The Clearing Path

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.

Vertebra Atlantis – Lustral Purge in Cerulean Bliss

By Dear Hollow on November 24, 2021 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 24 comments

“Mastermind behind such acts like Summit, The Clearing Path, Cosmic Putrefaction, and Turris Eburnea, G.G. or Gabriele Gramaglia’s resume is vast and varied, and sets a pretense for new project Vertebra Atlantis. Working with drummer/vocalist R.R. from Homselvareg and Vrangr from Spells of Misery, debut Lustral Purge in Cerulean Bliss offers a fusion of dissonant death metal and atmospheric black metal, not unlike labelmates Prometheus’ debut.” Dissonance dissidents.

Cosmic Putrefaction – At the Threshold of the Greatest Chasm Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 24, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Italian Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 41 comments

“There are two routes to success in death metal, either through brutal immediacy or boundary pushing creativity; while most bands understand this, few know how to blaze a trail down either path. The aptly named The Clearing Path deftly navigated the latter route two years ago with their sophomore record Water Between Firmament and the Realm of Hyperborea, a dizzyingly unique and atmospheric take on death metal that I still listen to and think about often. Thus, when I learned about a new, more traditional death metal project from Gabrielle Gramaglia, The Clearing Path’s sole member, my curiosity immediately skyrocketed.” Chasm spasms.

The Clearing Path – Watershed Between Firmament and the Realm of Hyperborea Review

By Eldritch Elitist on December 15, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Italian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 42 comments

“When writing reviews I try to spend as much time articulating ‘why I like the thing’ as much as I do proclaiming that ‘the thing is good.’ This is strictly for the benefit of my audience; if I fail to indicate my qualifiers for good music, a reader with far-removed expectations may feel alienated or, even worse, make a blind purchase and end up wasting hard-earned Bandcamp Bucks.” Blind purchase blues.

Summit – The Winds That Forestall Thy Return Review

By Mark Z. on July 6, 2016 in 2016, Ambient Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Italian Metal, Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Ambient Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge, 32 comments

“Solo projects are a mixed bag for me. On one hand, you’ll occasionally get a musician’s pure, unencumbered vision, free of competing egos, stylistic conflict, or bullshit social media drama that inevitably leads to a nasty breakup and months of blog posts detailing the extended legal battle over rights to the band name. More often, however, you get good ideas and musicianship hampered by a lack of self-awareness or weakened by the absence of an additional creative force. To paraphrase Stephen King, writers are often the worst judge of their own work.” And that’s where we come in.