Apathy Noir - Black Soil

#PER CHI AMA: Black/Death Progressive Doom, Opeth, primi Katatonia

Da Norrköping, ecco arrivare un duo la cui formazione risale addirittura al 2003. Trattasi degli Apathy Noir, conosciuti fino al 2016 semplicemente come Apathy, ma che poi a causa delle consuete rogne legali, ha dovuto modificare il proprio nome. E sotto questo nuovo moniker, ecco arrivare 'Black Soil', un disco che oltre avermi intrigato inizialmente per una cover album decisamente minimalista, ha poi saputo lentamente conquistarmi con un sound decisamente malinconico, ideale per questa stagione invece all'insegna di sole e mare. Ecco perchè "The Glass Delusion" potrebbe essere la perfetta colonna sonora di un autunno uggioso e drammatico, che si snoda attraverso un pezzo di oltre sei minuti dediti ad un black/death doom decadente, quasi disperato, perfettamente in linea con le liriche dei due musicisti scandinavi. Ottime le melodie, cosi tremendamente nostalgiche che in alcuni frangenti mi hanno rievocato i primi Katatonia. La seconda "Samsara" è un po' più folk oriented (un'occhiolino agli Amorphis i nostri lo strizzano), con le vocals che si dimenano tra un gracchiante growl (a mio avviso un qualcosa da rivedere) e una linea vocale pulita, più piacevole che si palesa nei momenti più compassati, mentre la chitarra è abile nel districarsi tra trame death doom progressive influenzate da October Tide e dai primi Opeth, e altre più votate al black svedese in stile Dissection. Il risultato alla fine è davvero buono. La title track conferma un sound che nuovamente prende come fonte di ispirazione i Katatonia dei primi due lavori (ma anche i primi Rapture e gli Swallow the Sun), arricchendo poi la propria proposta con azzeccati arrangiamenti inglobati in sempre più cupe e funeree atmosfere che hanno il pregio di sfruttare diversi cambi di tempo. "The Void Which Binds" propone una lunga introduzione che ci conduce ad un cantato pulito e a delle melodie nostalgiche, per virare successivamente ad harsh vocals e ad una ritmica più feroce che comunque vive di chiaroscuri, intermezzi acustici e ripartenze votate ad un oscuro death progressive. Il disco come spesso capita con questo genere, non è proprio di facile assimilazione. In "Bloodsong" mi vengono in mente Daylight Dies e Opeth come impianto ritmico, con la song che si muove tra luci ma soprattutto ombre e non intendo momenti negativi, bensì faccio riferimento ad un suono che si fa via via più lento ed tetro che nel finale ha modo di regalare anche un intenso assolo. Ultima menzione dell'album per la conclusiva "Time and Tide", aggressiva quanto basta per spezzare quell'aura angosciante che si era instaurata con la precedente "Towers of Silence". Bordate ritmiche, frangenti acustici e growling vocals completano quest'ultima traccia che evoca a più riprese il periodo più brillante degli Opeth (per il sottoscritto quello di mezzo) chiudendo in bellezza la quarta fatica dei due polistrumentisti svedesi. Che altro dire, se non ben fatto! (Francesco Scarci)

