Embark on a journey through the cosmos with the brand new album by these talented Italian doom metallers, always evolving and exploring new territories without posing musical limits or barriers.
Born as a Black Metal band in the year of 2005 in Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, but slowly shifting away from the Black Metal scene in favor of Doom Metal, Post-Rock and Post-Metal influences, Deadly Carnage continue to pave a path of absolute experimentation with their brand new album titled Through the Void, Above The Suns, evolving and exploring new territories without posing musical limits or barriers. Comprised of lead singer and guitarist Alexios Ciancio, guitarist Davide “Dave” Bacci, bassist Fabio “Adres” Arcangeli and drummer Marco Ceccarelli, the band offers in Through the Void, Above the Suns a phenomenal journey, an unmatched vision of the cosmos with all its tangible and intangible components, such as stars, dark matter and black holes, forces that regulate it up through light and time.
While having explored existentialism in the past, with this new chapter Deadly Carnage move towards a universal vision, halfway between science, philosophy, occultism and spirituality. Musically speaking, the album brings to our ears an amalgamation of different styles and emotions, all embraced by a wide vision and dark moods, putting together the heaviest and most Stygian elements found in traditional Black Metal with the more modern, expanding and sometimes even esoteric tones and nuances from Doom Metal and Post-Rock. As a matter of fact, you’ll find your mind wandering through the realms of the atmospheric and sinister music crafted by Deadly Carnage while at the same time feel the urge to bang your head and scream in anger so subtle is the line between the band’s past and present sound, proving how gripping and timeless their music can be.
The album kicks off with an atmospheric intro titled Quantum, warming us up for to the obscure Matter, where the doomed beats by Marco dictate its funereal rhythm and set the perfect stage for the desperate vocals by Alexios, with the music flowing in a somber way until its climatic finale. Then we have Hyle, with the band’s stringed trio Alexios, Dave and specially Adres with his menacing bass helping enhance the song’s impact considerably by blending the obscurity of Doom Metal with hints of more modern styles such as Groove and Progressive Metal, while Alexios darkly declaims the song’s lyrics (“Here they are / the pillars of every seen and unseen things / the fiery and burning water of existence / that no one can corrupt”), gradually morphing into a pensive and dark bridge called Cosmi, before the band brings forth the melancholic tune Lumis, a lancinating composition with highlights to the somber vocals by Alexios surrounded by a mesmerizing atmospheric background, also displaying a beautiful and potent ending.
As desperate and melancholic as its predecessors, Ifene blends the most obscure elements from Doom, Progressive and Black Metal, with both Alexios and Dave slashing our ears with their guitar lines; followed by another atmospheric creation by Deadly Carnage titled Fractals, where you should simply close your eyes and let the ethereal waves crafted by the band guide your soul to the flammable Divide, showcasing traditional Black Metal blast beats intertwined with the delicacy and introspection of Post-Metal, resulting in a stunning multi-layered composition for admirers of the genre with sheer poetry flowing from Alexios’ vocals (“I’m not allowed no more / can’t see what I left behind / and the choice makes me blind / I’m not allowed no more / I cannot shine, no more / I’m in the divide tonight”) and a smooth piano ending setting the stage for the closing act in the album, the even more progressive and whimsical Entropia, where Alexios and Dave add tons of electricity to the song’s dark ambience with their riffs, while Marco smashes his drums in a beautiful way. Furthermore, the music remains vibrant, melancholic and atmospheric until its very last second for our total delight.
In summary, Through the Void, Above The Suns, which is available for a full listen on YouTube and on sales through the band’s own BandCamp page, through the ATMF’s BandCamp page and webstore, and on Amazon, represents a huge step forward in the career of Deadly Carnage, pointing to a bright future for those four skillful Italian metallers. What part of the cosmos they’ll reach no one knows for sure, but we can all expect to have our ears and minds filled with more of their imposing and always-evolving music in the coming years without a shadow of a doubt.
Best moments of the album: Hyle, Lumis and Divide.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2018 A Sad Sadness Song
Track listing
1. Quantum 1:42
2. Matter 5:09
3. Hyle 4:13
4. Cosmi 2:37
5. Lumis 5:36
6. Ifene 7:54
7. Fractals 3:14
8. Divide 7:16
9. Entropia 7:41
Band members
Alexios Ciancio – vocals, guitars
Davide “Dave” Bacci – guitars
Fabio “Adres” Arcangeli – bass
Marco Ceccarelli – drums
Guest musicians
Mike Crinella – synths, piano solo on “Divide”
Alice Masini – cello on “Hyle”