I encountered this Italian black metal act in 2011 with the release of their second full length “Sentiero II – Ceneri” a rather strange and brooding mix of songs underpinned by black metal. Seven tunes occupy this third album and start with the very gentle intro sequence of “Drowned Hope”, a title that matches the mood of the song. The moody guitar hook with gradually increasing heaviness is really rather nice to listen to, quite relaxing and embedded with a resolute melancholy. It reminds me of Novembre and acts of that gothic metal ilk where sublime melody is carried along by more extreme drums and guitar riffing. The shift of the song to gentle snare taps indicates it is about to change guise completely which it does predictably. The harsh vocals are emotive creating a dark Gothic texture that courses its way through much of this album.
“Dome Of The Wardens” believe it or not is extremely like old Katatonia, from the “Brave Murder Day” era, the growled vocals and steadfast mournfulness of the riff is like a step back nearly 20 years to a period where doom and death were very popular indeed and portrayed exceptionally well by many acts like Katatonia, Paradise Lost, Anathema etc. This is a very calm song with only the singing giving any indication of extremity, meaning that most of the black metal undercurrent of the last album has all but been dissolved to leave a band infused with a dark Gothic metal stature and a huge focus on the guitar melodies and indeed the lead work which is really rather impressive. Listening to “Carved In Dust” and I couldn’t help but judge it against Rotting Christ, another act that has taken dark grandiosity to unparalleled levels. The tune lurches from slow sombre sections to more extreme passages that hint at the bands black metal penchant. I enjoyed the very serene “Il Ciclo Della Forgia” with its acoustic guitar work and clean vocal approach with subtle whispers added as well.
The epic title track clocks the 14 minute mark and starts with a predominantly black metal style but without the insane pace, preferring the slow doomier style than war like battery. This song is morose, with mood changes that match the music remarkably well. There are plenty of changes in guitar riffs each one being a textural component within the songs very long journey of darkened melancholy. Again the lead work is flawless, addictive and painfully absorbing on the psyche and similar to bands like Imperium Dekadenz and Agrypnie. This is a very good album packed with ostentatious song writing that will have the listener repeating their listens and hearing new things each time.
(8/10 Martin Harris)
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