(Self - 2018)
Voto: 75

https://vjonas.bandcamp.com/album/black-soil-2018

Palmer Generator - Natura

#PER CHI AMA: Psych/Krautrock Strumentale

È già da un po' di tempo che vado affermando che la scena italica brulica nel sottobosco di band assai interessanti. Quest'oggi mi soffermerò sulla terza release firmata Palmer Generator, power trio a conduzione famigliare (trattasi infatti di padre, suo fratello e suo figlio) proveniente da Jesi che mi ha ammaliato non poco con quelle sue melodie ipnotiche, suadenti e talvolta esotiche, questo almeno nell'opening track. Quattro i movimenti inclusi in 'Natura' per 38 minuti di musica che riescono a combinare un psych rock di natura strumentale, liquido e dilatato che ci prende per mano e con i suoi suoni ridondanti, quasi dronici, ci trascina in un vortice sonico da cui sarà difficile uscirne integri mentalmente. Penso agli oltre 12 minuti della lisergica opener "Natura 1", una song che scombussola l'animo per la sua cupezza ma anche per quel suo loop che rischia di condurre alla follia, in un vuoto spinto che introduce ai suoni siderali di "Natura 2". Il sound di questo brano poteva tranquillamente fare da colonna sonora a film come 'Gravity' o 'Interstellar', grazie ad un suono guidato dall'assenza di gravità che ci accompagnerà nel nostro viaggio verso galassie lontane attraverso cunicoli spazio-temporali, quei cosiddetti wormhole che a fine brano accelereranno i C, ossia la velocità di propagazione dell'onda elettromagnetica. Pur essendo un album di grande fascino, 'Natura' non si presenta come un disco di facile assimilazione. Lo testimonia il terzo passaggio, "Natura 3" che ci proietta nuovamente nel vuoto cosmico a interagire con creature extraterrestri (in questo caso i suoni propagati sembrano quelli del film 'Contact') laddove la temperatura si avvicina allo 0 assoluto, ma che verso metà brano, vedono i nostri provare ad invertire rotta e non certo per l'effetto di una fionda gravitazionale, semplicemente perchè i tre musicisti hanno finalmente deciso di accendere i motori roboanti della loro astronave nel tentativo di far ritorno verso la Terra ("Natura 4"). Tutto si rivelerà ahimé vano. La song è l'ultima deriva post rock ambientale che ci condurrà con i suoi rumori e sensazioni inevitabilmente fino ai confini dell'Universo. (Francesco Scarci)

(Bloody Sound Fucktory/Brigadisco Records - 2018)
Voto: 75

https://palmergenerator.bandcamp.com/

Sequoyah Tiger - Parabolabandit

#PER CHI AMA: Electro Dream Pop

Lo pseudonimo dell'autrice unirebbe la silenziosa determinazione della tigre alla innovativa intelligenza di Sequoyah, il cherokee che nei primi '800 alfabetizzò la sua tribù, con l'ambizioso intento di codificare un nuovo dream-pop, etereo, old-age, qualcosa tra una Enya che ingerisce due plegine ("Another World Around Me") e delle Warpaint che buttano giù un giro di mezcal per colazione ("Where Sm I?", ma soprattutto Cassius, senz'altro l'episodio più pop dell'album), bucolico, sì, ma a tratti anche (sub)urbano (cfr. la "Tune Yards" con le mani sporche di asfalto di "Lemur Catta" e "A Place Where People Disappear"). Di tanto in tanto i suoni appaiono invecchiati ad arte (il singolo "Punta Otok" propone un evidente carpet-tastieronismo anni '80 alla Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, se qualcuno se li ricorda, però filante, come una sorta di motorik beneducato, ecco). Tra gli episodi più riusciti, la elettro-beatlesiana "Sissi" e il doo-wop stupefatto e, diciamo così, asintoticamente bipolare nella riverberante conclusione. (Alberto Calorosi)

(Morr Music - 2017)
Voto: 65

https://sequoyahtiger.bandcamp.com/album/parabolabandit

Runespell - Order of Vengeance

#FOR FANS OF: Pagan Black, Primordial, Agalloch

Climbing Celtic riffs clamor for control of an ebbing and flowing meter, as though a man with a small spade attempts to tame a river and is repudiated by the tragic incompatibility of his intentions with reality. Yet there is eventually a turn of the tide, forced by an immense will, a slight intervention of deus ex machina, and an ever flowing artistic license that yearns to realize results from recalcitrant ritual. Honoring its name, “Destiny over Discord” overcomes the powerlessness of the poor soul struggling against the tide, breaking its first movement's confinement with a hard pounding and finding space to deviate and move, as though cutting a secondary estuary to alleviate the flow. In small doses, Runespell abandons the Agalloch appeals above its Bathory base in favor of a Primordial persuasion that, in achieving frustrating expectation, illogically disappoints in a feeble attempt to display artistic agency.

When Runespell made its debut with 'Unhallowed Blood Oath', Nightwolf had no shortage of samey riffs and basic black metal to ascribe to his dingy dominion. With a slight handle on harnessing a hollow atmosphere, humidified by raining guitar notes and barely audible blasting moments into his swampy mix, the Australian newcomer's first attempt made for an unimpressive display of down under diligence. Nevertheless, Nightwolf plunges on with his 2018 attempt in 'Order of Vengeance', an equally milquetoast album with an equally vague title that somehow extinguishes the small and distant flicker of hope that once emanated from this bland bedroom. Where 'Unhallowed Blood Oath' had the potential to presage a pivot after an initial display of prowess, 'Order of Vengeance' plods down the same safe path, fearful of the creatures that creep in the bush and unwilling to undertake the struggle to discover a truer aspect within.

