Tag Archives: aeternus

Album Review – Notturno / Our (2024)

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The newest chapter in the story of this Italy-based Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity continues the exploration of the human psyche and our obsessive compulsions.

One year to the date of their last album, titled Inside, and two years after their debut opus Obsessions, the newest chapter in the story of Italy-based Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity Notturno has just seen the light of day once again in the form of their new album Our, continuing the exploration of the human psyche and our obsessive compulsions. Recorded at BVNKER Studio, with vocals recorded at HK Studios and drums recorded by Stefano Nuccetelli at Music Up Studio, mixed and mastered by Stefan Traunmüller at Soundtempel Studio, and displaying a captivating atwork by Sky Studach, with photos by Riccardo Ziosi and featuring model Giulia Simonelli, the new album by vocalist Kjiel and multi-instrumentalist Vittorio Sabelli, alongside session drummer Aeternus (aka Sven Vinat), is rooted in Atmospheric and Depressive Black Metal with classical instruments incorporated into the compositions, only adding to the rich sonic tapestry, though perhaps never as seamlessly as on this latest album.

And it’s classic Notturno in the intro Adagio, with the dark, deep sounds of the clarinet by Vittorio generating a truly menacing ambience perfect for the band to crush our souls in Inside, where the delicate but piercing instrumental pieces are exactly what Kjiel needs to shine on vocals, overflowing melancholy and flowing majestically until the very last second, therefore connecting in a beautiful way with Anymore, which starts in a serene manner to the acoustic guitars by Vittorio, alternating between utterly introspective moments to the gentle vocals by Kjiel and sheer heaviness and obscurity with harsher riffs and roars, resulting in a multi-layered aria of Depressive Black Metal. Then all explodes into the heavy-as-hell, Black Metal-infused Paranoia, with Vittorio and Aeternus demolishing our damned souls with an infuriated eight-minute wall of sounds full of classic riffs, beats and fills, with its calm interlude bringing peace to our rotten souls before all hell breaks loose again to the devilish vociferations by Kjiel; and lastly, it’s time for Vittorio to reach deep inside our hearts with his piano in the closing tune Doors, with Kjiel darkly declaiming the song’s lyrics, before morphing into a stylish Depressive and Atmospheric Black Metal onrush and ending in a gentle, somber way.

Such an amazing Italian duo of darkness is waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with more of their music, news, tour dates and so on, and don’t forget to also stream their eerie creations on Spotify and, above all that, to purchase Our from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp or webstore, adding an extra touch of obscurity to your collection. Kjiel and Vittorio more than just complete each other in a “Beauty and the Beast” style, specially because Kjiel is also a beast; they actually represent one single entity which purpose is to bring darkness and melancholy to our hearts, with Our being the perfect follow-up to Obsessions and Inside, continuing to pave the duo’s beautiful path to a land where there’s no hope, nor light.

Best moments of the album: Anymore and Paranoia.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Adagio 3:53
2. Inside 7:39
3. Anymore 10:14
4. Paranoia 8:08
5. Doors 8:15

Band members
Kjiel – vocals
Vittorio Sabelli – guitars, bass, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, keys

Guest musician
Aeternus – drums

Album Review – Depressed Mode / Decade of Silence (2022)

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One of the most interesting names of the underground Finnish scene returns to action after almost 13 years with a brand new album of stunning and symphonic Doom Metal.

Established in Pori, a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland, in 2005 by vocalist and composer Otto Salonen, the amazing Symphonic Death/Doom Metal act known as Depressed Mode is set to release their long-awaited third full-length album Decade of Silence, almost 13 years after ..for Death.., released in 2009. Recorded by the band’s guitarist Teemu Heinola and the aforementioned Otto Salonen at Ansa Studio, mixed by the same Teemu, and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios, Decade of Silence will bring a humungous dosage of symphony and doom to your avid ears, showcasing all the talent and passion for heavy music by Otto and Teemu together with their bandmates Henri Hakala on bass and Iiro Aittokoski on drums.

Death Walks Among Us is sinister and obscure from the very first second, with the orchestrations by Otto giving it a cinematic vibe while his deep guttural will haunt your damned souls for all eternity, all spiced up by the vicious riffs by Teemu. Then featuring Veronica Bordacchini of Fleshgod Apocalypse as a guest vocalist, Endless November starts in the most lugubrious way possible, evolving into a sluggish, phantasmagorical Doom Metal song with Blackened Doom nuances, not to mention all symphonic elements sound and feel majestic; whereas back to a heavier and more symphonic mode it’s time for Iiro to dictate the pace with his pounding drums in Dissociation of the Extinguished Mind, featuring a guest guitar solo by Jarkko Kokko of Mors Principium Est. Veronica is back in As the Light Dims, another bold, multi-layered creation by Depressed Mode that starts in a serene way to the sounds of the piano and cello, offering our ears nine nocturnal minutes of stunning Doom Metal.

Just as imposing and grim as its predecessors,  Parasites of Mind explodes into a brutal fusion of Symphonic and Death Metal led by the venomous riffs by Teemu and the inhumane roars by Otto, smashing your cranial skull without a single drop of mercy, whereas drinking from the darkest fountain of Doom Metal you can think of, Kaamos (Land of Winter) brings forward the pounding beats by Iiro and the crushing riffs by Teemu, penetrating deep inside your soul while more of their sluggish, grim sounds permeate the air in Serpents, with sheer darkness flowing from both Otto’s vocals and Henri’s hammering bass. Eternal Darkness is another stunning creation featuring Veronica’s mesmerizing vocals, with the orchestrations by Otto sounding beautifully haunting while Iiro pulverizes his drums in a lesson in Symphonic Doom Metal. Finally, prepare your senses for 12 minutes of atmospheric passages, darkened skies and endless heaviness in the form of Aeternus, where Otto’s deep guttural brings a touch of Blackened Doom to the overall result, flowing darkly until its climatic and Stygian ending.

In a nutshell, the guys from Depressed Mode definitely know how to blend the heaviness of Doom Metal with the finesse of symphonic and orchestral music, and Decade of Silence is not only the perfect representation of that stunning fusion of sounds, but also a beyond strong comeback by those Finnish metallers. Hence, don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram to know more about their music, to stream all of their wicked creations on Spotify, and of course to purchase Decade of Silence from the band’s own BandCamp page or from the Inverse Records webstore sooner than you can say “doom”. After over a decade of silence it’s a pleasure to witness the return of such interesting name of the underground Finnish scene, and let’s hope that we don’t need to wait another ten years to listen to more of their awesome music.

Best moments of the album: Endless November, Eternal Darkness and Aeternus.

Worst moments of the album: Serpents.

Released in 2022 Inverse Records

Track listing
1. Death Walks Among Us 5:53
2. Endless November 7:43
3. Dissociation of the Extinguished Mind 6:56
4. As the Light Dims 8:58
5. Parasites of Mind 6:39
6. Kaamos (Land of Winter) 6:16
7. Serpents 5:50
8. Eternal Darkness 5:46
9. Aeternus 12:09

Band members
Otto Salonen – vocals, orchestrations
Teemu Heinola – guitars
Henri Hakala – bass
Iiro Aittokoski – drums

Guest musicians
Veronica Bordacchini – vocals on “Endless November”, “As the Light Dims” and “Eternal Darkness”
Jarkko Kokko – lead guitars on “Dissociation of the Extinguished Mind”