex and fragile side to one of Italy’s most popular streetpunk bands. Yet the soaring anthemic choruses and lyrical themes about working class pride and loving your favorite soccer team are still there. They even have a collaboration with the legendary Roddy Moreno of The Oppressed on the third song “Quaranta”. If you’re looking for catchy, anthemic punk with heartfelt lyrics in Italian that doesn’t do the ska thing like Los Fastidios, you should definitely check this out. I’m sure it was well received by local punks, skins and hardcore kids when it came out in 2021.
