Tag Archives: brescia

Album Review – Avtotheism / Reflections Of Execrable Stillness (2024)

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A Death Metal work-of-art consisting of two parts, the first revolving around the relationship between Man and Nature, while the second focuses on the connection between Man and God.

“We are entangled in illusions of movement
Lying into incarnations of hush”

Formed in Brescia, Italy in 2016, Technical Death Metal horde Avtotheism crafts a unique blend of Death Metal by adding sulfurous, atmospheric and dark ambient elements to their sound, which is exactly what you’ll get in their newborn beast titled Reflections Of Execrable Stillness, the follow-up to their 2021 debut The Sleeper Awakens. Displaying a beautiful painting by Vama Marga, the new album by P on vocals, R on the guitars, L on bass and N on drums consists of two parts, with the first four tracks being brand new, unreleased material composed in 2022, while the second part is a single, challenging 17-minute song written between 2016 and 2017, and while these two parts deal with different topics, yet they’re inherently linked, as the first is a concept revolving around the relationship between Man and Nature, the cyclic nature of time and events, while the second, on the other hand, is a monolithic song focusing on the connection between Man and God.

Multitudes Of The Sand I is utterly experimental and progressive during a good part of its intro before razor-edged riffs and blast beats fill every single space in the air in a beautiful feast of Technical Death Metal, all boosted by the cadaverous roars by P, whereas Multitudes Of The Sand II already begins in full force to the massive drums by N, flowing majestically until the very last second with tons of intricacy and rage bursting from N’s classic drums, therefore resulting in one of the strongest songs of the album. Then we have Incarnations Of Hush, as heavy and infuriated as it’s phantasmagorical and progressive, and definitely not recommended for the lighthearted, with the guest solo by Matteo Gresele (Ad Nauseam) bringing an extra touch of insanity to the music; connecting with the atmospheric, ethereal Upon Wrecks Of Desolation, one of those cryptic instrumental tunes that puts an end to the first part of the album before the band attack all of our senses with 17 minutes of uncanny Death Metal entitled Dogma Sculptured In The Flesh, a venomous, thunderous creation by the band overflowing violence, hatred and obscurity where the guitars by R sound absolutely austere and evil, not to mention how deep, enraged the growls by P are during the entire song. Put differently, it’s like multiple songs in one, a metallic and experimental sonic voyage that ends in a beyond atmospheric way for our total delight.

The name Avtotheism is used to describe both sacredness and iconoclasm, the elevation of the self beyond religion and divinity, and add to that the band’s lyrics dealing with philosophical concepts of the end of times and human annihilation and you have a bold, caustic blend of Death Metal perfect for the apocalypse. Hence, don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream their wicked music on Spotify, and to purchase the excellent Reflections Of Execrable Stillness from Avantgarde Music or from Sound Cave, strengthening your connection with Nature, with God and, consequently, preparing your soul for the inevitable end of our decaying world.

Best moments of the album: Multitudes Of The Sand II and Dogma Sculptured In The Flesh.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Unorthodox Emanations

Track listing
1. Multitudes Of The Sand I 6:55
2. Multitudes Of The Sand II 5:40
3. Incarnations Of Hush 4:56
4. Upon Wrecks Of Desolation 3:26
5. Dogma Sculptured In The Flesh 17:06

Band members
P – vocals
R – guitars
L – bass
N – drums

Guest musician
Matteo Gresele – guitar solo on “Incarnations Of Hush”

Album Review – Scent Of Darkness / Insanitude EP (2020)

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Touching themes like depression, psychosis and solitude, the debut album by this promising Italian project will take you on a one-way journey to the desolate lands of doom.

Formed in 2018 in Brescia, a city in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, Funeral Doom project Scent Of Darkness was born from the artistic expression of the band’s mastermind and guitarist Gianluca Moreo, known from his work with Vereor Nox, aiming at delivering lugubrious and unsettling doom tailored for fans of bands like Saturnus, Novembers Doom and Ahab. Now in 2020, after partnering with vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Telve (from Canticum Diaboli), Gianluca and his Scent Of Darkness are unleashing upon us the project’s debut EP entitled Insanitude, a concept album which speaks of psychological and social experiences lived in first person by Gianluca himself, touching themes like depression, psychosis, abandonment, mistrust, delirium, solitude and hope. And let me tell you that the final result, consisting of four Depressive Funeral Doom Metal songs with painful, desolated and sick traits, will certainly leave you completely disoriented after the album’s 30 macabre and sluggish minutes are over.

The somber acoustic guitars by Gianluca kick off the first track of the EP, the grim Reborn, being gradually accompanied by Lorenzo’s slow and steady beats and an enfolding atmosphere, with Lorenzo growling deeply and demonically and, consequently, resulting in a black mass of Funeral Doom for admirers of the genre. Then featuring lyrics by Alex Gothnesia and guest vocals by Gray Ravenmoon (Hateful Desolation), Trust Issues sounds even heavier and more caustic than the opening tune, with Gianluca and Lorenzo generating a menacing ambience with their Stygian riffs, bass jabs and drums, and with the raspy and hellish roars by Gray bringing an extra dosage of malignancy to their already visceral Doom Metal, followed by Crowded Solitude, another brutal, smashing Doom Metal extravaganza led by the funereal drums by Lorenzo while Gianluca keeps extracting sheer obscurity from his razor-edge riffs, sounding perfect for savoring each second in pitch black darkness. And last but not least, anguished spoken words will penetrate deep inside your psyche in the 10-minute aria entitled Whispers From Nowhere, where the band’s infernal duo continues to pave a sinister and dark path with their rumbling music, also presenting cryptic passages, eerie narrations, endless solitude and savage madness, all embraced by the gruesome gnarls by Lorenzo while the music flows like a dark river from hell until the song’s grandiose finale.