“Retribution in Iron” encapsulates everything you need to hear, to understand, and what to expect from this album. The barely audible swinging rear riffs, hallowed harmonies hailing calls to trigger blast beat charges, and a consistent melancholy lending the generic surface meaning to ferocious music leaves the listener conflicted, wondering whether to weep or shriek at this enraging cage. At the forefront are proclamations from a calm but stern vocal, unintelligible at most times but raspy enough to leave a microphone sopping with unbrushed flavor after an hour. Yet there is a second layer of conflict underpinning 'Order of Vengeance', a conflict that leaves this listener wondering whether he even wants to listen to another bland bedroom black metal band such as this after so many years of consistent, cannibalistic, and incestuous music with so little variation and exploration in this well-hidden sub-culture.

Rather than branch out, Runespell's latest attempt is a far more cloistered display of Nightwolf's vision, consistent to a fault, and leaves a listener yearning for the Agalloch worship and flagging idealism of yesteryear. With a dull and dulcet demo sounding mix that betrays the energy of this album by propelling puttering patters rather than a powerful and passionate punch, the effort and black metal zeal is apparent in some places, but is in a quiet place of studious creation rather than the overt, unsettling, vengeful, and brash individual enterprise typical of the style. Turning his sights from the most obvious groups to simulate and instead scratching somewhat beneath the surface of one of the most placid black metal coves, 'Order of Vengeance' maintains an unwavering Primordial focus that eschews epic ambiances in favor of a gait as uninterrupted by diversity, fresh ideas, and originality as a festival featuring an abandoned fifer who knows only one song. While this creates a sound that must make the album grow on the listener in order to be approached with appreciation, with some great riffing in the background of “Claws of Fate” and tremolos abound, the disheartening lack of originality throughout these forty-six minutes serves as a reminder of the talent that serves so many facets of underground metal and the ease with which a passing posing band wagoner may be spotted. 'Order of Vengeance' is replete with two-riff inanities that wash the ears in so many by-the-numbers, beaten down, and uninspiring reels that it shows Nightwolf as a formulaic well-versed musician phoning in his art and attempting to turn trash into cash.

That being said, Runespell has a sound that is steadily growing on me. In spite of its lacking originality, the pinches of nuance and improvement in formula and pacing have shown that Nighwolf has been studying and adapting his songwriting ever so slightly. In spite of the fact that every song on 'Order of Vengeance' sounds either the same as the last or generically repeats just about every old trope in the black book, underpinning many modern mechanics with a modest low-fi aesthetic, the general gist of the album plays things safe and even enough not to offend, let alone imbue itself into memory. This is best shown in the ambient and acoustic “Night's Gate”, where a most familiar string tinkle joins with the sound of distant cars hitting a freeway bump, almost beat for beat an Agalloch piece, but that would be too easy a comparison to draw. This song strips down some of the Balkan fire of Bethroned, quiets the sound of “Autumn I” by Gallowbraid, and leaves this writer scratching his head, ready to embark on a ten hour search for that single exact example of emulation. It's frustrating when a sound so typical and overdone pings so loud that it conjures a dozen responses on the radar, but this is the eternal plight of the bedroom black metal band. In spite of Occam's razor prevailing in finding the near mirror likeness of “Night's Gate” in another woefully average Australian band, Vaiya's endlessly monotonous “:W i n t e r m o o n:”, there is a larger bottleneck of ideas that needs to be addressed.

Struggling with the issues that plague so many, working in the same styled space as countless others, and attempting to force the individuality inspired by black metal out of such a counterintuitively collective culture stagnates musicians and leaves swaths of scorched earth as common and indistinct from each other as a bass guitar is in a lo-fi mix. Runespell is a product of a much larger endemic issue in the black metal underground. A misguided and misdirected hope to stand out with the crowd leaves so many broken and beaten bands by the wayside for the sole reason that they simply are not interesting or unique enough to deserve more than a cursory glance. In a style so stark in its search for solitude, so willing to praise itself for its population of lone wolves, bedroom black metal musicians seem unable to grasp the reality that they are the dime a dozen worldwide distribution of self-parodying sadness spawned from a once proud, cloistered, under-publicized, and passionate sub-culture. The internet has become the new Sunset Strip. Soundcloud, bandcamp, and Facebook are the new nightclubs filled with musicians caked in make-up hoping for a record deal, and there isn't a chick in sight. Runespell is just another here today and gone tomorrow member of a lost generation with nothing to say, further cheapening the idea of bedroom black metal in spite of some examples of fantastic musicians that Nightwolf may well consider his peers.

