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Album Review – Madness Of Sorrow / N.W.O. The Beginning (2017)

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Depicting the corrupt and sick system in which humanity is living, the new album by this Italian duo of Gothic and Horror Metal will certainly entertain you with its high dosage of acidness, energy and creativity.

Although the ceaseless danger of the emergence of a totalitarian world government (the conspiracy theory known as the New World Order) might incite fear in our hearts, it also fuels the creativity from artists all over the world, including Italian Gothic/Horror Metal band Madness Of Sorrow with their brand new release, titled N.W.O. The Beginning, the fourth studio album in their career. Depicting the corrupt and sick system in which humanity is living, focusing specifically on corporations, sex and serial killers, and featuring a dark and acid artwork by Italian artist Graziano Roccatani, N.W.O. The Beginning will take you on a journey through the shadows of our decaying world, showcasing how exciting heavy music can be when powered by controversial and disturbing topics.

Formed in March 2011 by multi-instrumentalist Murihell (aka Muriel Saracino) from the ashes of Italian Gothic Metal/Hard Rock group Filthy Teens in the region of Pisa and Livorno, in Tuscany (but currently located in Val d’Aosta, a region of northwest Italy bordered by France and Switzerland), Madness Of Sorrow are constantly delivering high-quality music for fans of Gothic and Horror Metal, starting with their debut album Signs in 2011, which by the way led them to play in 2012 in Milan with Italian Gothic Metal icons Cadaveria, followed by Take the Children Away from the Priest in 2013 and more recently III: The Beast in 2015. The project takes now one step further with N.W.O. The Beginning, their first album featuring new singer Prophet (aka Diego Carnazzola), widening their music horizons and venturing on new sounds unexplored by the band in their previous releases.

The intro N.W.O. welcomes the listener with an eerie voice talking about the aforementioned conspiracy theory, working as a warm-up for Salomon, where Prophet blasts powerful growls as well as dark, clean vocals while Murihell delivers a Gothic, industrial and obscure musicality, blending the styles by Mercyful Fate and Ministry (which translates into pure wickedness, of course), followed by the excellent Inside the Church, a song that should sound fantastic when played live, bringing elements from Thrash and Death Metal in its riffs and beats, not to mention its awesome accelerated pace and catchy lyrics and chorus. And despite almost sounding as a ballad, You’re Not Alone also presents the darkened elements commonly found in the music by Madness Of Sorrow, being a very good example of a song by an extreme band that could be played in any radio station, with highlights to the top-notch clean vocals by Prophet.

Speeding things up again, the duo offers a fast-paced and aggressive tune drinking from the fountains of Thrash and Gothic Metal entitled Necrophilia, with the slashing guitar lines by Murihell together with Prophet’s demented screams being all that’s needed to ignite some fun mosh pits during their live concerts. More modern and Gothic than all previous songs, Slut brings forward lyrics that are extremely porn and nasty, in line with what the music proposes, but that for obvious reasons cannot be played on any radio station; whereas R.I.P. is a song where Murihell showcases all his talent and passion for metal, sounding more melodic, rhythmic and leaning towards more traditional Heavy Metal, with even some hints of Symphonic Metal coming from its background keyboards. In Zombified, smooth but dark keys and low-tuned bass lines build a demonic ambience perfect for Prophet to darkly declaim the song’s wicked lyrics in a solid display of contemporary Gothic Metal for fans of the genre.

Keep Your Head Down, an interesting composition by this skillful duo from Italy, offers more of their Gothic and Symphonic Metal, albeit being slightly repetitive in my opinion (in special its chorus), whereas in DNA what feels like Gothic Metal at first becomes a vicious display of Dark and Industrial Metal with elements from Thrash Metal, proving how versatile the duo is. Moreover, Murihell does an amazing job on drums and guitars, paving the path for Prophet and his raging vocals to thrive. And with a Down with the Sickness-inspired beginning, but bringing forward elements from Melodic Death Metal in its guitars and beats, the awesome S.O.S displays a rockin’ rhythm and effective breaks throughout its three minutes to keep the sound always fresh and vibrant, therefore turning it into one of the best songs of the album (if not the best), flowing into a tribal Outro that also presents the band’s trademark obscure sounding.

In summary, the New World Order might fortunately be just a theory (at least for now), but Madness Of Sorrow are an exciting reality and the music you’ll find in their new album is highly recommended for facing our everyday issues and struggles due to its elevated amount of energy and creativity. You can find more information about them at their official Facebook page, and enjoy their music on YouTube as well as on Spotify. And in order to grab your copy of N.W.O. The Beginning, simply go to iTunes or to Amazon. But hurry up, before the New World Order is finally born and comes to destroy our freedom, our music and arts in general.

Best moments of the album: Inside the Church, You’re Not Alone and S.O.S.

Worst moments of the album: Keep Your Head Down.