This 30-minute ode to all things doom can be better appreciated in full on YouTube, but of course I highly recommend you purchase a copy of the album from the Masked Dead Records’ BandCamp page or from Discogs to show your support to such up-and-coming Italian project, keeping the flames of doom burning in the depths of the underworld of heavy music. Also, you can get to know more about Scent Of Darkness by following the project on Facebook and by subscribing to its YouTube channel, darkening your heart and your thoughts even more as you join Gianluca in his one-way journey to hopelessness and desolation. If this high-end and very detailed EP is just the first release by Scent Of Darkness, I wonder where the project can go in the Doom Metal universe, leaving all fans of the slow, visceral and somber side of doom eager for more of his unrelenting creations in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: Trust Issues and Whispers From Nowhere.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Masked Dead Records

Track listing
1. Reborn 5:45
2. Trust Issues 7:41
3. Crowded Solitude 6:26
4. Whispers From Nowhere 10:04

Band members
Gianluca Moreo – guitars
Lorenzo Telve – vocals, bass, drums

Guest musician
Gray Ravenmoon – vocals on “Trust Issues”

Album Review – Tannoiser / Alamut EP (2018)

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An excellent album of crushing, distorted and obscure sounds, courtesy of an Italian power trio ready to spread darkness in the name of old school Sludge and Doom Metal.

Forged during the summer of 2015 in Salò, a town and comune in the Province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy on the banks of Lake Garda, in Italy, Stoner/Doom Metal power trio Tannoiser is a reality among us with their slow and obscure music inspired by cult acts such as Celtic Frost, Electric Wizard and Cathedral, also inserting some stylistic elements dear to the primordial Black Metal into the mix. Comprised of Bruno Almici on vocals and bass, Francesco Bellucci on the guitar and Davide Serpelloni on drums, Tannoiser are unleashing upon humanity their brand new EP, entitled Alamut, aiming at spreading darkness through their low-tuned, rumbling instruments and screams, all in the name of old school Doom Metal.

The name of the album is a clear reference to the mountain fortress, whose remains are located in the current Iran and which served as the basis for the sect of the Nizarites, better known as Hashashin, a story distinguished by mysteries that weave reality and legend. The dark, also understood as a lack of certainties, is another underlying macroscopic theme, starting from the subject chosen for the cover itself, the cannabis plant, whose history in the last century has been characterized by obscurantism and demonization, and which is linked to the history of the stronghold of Alamut. Musically speaking, as aforementioned Alamut brings to the listener doomed and distorted heavy music that lives up to the legacy of the genre, turning the album into a must-listen for diehard Doom Metal fans in pursuit of fresh alternatives in the market.

In the opening track, curiously named Baba Vanga after a blind Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist, a beyond weird intro quickly explodes into piercing and rumbling Stoner Metal led by the low-tuned bass and the anguished roars by Bruno, while Francesco slashes his strings in a vibrant fusion of old school Doom Metal and modern Rock N’ Roll. And the trio wastes no time and keep firing their fun and vibrant Stoner Metal in Paradacsa, with the bass punches being nicely supported by Davide’s steady and fierce beats. Moreover, the song presents an even more menacing vibe than its predecessor, being highly recommended for banging your head really hard in pitch black darkness; whereas the scorching hot buzzing blasted by Bruno from his bass ignites a somber Doom Metal feast titled Necrophage, where he also growls in a perturbing way while Davide keeps pounding our heads with his drums, with the music flowing demonically until its crushing finale.

March of Wrecks continues to pave the power trio’s path of obscurity, anger and pain, even bringing more aggressive nuances from Black Metal to their dense musicality, with Francesco doing an awesome job with his razor-edged riffs, while The Void showcases the most serene start of all songs from the EP, sounding melancholic and eerie with Bruno’s Stygian bass lines taking the lead while Francesco’s guitar lines once again bring electricity to the music. Then it’s Davide who takes care of kicking off their last breath of top-of-the-line Doom and Stoner Metal, titled Mekkano, remaining as dark as doomed music can be, with all band members adding their touch of malignancy to the sonority, especially Francesco with his mesmerizing riffs.

Entering the dark and sluggish world of Tannoiser is quite easy, as all you need to do is follow them on Facebook, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and of course purchase your copy of Alamut (available for a full listen on YouTube and on SoundCloud) directly from their BandCamp page or from Amazon. Tannoiser were spot on with their thrilling fusion of Stoner and Doom Metal in Alamut, and apparently the band will only grow stronger and stronger as time goes by, pointing to a bright future not only for the band but for the entire genre as well.

Best moments of the album: Baba Vanga and March of Wrecks.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 Leynir Booking & Prod

Track listing
1. Baba Vanga 4:11
2. Paradacsa 5:33
3. Necrophage 5:20
4. March of Wrecks 3:59
5. The Void 5:52
6. Mekkano 4:38

Band members
Bruno Almici – vocals, bass
Francesco Bellucci – guitar
Davide Serpelloni – drums