Eight years ago Runespell would have been one of many in the long list of listenable but impactless bedroom black metal bands, unable to hold a candle to the few stars seen as transcendent in the realm but considered capable enough to deserve its marginal success and a modest following. Eight years ago this DNA flowed through the veins of musicians in Norway, Sweden, and Germany, Croatia and Slovenia, the United States and Canada, Bahrain and Iran, Russia and Ukraine, and most of them are still around today, saturating a musical landscape with an immense elaboration on the particulars of the style. What makes anything by any of the latest in this Australian branch within this last year any different?

As much as this album starts to grow on me, digging in meek tendrils of roots that lose their grip to even a drizzle, Runespell may as well be holding up the background of a mindless low-tier video game with its music rather than strive for the lofty par set by the likes of Final Fantasy's Nobo Uematsu or Command and Conquer's Frank Klepacki. If Koei decided to create an endless series of viking hack and slash games, Runespell could easily provide the soundtrack with a reverential eruption like “Wolf.Axis” and wouldn't offend in the least after a generation of players hears these endless riffs recycling just under the sound of terribly-voiced awfully translated dialogue. Simply put, Runespell is incredibly boring, inert and soulless in its rage, and it seems this has become a common thread with some of these more atmospherically inclined Australian bedroom bands. The lack of ambiance shows how hollow and lacking in ideas these musicians are while the endless repetition shows how one-dimensional, copy and paste, their outlooks can be. Something needs to change. (Five_Nails)

(Iron Bonehead Records - 2018)
Score: 65

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/runespell-order-of-vengeance

Dobbeltgjenger - Limbohead

#PER CHI AMA: Indie Rock/Alternative, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus

A Bergen, in Norvegia, non si vive di solo metal o black, esistono band che toccano altri confini con risultati interessanti, coprendosi di fantasia e mostrando qualità eccelse. La Karisma Records, etichetta splendida per uscite metal complicate e oscure, lo ha capito ed ha assoldato tra le fila della sua scuderia band geniali e bizzarre che esplorano mondi diversi, aumentando ulteriormente il valore e la quotazione delle sue release. Questo è il caso del progetto Dobbeltgjenger che accosta composizioni bizzarre ad esecuzioni musicali al di sopra della media, fatte da musicisti che amano sperimentare e mischiare generi diversi per confonderli (e confonderci) e farli rinascere in modo stravagante. Così si parte con "Tin Foil Hat", indie rock incalzante dalla vena molto sbarazzina, tra esplosioni chitarristiche noise e blues e con un cantato che ricorda splendidamente i Chambawamba più ballabili e il Beck dei tempi d'oro. "Calling Tokio" è un brano rubato dalle session di una improbabile cover dei Queens of the Stone Age, di un brano del miglior David Byrne, dal gusto esotico e psichedelico, mentre "Like Monroe" continua il richiamo alla band di Josh Homme con venature rock più suadenti e sfumature canore vicine agli Incubus più romantici. Per non annoiarsi mai ecco "Loking My Doors" dove il registro cambia ancora, il pop si fa adulto e ci si imbatte in una inaspettata soul ballad che richiama la magia di Otis Redding in "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" e il canto alla Extreme di "More Than Words". Nel velocissimo brano "Swing", la compagine di Bergen, immedesimandosi in territori polverosi e desertici, cerca di spiegare le origini del suono dei QOTSA, proveniente dalla leggenda sonora quali sono i Fatso Jetson, mentre "In Limbo" sembra un brano dei più recenti Red Hot Chili Peppers passato però in acido, dove le forme più lisergiche ed astrali della band, venate di magma 70's, vengono fuori in massa mettendo in risalto una performance strumentale e soprattutto vocale, magistrali. "Keep'em Coming" gioca con il funky del leggendario folletto di Minneapolis, cori alla Franz Ferdinand e taglio dance da hit disco alla Parliament. Eccletismo sonoro è la parola d'ordine per questo 'Limbohead', cosi accattivante e affascinante, tutto da scoprire, musica dalle mille sfumature e tante sfaccettature, suonato benissimo e prodotto divinamente, con gusto e fantasia, come quelle racchiuse negli ultimi due brani, "Radio", che rilascia fresco rock alternativo alla maniera degli ultimi Incubus e allucinazioni in stile Beatles/John Lennon e "Mangrove", dove ritornano le strutture care alle ballate soul di classe e al funk rock dei RHCP. Un album che bisogna assolutamente ascoltare liberi da pregiudizi, valutarlo per la fantasia degli accostamenti musicali provenienti da generi diversi, la qualità d'esecuzione e per una voce a dir poco splendida. Autentica sorpresa! (Bob Stoner)

