ALBUM REVIEW: Ibridoma - City of Ruins

IBRIDOMA (Italy)
"City of Ruins"
(Punishment 18 Records)
Release date: October 27th 2018
Genre: Power metal, melodic metal, hard rock

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Italy is frequently featured on these blog pages. The majority of the bands that have appeared so far are mainly based in the power/melodic metal genre, and IBRIDOMA is no exception.

Initially formed in March 2001 by drummer Alessandro Morroni and singer Christian Bartolacci, the band participated in a number of music competitions and festivals during their early years. Their debut EP was released in 2005, for which the band harvested favorable reviews in the Netherlands, France, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, as well as in their own "Bella Italia". After "Page 26", their second EP, IBRIDOMA went on tour to support Uli Jon Roth, Richie Kotzen and Blaze Bayley's Italian tour in 2009.

2012 saw the release of "Night Club", their second full length album, which led the band to play live with Rhapsody of Fire, Secret Sphere and Almah, and the following year played a headlining tour in several major cities in Greece. After 2014's release of "Goodbye Nation" the band supported Sabaton on their Russian tour, and even Queensrÿche during their visit in Rome in 2015.

2016 presented IBRIDOMA's fourth full length, "December", which featured guest appearances by Paul DiAnno and Blaze Bayley, two gentlemen who I doubt would need further introduction to this blog's readers.

This is not the first time singer Christian Bartolacci appears on these pages. In addition to IBRIDOMA, he is the lead singer in Scala Mercalli, who presented the conceptual "Independence" earlier this year. You can read about the album here.

Apart from the lead voice that fronts them, these two bands have very little in common. Whereas Scala Mercalli's music is faster and incorporates symphonic elements, IBRIDOMA is more based around power and melody. Slightly Anthrax-like thrashy moments do occur, especially on the opening track "Sadness Comes", and "T.F.U." and the title track are examples of pure hard rock delight.

"Angels of War" and "My Nightmares" have a more powerful drive to them, and Primal Fear and Saxon are references that are tempting to mention. Bartolacci's voice often reminds me of Ralf Scheepers when it reaches certain notes, and the rest of the band never misses a punch throughout the ten tracks on "City of Ruins", which in total turns out to be a very strong seventh effort by IBRIDOMA.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tracklist:
1. Sadness Comes
2. Evil Wind
3. T.F.U.
4. Di Nuovo Inverno
5. City of Ruins
6. Angels of War
7. My Nightmares
8. Fragile
9. Terminator
10. I'm Broken

LINE UP:
Chriastian Bartolacci - vocals
Marco Vitali - guitar
Sebastiano Ciccale' - guitar
Leonardo Ciccarelli - bass
Alessandro Morroni - drums