STORMO – Sogni Che Invadono il Cielo
Release Date: 23rd March 2026
Label: ANFESIBENA
Bandcamp
Genre: Crust Punk, Hardcore, Screamo, Punk, Black Metal, Noise Rock, Mathrock.
FFO: Converge, Birds In Row, Video Nasties, Devil Master & Portrail Of Guilt.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Stormo are an Italian band, filled with punk energy, screamo attitude, dances of black metal and a DIY ethic that has never left them since their humble beginnings back in 2007. The band are back with an album released on their own label, ANFESIBENA, titled Sogni Che Invadono il Cielo which in English translates to Dreams That Invade The Sky. A fitting name for an album that revolves around themes of “finding hope within the wasteland of our modern society and political landscape.” Or so the band say, my Italian is as trustworthy as my punctuation, so I will just have to take them at their word on this one.
The album opener Getsi wastes no time with an introduction, as the band’s ferocity is on show right from the jump, this kicks off the album with a track that clocks in at under 2 minutes in length and is filled with blasting drums, black metal infused tremolo riffs and a vocalist whose voice is so reverbed yet so commanding. This is followed up by Maree, which shows the band leaning into a more atmospheric approach while managing to make what would otherwise be a beautiful shoegaze riff sound dangerous and wiry. This is also the moment that bassist Steve Scanu has his moment in the spotlight; The bass tone is punishing and just as prevalent in the mix as everyone else, making the riffs feel extra thick and bruising.
Throughout the album, I found myself drawn to the vocals, baring the last track there isn’t much variation or melody, but the screams are filled with so much raw emotion that it’s hard to picture anything else over the top of the 6 tracks. It’s soaked and reverb yet doesn’t lose any of the power and grit that come from purely screamed vocals. The way they’re mixed into the album almost has a midwestern emo approach where they’re not at the forefront, but you hang on to every word being yelled at the top of Diego Castioni lungs.
The band have remained extremely active, releasing 5 albums since 2018, and with this latest offering being written across the span of 2025, in some cases, it can feel like an album that wasn’t necessarily rushed but didn’t spend a lot of time in the oven. Estuari seems like it’s building to that big riff moment the band have shown they’re capable of, but instead of just ends, the last track also has the feeling that they had a luscious, clean riff that they wanted on the album but didn’t know where to go after it so instead just tact it on to the end of the record. While this is sometimes a criticism, on the other hand, the raw and frantic energy also makes the album’s high points that bit more fun, feeling like things are happening on the fly and can go off the tracks at any moment. This is a band who are the embodiment or DIY for better or worse.
Sogni Che Invadono il Cielo pulls on influences from a whole range of genres that, on paper, wouldn’t exactly blend, but the band do a great job of making it sound consistent. It’s six tracks and over in a flash, which is a large part of its charm, but some more though out tracks to fill it out might have seen the album go to another level. But as a shot in the arm of some raw, unfiltered Italian hardcore, Stormo show here they still have it and are showing no signs of slowing down.
(3.5 / 5)