(Karisma Records - 2018)
Voto: 85

https://dobbeltgjenger.bandcamp.com/

Ulvegr - Vargkult

#FOR FANS OF: Pagan Black Metal, Drudkh

Curt cutting riffs viciously recycle across a range of jagged rocks and sharp turns. Gnarled and angular arboreal veins lie exposed in mimicry of Hate Forest while a flourishing and vibrant canopy slightly alludes to Drudkh's lively influence. Odalv and Helg of Ulvegr elaborate on the ever-imposing and shrilly slashing Ukrainian black metal style with the quintessential string shriek, yet prefer to minimize their impact on the forest by producing a raw and organic sound that attempts not to interfere with the chaos of nature.

Rather than harmoniously flow through each transition in 'Vargkult', Ulvegr directly injects each new guitar into its mix with tight changes that leave no room for error as each twist of the treble forms rugged pointed angles. Opening the album with an avalanche of words carefully selected from a black metal thesaurus, “Rune Ice Frozen Hatred” compliments its syllabic spew with the delirium of viciously recycling reeling stabbing strings deeply into the ear as gnarled and barked vocals attempt to claw through the center. The title of this opening track is the sort of syllabic spurge expected to proliferate in only two places: Japanese comic books and underground black metal, and I don't see any pointy hair on these two black clad brooders. Corpse-painted even into the depths of his protruding beard, one member of Ulvegr looks like a tired alcoholic parody of Gaahl regally posing with his dejected companion as they wonder if they'll be able to afford another can of paint from the local hardware store with the proceeds from this latest album or if they'll need to go Geisha Facial and break out the bird poop bucket again. Common in the raw black metal style, the background of this literal and sonic cascade is maintained by an ever energetic and uncompromising cavalcade of percussive snaps that atonally clang through the song in total disregard to the glorious harmonic charge sweeping overhead. Ulvegr is a band that gives little ground to its audience, instead preferring to arm itself against the mob with an unbreakable sonic assault.

Though bass may be starkly absent in the recording of “Rune Ice Frozen Hatred”, it is an immediate and apparent addition throughout the rest of 'Vargkult' as the rhythm guitar endures a stark change of tone and the fidelity somewhat improves. Simple, brutal, and unrelenting, Ulvegr imparts the grim intensity of tree worshiping, goat sacrificing, tourist luring forest folk that, unlike their banjo playing counterparts across the Ocean, honor an ancient and untamed land awash with generations of blood. While the squealing opening track sears itself into the ear, a more dulcet and clouded sound settles over the land in “Cold Graves Breathing Beast”, filling the atmosphere with snow while sapping the Sun of its heat as the drumming calmly chisels away with the cymbal above a cascade that finds faster footing the further into the ground it penetrates. Searching for pockets of heat in this uninhabitable hellscape, the putridity unearthed in this excavation is impossible to ignore but the shovels must continue their trench work nonetheless. Awesome blast beating in “Death is Our Law” rallies a flagging riff into a second wind that charges forth to litter the field with corpses as another aptly titled song, “Cutting off Your Throat”, elaborates on the midpoint cycling of these frantic, horrified, and simply savory riffs, even going so far as to attempt to harmonize across artillery hellfire with a barely audible additional guitar near the end of the song.

As another major change of recording quality announces the closing track, “We Remember the Blood”, the relentless simplicity grinds mental grist as much as Ulvegr unleashes its furious, hardheaded, and straightforward krieg with such zeal that its potency is not lost to the formulaic reality that “All the Sheep to the Slaughter” may as well be “Rune Ice Frozen Hatred” or “Cutting Off Your Throat” again. Furiously flaying the listener in preparation for an unceremonious execution, Ulvegr elucidates on the irreverence and stripped-down indignity of the mass grave covering 'Vargkult' in the brutal way that shows that the spray of a machine gun makes the same sound no matter who stands in front of it. (Five_Nails)

