I
Verdena

About:

Verdena was founded in 1995 by the brothers Alberto (guitarist) and Luca Ferrari (drummer). With the addition of Roberta Sammarelli (former Bergamo) on bass the trio recorded a demo in 1996. Initially they wanted to call themselves Verbena but because a US band already shared that name they changed it into Verdena. After singing with Universal they started recording under production of Giorgio Canali (ex-guitarist of CCCP Fedeli line).  A toour as support for Marlene Kuntz and a preview single called ‘Valvonauta’ paved the way for their eponymous debut. In 2001 they release the EP ‘Spaceman’ with a coverversion of a song by 13th Floor Elevators prior to their second album ‘Solo un grande sasso’. In 2003 a second cover EP features songs by The Stooges (‘TV Eye’ and ‘Search & Destroy’). In 2004 Fidel Fogaroli joined the band as a keyboardist, appearing on the album ‘Il suicidio del samurai’. The rest of the year is booked for a long tour through Italy. In 2006, Fidel leaves again returning the band to their original three piece. On their 2007 album ‘Reguiem’ they take a turn to more psychedelic stonerrock. That somewhat harder musical style is changed again on the ‘Caños’ EP that contains more electronic influences. The keyboard is also omnipresent on their 2011 album ‘Wow’, a double album with 27 tracks. In that same period the band starts a close collaboration with psychedelic band Jennifer Gentle. They tour together creating a double bill each show with bandmembers guest appearing on stage. In 2013 they hit the studio again but it takes over a year to record a new album. Due to the amount of songs the band decides to release them in two seperate parts. Part 1 in 2014 en part 2 in 2015.

On the web:

- Verdena's website: http://www.verdena.com

What do we think:

DB: The Italian answer to grunge, nothing more and certainly nothing less. Verdena rocks but in doing that sometimes leans heavily on Anglo-American rock cliches. Still of done properly there is something very catchy and steaming happening on their albums. On the other hand you can wonder where the typical Italian signature has gone. Rocked out probably.

If you like this, you probably like.. / european counterparts:

Recommended albums:

- Verdena - 1999

♪♪♪ - Solo un Grande Sasso - 2001

♪♪♪ - Il Suicidio dei Samurai - 2004

- Requiem - 2007

- Wow - 2011

♪♪♪½ - Endkadenz Vol. 1 - 2014

♪♪♪ - Enkadenz Vol 2. - 2015

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided