Album Review – Embrace of Disharmony / De Rervm Natvra (2019)

A fascinating journey into a unique universe of Avantgarde and Progressive Dark Metal inspired by Lucretio’s poem “De Rervm Natvra” and his theory of the universe.

Forged in in 2006 the fires of Rome, the stunning capital of Italy, with the main goal of uniting the dark and epic Progressive Metal from bands like Symphony X and Adagio with elements from Avantgarde and Extreme Metal bands, as well as several orchestral outfits like Arcturus, Winds, Dimmu Borgir and Opeth, Avantgarde/Progressive Dark Metal four-piece act Embrace of Disharmony is unleashing upon humanity their second full-length opus entitled De Rervm Natvra, which translates from Latin as “on the nature of things”, a fascinating journey into a unique musical universe thoroughly crafted by the band, released five years after their debut album Humananke.

Comprised of Gloria Zanotti on vocals, Matteo Salvarezza on guitars, vocals and programming, Leonardo Barcaroli on bass and Emiliano Cantiano on drums, Embrace of Disharmony offer in De Rervm Natvra a more extreme sonority but at the same time a more avantgarde-ish aura than in Humananke, all spiced up by idiosyncratic electronic elements and a superb lyrical theme based on Lucretio’s poem “De Rervm Natvra” and his theory of the universe. Recorded at Dis(agio)harmony Studios and Hombre Lobo Studios with Valerio Fisik, mixed by Giuseppe Orlando at Outer Sound Studio, and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios, De Rervm Natvra is not only a great piece of symphonic and extreme music, but the overall sound quality of the album is simply outstanding, showing how focused all band members and their entire crew were, delivering first-class metal music to our avid ears.

Ethereal sounds permeate the air in Prohoemivm (“introduction”), with the voices in the background delivering a cryptic message and warming up our senses for the symphonic and eerie Lavdatio Epicvri (“in praise of Epicurus”), where Matteo’s background effects and keys grow in intensity until the entire band begins smashing their instruments furiously. And their venomous version of Dream Theater mixed with Cradle of Filth goes on in the 10-minute extravaganza De Primordiis Rervm (“the beginning”), a darker version of Epic Symphonic Metal with Emiliano sounding like a stone crusher on drums and with the delicate vocals by Gloria bringing more finesse to the overall musicality in an avalanche of symphonic sounds, somber passages, operatic choirs and tons of progressiveness. Then the quartet continues to mesmerize us with their dark symphony in De Motv Primordiorvm Rervm (“the beginning of motion”), another thrilling Progressive Dark Metal voyage where Matteo delivers crisp riffs while Leonardo and Emiliano are at the same time utterly progressive and vicious with their bass and drums, respectively; followed by De Infinitate Orbivm (“infinite worlds”), where a wicked intro evolves into a feast of Symphonic Metal showcasing classic piano notes, a menacing atmosphere and rumbling bass lines. Furthermore, Gloria and Matteo make a very dynamic and inspired vocal duo, while Emiliano doesn’t stop hammering his drums for our total delight.

In De Mortalitate Animae (“the immortality of the soul”), it’s impressive how the quartet is capable of transforming their music into some sort of theater or movie score, showcasing acoustic guitars while the smooth vocals by Gloria dictate the song’s rhythm, also presenting explosions of extreme music intertwined with pure Progressive Metal. De Pavore Mortis (“the terror of death”) starts in a whimsical and serene manner, again morphing into a Symphonic Metal party where Emiliano sounds even more brutal than before on drums while Gloria delivers some vicious, heavier-than-usual vocal lines to add an extra kick to the song; whereas in the Symphonic and Progressive Metal aria De Captionibvs Amoris (“the seizures of love”) we’re treated to the most wicked intro of the entire album, a dark and futuristic start that gets even more enfolding thanks to Matteo’s keys and Emiliano’s beats, generating a powerful paradox of sounds and setting the stage for Gloria to shine on vocals. Lastly we have De Formatione Orbis (“the formation of the world”), the most experimental of all songs, closing the album in a really distinct way and even flirting with Folk Metal at times. Once again presenting a potent vocal duet by Gloria and Matteo and flammable guitar riffs, the music gets a bit too atmospheric compared to the rest of the album, but nothing that could harm its overall electricity and impact.

In summary, Embrace of Disharmony are more than ready to take your hand and guide you through their whimsical and captivating world of heavy music in De Rervm Natvra, which is by the way available for a full listen on Spotify, and in order to show them your true support and admiration go check what they’re up to on Facebook, and purchase De Rervm Natvra from their BandCamp page, Apple Music, Amazon, or Discogs, or click HERE for all available options in the market. Gloria, Matteo, Leonardo and Emiliano might be only four musicians, but what they offer our ears in their new album sounds like if they were a full-bodied orchestra, meaning that not only they’re extremely talented and passionate about what they do, but also that fortunately for all of us we’ll be hearing from Embrace of Disharmony for many years to come, embellishing the airwaves with their fusion of the past, present and future of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: De Primordiis Rervm, De Infinitate Orbivm and De Captionibvs Amoris.

Worst moments of the album: De Formatione Orbis.

Released in 2019 My Kingdom Music

Track listing
1. Prohoemivm / Lavdatio Epicvri 3:05
2. De Primordiis Rervm 9:54
3. De Motv Primordiorvm Rervm 5:58
4. De Infinitate Orbivm 6:53
5. De Mortalitate Animae 7:53
6. De Pavore Mortis 6:12
7. De Captionibvs Amoris 5:53
8. De Formatione Orbis 8:14

Band members
Gloria Zanotti – vocals
Matteo Salvarezza – guitars, vocals, programming
Leonardo Barcaroli – bass
Emiliano Cantiano – drums

Guest musician
Marco Migliorelli – spoken words on “De Infinitate Orbivm” and “De Mortalitate Animae”

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