(Ashen Dominion - 2018)
Score: 75

https://ulvegr.bandcamp.com/album/vargkult

Quiet Riot - Road Rage

#PER CHI AMA: Glam/Hard Rock

Il banchetto che spaccia glammaccio sfuso (l'unoduetre introduttivo è micidiale: uno, il singolo "Can't Get Enough"; due, una "Getaway" comicamente introdotta da una specie di... sì, dev'essere un sitar; tre, "Roll This Joint" "Hold each end uh loosely / lick it up and give it a twist", nel caso vi foste scordati come si fa) è collocato esattamente di fianco a quello del ciabattino che vende scarpe da ginnasitica Mike © e Adibas ©. Osservateli entrambi. Osservate il faccino implume del nuovo frontboy James Durbin e ascoltate la sua vociottina mentre se ne sta lì a recitare la parte del cattivone rock sventrapapere. La sensazione sarà la medesima, quella che vi faceva sghignazzare ogni volta che vi capitava sotto gli occhi la bambolottosa copertina di 'Bad' di Michael Jackson. Coretti, liriche evanescenti come Ceres pisciata nel vicolo, elementari riffettoni ggg-osi degnamente accompagnati dai sempre più banali pattern di batteria di Frankie. Emergono al di sopra del pelo del ridicolo liquido la simil-zeppeliniana "Still Wild" e il quasi-power di "Freak Flag", dove non faticherete a individuare (più che) qualcosa di "The Man Who Sold the World". Ma sicuramente non ci riesce la copertina del disco. A emergere dal ridicolo, intendo. (Alberto Calorosi)

(Frontiers Records - 2017)
Voto: 50

https://www.quietriot.band/

Orchestral Manouvres In The Dark - The Punishment of Luxury

#PER CHI AMA: Electro Industrial

La crescente liofilizzazione degli archetipi culturali del terzo millennio raccontata nell'interessante singolo d'apertura "Isotype", introduce le svariate forme di spersonalizzazione raccontate nel prosieguo: l'uomo col cuore nel buco della imbarazzante "Robot Man", il consueto fatalismo sentimental-ambiental-apocalittico tratteggiato in "What Have We Done" (viva Trump), il decadentismo tecnologico di "Precision & Decay", volendo anche la convoluzione uomo-macchina inscenata in "La Mitrailleuse" (sarebbe un quadro futurista di C. R. W. Nevinson del 1915). I suoni dapprima chemical-fraternizzano (la pessima "The punishment of Luxury" in apertura) apertamente con certo tecnopop old school più (i Pet Shop Boys che pagano le spese di condominio di "What Have We Done") o meno (la Laurie Anderson in coda dal bottegaio di "Precision & Decay") ordinario (sentite però anche la sfrontata "Art Eats Art") per convergere verso un più rassicurante e ballatoso new romantic: gli Spandau Ballet alla fermata del tram di "One More Time", per esempio, ma anche e soprattutto le conclusive, speranzose, "Ghost Start" e "The View From Here", sprizzanti sentimenti come lampade di sentimenti e intrise di tramonti marini, new age in saldo e grida di gabbiani. (Alberto Calorosi)

(White Noise - 2017)
Voto: 60

https://officialomd.bandcamp.com/releases

Lorelei - Тени октября (Shadows Of October)

