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| #FOR FANS OF: Post-Black Metal, Deafhaven, Sunbather |
This second release from the Italian post-black metal collection, offers a rather strong if somewhat lackluster approach to the genre that’s mainly undone by it’s severe brevity. Based on long-winded patterns of folkish acoustic work with black metal-styled tremolo riffing at it’s center, there’s a rather strong sense of light melodies and blazing, furious black metal featured here that’s overwhelmingly addictive as it goes along with the long-winded sections weaving plenty of swirling tremolo rhythms. There’s just the fact that this one is based on only four proper tracks with the instrumental outro and it really doesn’t leave much of a chance for any kind of impressions here when it easily could’ve supported another extra few tracks tacked on with nothing really upsetting the flow of the album doing that as it’s somewhat short-sighted by the few tracks here. The opening title track takes a long-winded acoustic guitar intro with a turn into raging, pounding drumming and swirling tremolo riff-work relentlessly marching through the straightforward and intense rhythms with a light folk final half for a nice opening impression. ‘Be’ features light acoustic patterns into furious pounding rhythms lead by utterly ferocious drumming with plenty of rattling tremolo riffing swirling around the lighter folk melodies in the final half for an engaging if somewhat lighter black metal offering. ‘Behind This Life’ uses a brief folk intro before blasting into the furious pounding drumming and swirling tremolo riff-work running through a fine series of alternating patterns that shifts nicely from black metal to folk with the extended acoustic finale for a decided highlight effort. ‘Summer Dusk’ opens with fine mid-tempo riffing and plodding drumming working a decidedly weaker tempo as the swirling tremolo riffing bubbling under the main rhythms leading throughout the main sections as the rambling, extended folk-led finale for a disappointing effort going for more black metal than a straight-mixture. Lastly, instrumental album-closer ‘Il Lampo’ works a light acoustic intro with pounding drum-work swirling through a series of melodic buzzing tremolo patterns with plenty of rumbling drumming that settles on fine mid-tempo pounding alongside the folk elements through the final half for a decent enough finishing note. Overall, though this release still feels a track or two short of what it could’ve really been. (Don Anelli)
(Naked Lunch Records - 2015)
Score: 75