Italian band STRANA OFFICINA was formed in 1977, and are referenced as a notable and influential band in the underground Italian metal scene of the 1980’s. The EP “Ritual” was the second official release by the band, and was first issued in 1987. This reissued edition, courtesy of Italian label Jolly Roger Records, comes with 4 additional bonus tracks.
This EP showcase a band that, just like on their first EP, appears to cover a fair bit of stylistic ground, as seen from a 1980’s heavy metal point of view at least. They appear to draw influences from both the first and second generations of heavy metal bands, and aren’t afraid to explore territories of a somewhat gentler nature either.
Opening track The Ritual, once the opening atmospheric sequence ends, is a creation that comes in quite nicely in the “Heaven and Hell” era Black Sabbath type of material, possibly with some references to the first couple of albums by Dio as well. Gamblin’ Man is a more energetic affair, to my mind comparable with some of the less flamboyant excursions by US band Virgin Steele as they appeared in the mid 80’s. Unknown Soldier is more of a power ballad oriented composition, of the kind that gave associations to early Dokken, while concluding track Metal Brigade is more of an uptempo affair again, with some key details that can be traced back to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest respectively, but explored within more of a speed metal context.
Personally I didn’t find these songs to be all that impressive however, all of them fairly typical runs through 80’s metal but lacking the finer details or compelling riffs that would elevate these to be truly worthwhile experiences. A less than stellar mix and production perhaps part of the reason for that, the lead vocals in particular suffer from the sharp “s” syndrome, and the source material used for this CD doesn’t appear to be of the highest quality either. I may be at fault there, but to my ears it sounds like these songs have been sampled from vinyl, and that the samples haven’t been given a thorough treatment: Some fairly loud pops and clicks unwanted effects that in my min should have been edited out.
The bonus tracks added to this reissue are all of the fan service variety as far as I’m concerned. The first of them, Vittima, most interesting due to it being a clear cut ballad, and the live version of The Ritual show that the vocalist knew his Paul Di’anno rather well and replicated some of his key mannerisms on stage, most likely unintentionally but still charming to hear another vocalist having a go at those. But all in all the recording quality for all these tracks is to poor to be of general interest, while diehard fans of the bands most likely will appreciate these relics.
Personally I don’t find this production to be all that interesting for a general audience. Fans of Strana Officina will be the main audience for this CD from the onset of course, but other than that this is a production that may find a niche audience by those with a deep interest in lesser known metal from the 1980’s. The songs hasn’t aged all that well, and with a mix and production that does leave a bit to be desired this one comes across as a niche production for a niche audience.
My rating: 60/100