#FOR FANS OF: Death/Gothic/Doom

Russia has traditionally been a great source for the darkest subgenres of metal, being probably the Russian doom/death/gothic metal scene one of the strongest, if not the strongest one. The Russian band Lorelei is undoubtedly influenced by this scene and though it doesn´t deliver anything original, their debut album 'Gloomy Waves of the Cold Sea' was a solid effort, which helped the band to carve a name in a quite crowded scene. For the curious people the band´s name has an interesting origin. Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine, which is located near St. Goarshausen, in Germany. This Rock soars some 120 metres above the waterline. In relation to this, Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, associated with this rock in popular folklore and literature. It is indeed an appropriate name for an underground band. Even though the band was created around 2003 they have released only two albums, the reason behind this apparent inactivity was the constant line-up changes, something which sadly occurs too often in the darkest sub-genres of metal. Thankfully, the band finally found a solid line-up which had made possible to start releasing works at a more decent rate. Anyway, it has taken four years for the band to release a new work, entitled 'Тени октября' (Shadows of October), which should be a step forward for this band. As it has been aforementioned the band’s style is clearly rooted in the doom/death/gothic sound and this new album doesn´t leave behind this genre. The artwork itself is far from being original, though it suits perfectly well the band´s style and lyrics. This album, though I wouldn´t consider it a conceptual work, deals with Autumn, also a classic theme for those sort of bands, mainly because this season fits perfectly well the sense of melancholic atmosphere that doom/death bands try to create. Musically speaking Lorelei´s approach doesn´t differ too much from the classic fundaments of the genre. Their Music´s tempo is slow with pretty heavy guitars and simple drums, while the vocals are very well executed death-esque growls, occasionally accompanied by delicate female vocals which add the gothic touch to their music. The guitars deserve an especial mention as they deliver very mournful melodies, nothing groundbreaking here, but a very solid effort which shines on remarkable songs like the opener “Ya - Severniy Veter...” and the closer “Cantium Angelorum”. This track is probably my favourite one as the melodies are truly touching and express a sincere feeling of sorrow and melancholy, it is indeed an impressive way to end this sophomore work. The vocal delivery is quite solid with Alexey using the classic death metal growlings, while Maria shows us her great operatic voice, making a great contrast in songs like “Morskaya”. The keys are quite minimalistic, altough I personally prefer simple but touching keys over very complex arrangements, which sometimes sound quite empty. This style is all about feelings and though the keys are not absolutely impressive these simple pianos have a relevant role in songs like the previously mentioned one or “I Tiho Vetly Shelestyat”, where they sound better than in any other song. With “Teni Oktyabrya” Lorelei confirms what we were expecting from them. Their sophomore album is a remarkable work of an emotional and melancholic death/doom/gothic metal and a very loyal effort to the genre. This album will be a pleasure for the ears for those fans who want to listen to something classic and far from adventurous experimentations. (Alain González Artola)

(Solitude Productions - 2017)
Score: 75

https://loreleiband.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-of-october

The Pit Tips

Francesco Scarci

Amorphis - Queen of Time
Pg.Lost - Versus
Kzohh - 26

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Alain González Artola

Fable - Wisdom
Mushussu - Tat Tvam Asi
Skyborn Reveries - Winter lights

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Michele Montanari

La Fin - Empire of Nothing
La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio - Sky Over Giza
Big Brave - Ardor

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Five_Nails

Razor of Occam - Pillars of Creation
Dessiderium - Life Was a Blur
Altar of Betelgeuze - At the Shrine of Light

The Old Dead Tree - The Water Fields

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#PER CHI AMA: Death/Gothic

Avevo particolarmente amato gli esordi dei The Old Dead Tree, per quella ventata di freschezza, portata nel panorama gothic death, che di certo non stava vivendo una fase positiva della sua storia. Continuando con il loro stile personale, la band transalpina continua a proporre il perfetto connubio tra heavy gothic emozionale e una spruzzatina di death metal. Devo ammettere però che l’inizio di 'The Water Fields' non mi ha convinto più di tanto: i primi due pezzi infatti, sono abbastanza scontati e sconclusionati; dalla terza traccia “Dive” in poi però, la situazione inizia a migliorare sensibilmente. La band ritrova l’ispirazione degli esordi, quando 'The Nameless Disease' sconvolse il mondo con quelle sue splendide melodie graffianti e per la calda voce di Manuel Munoz. In questo terzo lavoro, ormai datato 2007 che rappresenta ancora l'ultimo album per i nostri, le chitarre continuano a tessere linee dure e malinconiche al tempo stesso, con la voce di Manuel che si rincorre alternando il raro growling con la sua incredibile timbrica pulita. Trattandosi di un concept album sull’autoironia e sulla necessità da parte di alcune persone di fuggire dalla realtà o rimanere passive in stati d’ansia, l’album rispecchia umoralmente questi argomenti, passando da momenti di rabbia ad altri più meditativi, dove spesso, l’unico vero strumento rimane la voce di Manuel. Disperazione, angoscia e rabbia si alternano in una girandola di emozioni, un’altalena di suoni e colori gravitanti attorno ad atmosfere decadenti e ad altre più incalzanti. Gli Old Dead Tree si confermano cosi ottimi musicisti, dalle idee valide e abbastanza originali. Per i nostalgici del gothic, per i metallari classici e per coloro che ancora attendono un nuovo album targato The Old Dead Tree. (Francesco Scarci)

(Season of Mist - 2007)
Voto: 75

https://www.facebook.com/The-Old-Dead-Tree-22976508359/

Blitzkrieg - Judge Not!

