In common with the notorious Emperor who may or may not have influenced the title of this album, Tomydeepestego are from Rome. I’m not aware of any notoriety on their part but I do know that their stated style is instrumental post hardcore with metal and psychedelic influences, and “Nero” – Italian for “black” so that tells us something – is their third album.
Sure enough the first track “Pece” launches into a heavy progressive instrumental tirade. There’s a little bit of Opeth and Katatonia going on in the guitar rhythm wing. We’d hardly got going and this was already starting to snare me in with its colourful depth. There’s a lull, then the track takes off in another direction. It seems a story is being told here. Then “Grafite” begins with an enhanced industrial sound like someone sawing on a building site. This pre-empts a tense build-up. So much more has to be done when there are no words but it’s worth it. There are no distractions. It’s post metal but the difference with some others is that it doesn’t stand still. It advances but in the way of turning the pages of a weighty book. “Grafite” finishes in a clinical fashion. That didn’t do it justice for me and was a negative point. So, as we head into the mysteriously-titled “23:45” (a time, or possibly a biblical reference maybe?), the drum’s colour is offset against minimal guitar tones. The concepts in sound mixture are always interesting. Melancholy matches heightened anguish. “23:45” is measured yet imposingly heavy. If the guitar sets the emotional tone, the drums set the rules.
And on we go. I’m not sure what the occasion is when you should listen to this, or if such an occasion exists, but “Nero” is something to be absorbed and inhaled. The weight of it will fill a room, but in a way that sends your brain in all directions as skill and co-ordination ooze from these Italian instrumentalists. With each chord and layer there’s a sense of progress. “541” is the first slow track and reflects pedestrian and sad progress this time. There’s a slight distortion in the sound. I thought a few soundwaves could have been sent through but maybe that’s a progressive cliché. “541” opens up in proper post metal fashion. There’s an air of other-worldliness but it doesn’t seem to lead to anything. In fact the next track “Petrolio” is like an extension with its meaty instrumental work. The delicate guitar and drums provide layers. At no stage are we told what to think. Tomydeepestego evoke images for us. The title track which follows is steady and hypnotic, yet has all the twists and turns I was now used to. A kind of anarchic mood sets in before it ends suddenly. “Neve” (Snow) ends the album. It is epic but not extreme. Excellent use is made of sound techniques to enhance the guitar emission and give it a throaty feel. But that’s just part of this exciting adventure which slows down and then builds up dramatically, coming to a close with a little bit of feedback.
Accomplished and evocative is how I’d describe this work. It was a pleasure to immerse myself in “Nero”.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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