Bull Brigade – Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento

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’ve been known for in the past, the band has developed to a more complex version of themselves. Perhaps the record can be best summed up with its title track: “Il Fuoco Non Si È Spento”, which translates as “The Flame Still Burns”. In these nine tracks, their frontman Eugy was devoted to writing much deeper, introspective lyrics involving personal relationships, losing family members and friends, and struggling to keep afloat as time is running so fast, while musically heading 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 Covid-19 pandemic when Italy was the most affected country in Europe, which means they had time to spend 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 shows a more complex and fragile side to one of Italy’s most popular streetpunk bands. And yet, the soaring anthemic choruses and lyrical themes about working class pride and loving your favorite football 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 a 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 highly regarded among local punks, skins and hardcore kids when it came out in 2021.