#PER CHI AMA: NWOBHM, Iron Maiden

Al di là di qualche timida tentazione power (raggranellate qualcosa in giro, per esempio in "Who is Blind"), old-school-hard ("Wide Legged and Headless" si colloca nell'esatta intersezione tra "A Light in the Black" e "Spotlight Kid" dei Rainbow, mentre "Falling into Darkness" e "Stargazer" hanno, diciamo, una consanguineità somatica ben visibile) o 70's-glam ("Loud and Proud" e "Without You"), al di là di tutto questo, dicevo, nel suono distillato 100% proof NWOBHM, individuerete con una certa evidenza, una devozione nei confronti del genere e dei numi I-Maiden ("Reign of Fire") e J-Priest ("All Hell is Breaking Loose" e "Angels or Demons"). Il quinto postulato dell'heavy metal sostiene che se da "Black Sabbath" (la canzone) sarebbe scaturito lo stoner a mo' di big bang sonoro, allora la NWOBHM scaturisce da "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" in modo del tutto analogo. E così canzoni del calibro di "Forever is a Long Time", e più in generale l'intera essenza dei Blitzkrieg, troverebbero una precisa collocazione all'interno del quadrante Alfa dell'universo. Ma la guerra-lampo dei Blitzkrieg si protrae oramai da trentotto ere astrali. Non giudicate, quindi. Ve lo dice persino il titolo. Non ne avete il diritto così come non ce l'ha l'autore di queste sconclusionate righe. Ascoltate e basta. (Alberto Calorosi)

(Mighty Music - 2018)
Voto: 70

https://www.facebook.com/BlitzkriegUK/

Antichrist - Pax Moriendi

#FOR FANS OF: Death/Funeral Doom

Sincerely, I am not a great expert of the Peruvian metal scene so, I was very curious about 'Pax Moriendi', the long awaited first effort by Antichrist. The band´s discography may not be especially extensive, because only a handful of demos had been released, but the project itself is by no means new. In fact, the band was created in 2002, but for some reasons I don´t know why the project remained inactive until 2012, when the band was revived and started to compose music. Agalariept, who takes the duties for the vocals, is the sole founder of Antichrist but he shares his passion for extreme metal with the guitar player Sargatanaz. Both of them have taken part in another project called Blaspherion, which seemed to be their main project during the years that Antichrist remained silent. Anyway, it seems that they focused again their main efforts on Antichrist, and due to this reinvigorated passion, the band managed to finally release their first opus. Musically speaking Antichrist plays a classic and sometimes minimalistic kind of very slow death metal, which could be described as a blend between funeral doom and the darkest death metal you can imagine. The artwork is a perfect visual representation of this kind of music, depicting which seems to be the head of an angel´s statue. The lyrics deal with Satanism though the song titles imply a more depressive approach. As one can imagine the album contains only a few songs, specifically five, having a remarkable length with a sole exception. Stylistically, the songs are extensive, slow paced and monotonous. The very slow pace and the quite deep growls are reminiscent of the funeral doom metal genre, a style which Antichrist seems to handle very well. The opening track, “Forgotten in Nameless Suffering”, is a perfect example of what we will find through this debut. The aforementioned repeatability and slowness is permanently present, occasionally accompanied by some atmospheric keys which add an interesting touch to the music. I personally like these adds because those evoking keys enhance the oppressive atmosphere of this style, enriching at the same time the music with some melodies. Anyway, Antichrist does not want to restrict itself to the slowest funeral doom-esque tempos and through the album, the music varies from those ultra slow sections to others ones, which also being slow have some more pace. The band even includes some faster sections, with a distinctive old death metal influence, in a track like “Obscurantism”, which I personally find one of the most interesting songs. The track flows from pure funeral doom to faster death metal sections, including also some truly hypnotic atmospheric parts. As already mentioned, most of the songs are pretty long, reaching each of them no less than 7 minutes. The only exception is the most straightforward track, “Screams and Lamentations Drowned”, which has a fast opening section, even though it doesn´t lack the tenebrous and slow dark parts which are a trademark of this album. This song could be a good summary of the whole record. Antichrist´s first opus 'Pax Moriendi' is definitively a work worth of your time. Its combination of death metal and funeral doom has enough quality and variety to keep the listener´s interest alive through the whole record. The atmospheric touches are a good add, as they enrich the album and fit the style perfectly well. A great beginning! (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2018)
Score: 80

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/antichrist-pax-moriendi