Italian Metal

Of the Muses – Senhal Review

Of the Muses – Senhal Review

By Twelve on November 8, 2023 in Reviews, 12 comments

“Good blackgaze feels way too hard to come by. There’s just something about the crossroad of metal and not metal that eludes so many artists and listeners. Done right, it’s one of my preferred styles of metal, allowing for intense beauty and vivid emotion at the same time, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review Senhal, the debut full-length album from Italy’s Of the Muses. According to its promotional material, the album mixes doom, black, and post-metal alongside dreampop elements in a mesh of blackgaze.” Gaze into the void.

Amalekim – Avodah Zarah Review

Amalekim – Avodah Zarah Review

By Thus Spoke on November 2, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 51 comments

“2023 hasn’t been the best year for black metal. With some scattered, notable exceptions—DHG and Manbryne among them—most new releases have been underwhelming, or at least disappointing. Undeterred, I continue to pick promos bearing the ‘black metal’ tag, because I believe the genre, at its best, is captivating in a way others aren’t, and offers a flavor of expression unique to itself. As we approach the sunset of the year, my persistence has paid off with the arrival of Avodah Zarah, the sophomore record from Polish/Italian outfit Amalekim.” Blackened treasures uncovered.

Vertebra Atlantis – A Dialogue with the Eeriest Sublime Review

Vertebra Atlantis – A Dialogue with the Eeriest Sublime Review

By Dear Hollow on October 26, 2023 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 40 comments

“A Dialogue with the Eeriest Sublime is pure unadulterated Vertebra Atlantis at its finest. Blending blackened death punishment with the grandiosity of a crashing castle, the doom-laden contemplation of the awe its destruction invokes, the blackened attack that battles ice with fire, and the atmospheric ice that coats every surface, the Italian trio has stepped up everything that gave its predecessor, the great Lustral Purge in Cerulean Bliss, its signature blend of punishing and atmospheric.” Sublime mass destruction.

Bekor Qilish – The Flesh of a New God Review

Bekor Qilish – The Flesh of a New God Review

By Dear Hollow on October 10, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 17 comments

“Last time we met Bekor Qilish, the one-man show was the thrashened epitome of what we like to call “Voidhanger-core:” black metal with a penchant for riffs, wonky rhythms, and a healthy slathering of dissonance. Honing in on a completely alien sound tossed with reckless abandon and a healthy amount of lighthearted fun, Throes of Death from the Dreamed Nihilism nonetheless suffered from a lack of surefire direction, just kinda bouncing around wonky dissonance and neat riffs for the hell of it. Over a year later, we are greeted with its follow-up, The Flesh of a New God.” Flesh is a gift.

Deadly Carnage – Endless Blue Review

Deadly Carnage – Endless Blue Review

By Thus Spoke on September 13, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Metal, 44 comments

“Deadly Carnage are a band who have really evolved. Beginning—as their vicious-sounding name might imply—in the bleakest of black metal, they have progressively moved into post-black territory, and their music seems only to have strengthened throughout. As they have substituted more and more harsh vocals for clean singing, dissonant chords for layered harmonies, and blastbeats for swaying, doomier rhythms, their sound has grown more introspective and intriguing.” Deadly evolution.

Hiems – Stranger in a Wasteland Review

Hiems – Stranger in a Wasteland Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on September 7, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 20 comments

“You may know Algol from his tenure as the bassist of depressive black metal giants Forgotten Tomb, but chances are you’re unfamiliar with his solo black metal band Hiems. Despite two decent albums in the 2000s, it seemed Hiems’ destiny was to remain obscure, as Algol chose instead to focus on Forgotten Tomb. Now, after a whopping 14 years of dormancy, Hiems is poised to release Stranger in a Wasteland. Algol has pulled out all the stops to reinvent Hiems.” Reinventing the atmobluss.

Sinheresy – Event Horizon Review

Sinheresy – Event Horizon Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on August 30, 2023 in Reviews, Melodic Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 32 comments

“I know what you’re thinking. That cover, those outfits, the absolutely killer orange-tinted glasses—they must be Italian. And it’s-a true, the members of Sinheresy hail from Trieste, which technically, in its annexed sliver, flies il Tricolore all the same. Also technically, Sinheresy plays metal, albeit in a variety that resembles the anthemic sympho-ish bounce of Olzon-era Nightwish smattered about with Björiffs to provide a kind of glossy crust.” Sinners bleed orange.

S A R R A M – Pàthei Màthos Review

S A R R A M – Pàthei Màthos Review

By Thus Spoke on August 28, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient, Not Metal, 12 comments

“Pathei Mathos means “learn a lesson,” but more literally it refers to “learning through suffering.” Valerio Marras, through his project S A R R A M, takes this phraseology explicitly from Aeschylus’ tragedy Agamemnon, where, in an exposition full of powerful dramatic irony and foreshadowing, the chorus describes this essential component of wisdom to which humans are subjected. The concept of knowledge resulting from and culminating in suffering is arguably a core concept of Greek tragedy. And it’s also a part of life, which Marras aims to convey by channeling his experiences and emotions through Pathei Mathos’ ambient soundscapes.” Life is pain, pain is growth.

Noveria – The Gates of the Underworld Review

Noveria – The Gates of the Underworld Review

By GardensTale on August 28, 2023 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 23 comments

“Ah, Noveria. When I first encountered this talented bunch on sophomore album Forsaken, the clash between the overt melodrama and the serious subject matter forced me to leave a middling score. But 2019’s Aequilibrium was a huge improvement. It was almost like the band had used my review as a template for what to fix, making strides in songwriting, execution, and production alike.” Peak and Death Valley.