Released in 2017 Independent

Track listing
1. N.W.O. 0:35
2. Salomon 3:26
3. Inside the Church 3:36
4. You’re Not Alone 3:21
5. Necrophilia 3:26
6. Slut 3:23
7. R.I.P. 3:26
8. Zombified 3:37
9. Keep Your Head Down 4:26
10. DNA 3:46
11. S.O.S 3:11
12. Outro 1:26

Band members
Prophet – vocals
Murihell – guitars, bass, drums

Live lineup
Prophet – vocals
Murihell – guitars
Hades – bass
Kronork – drums

Album Review – Lorn / Arrayed Claws EP (2017)

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Absorb the music found in these five psychotic and violent tracks that perfectly exemplify the evolutionary path within the Black Metal field of this distinguished Italian act.

Rating4

ivr068-lorn-arrayed-clawsListening to the distinct Atmospheric Black Metal engendered by Italian act Lorn feels like contemplating a work-of-art by an unusual modern artist, changing its shape and form and bringing forward new elements every single time you stare at it. Since its inception in 1999, this alluring band from Bolzano, a city in the South Tyrol province of north Italy, has been delivering fresh extreme music through each of their releases, never sounding repetitive or outdated, with their full-length albums Towards the Abyss of Disease (2006) and Subconscious Metamorphosis (2013) being their most remarkable works to date. Now in 2017 Lorn are back with Arrayed Claws, featuring five psychotic and violent tracks that perfectly exemplify their evolutionary path within the Black Metal field.

If Subconscious Metamorhposis was a transcendental mental journey towards a superior illumination, Lorn’s new album looks more like a physical and desperate odyssey through the regions of Death. Featuring a classy artwork by Joel Angelini, with layout by Francesco Gemelli, Arrayed Claws will disturb your peace of mind and take you to the obscure realms of Black Metal crafted by the band’s mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Radok. Hence, as aforementioned, every instance you take a listen at such eccentric album you’ll experience different thoughts and feelings, expanding your comprehension of what atmospheric and experimental Extreme Metal truly means and, therefore, enhancing your personal connection with the music by Lorn.

In the opening track, titled Disharmonic Feticism, a darkened squall of brutal, extreme music hits the listener without clemency, with drummer Chimsicrin discharging furious old school Black Metal beats while Radok showcases all his skills through his demonic gnarls and violent riffs, not to mention its beautifully deranged lyrics (“Intentness / So that nothing correspond / Intolerance to the familiar / Orgasmic grate”). After seven minutes of violence and chaos, we face four minutes of a calm atmospheric passage to help soothe our souls, proving how broad extreme music can be when played by the right musicians (especially if they come from Italy, a never-ending source of high-end Black Metal). Their sonic demolition comes back in full force in Abstract Trap, a solid display of vicious Black Metal with Death and Thrash Metal elements to make it more aggressive, with the beastly Chimsicrin being unstoppable behind his drums. Moreover, this is another long, complex composition where again after around four minutes the band transitions their demonic music to an eerie atmospheric aura, with the difference that this time their havoc returns after a short while, with its ending feeling phantasmagorical and menacing.

lorn-logoThe second half of the album offers the listener two songs inspired by the Altaian mythology, two stages of a purification path. Toybodim, a fast-paced high-end Extreme Metal tune showcasing possessed vocals and lancinating guitars, takes its name from a black lake where the souls of the dead fall and become larvae, which can be seen in its lyrics (“Miserable parasite / The cowardice inebriates your void / Hidden haughtiness / Allegiance frighten your rotten self”); whereas the multilayered instrumental tune Sut-aq-Kol is a lake of milk where the spirits get purified, a placenta for the newborns. Musically speaking, this second song continues with Lorn’s banquet of extreme music, once again displaying boisterous drums and infernal riffs. The transition between these two tracks to the atmospheric Aus Nebel Turm aims at leaving the listener beaten and dismayed, with the painful awareness of being only a grain of nothing, lost in mysterious fogs of existence. After an ominous beginning, the music flows into pure Atmospheric and Experimental Black Metal, concluding the transcendental journey proposed by Lorn.

As mentioned in the beginning of this review, every single time you take a listen at the music by Lorn you’ll feel different,  and if you’re ready to experience and absorb all the fury and complexity found in the five tracks of Arrayed Claws, simply go to the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp or webstore to purchase this unconventional and extremely well-crafted album. Also, in order to keep track of such distinguished act, go visit Lorn’s Facebook page to know more about their music, future releases and other details, as a project like this that can unite harmony and disharmony in such enthralling way definitely deserves our sincere support.

Best moments of the album: Disharmonic Feticism and Toybodim.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 I, Voidhanger Records

Track listing
1. Disharmonic Feticism 10:53
2. Abstract Trap 10:15
3. Toybodim 6:09
4. Sut-aq-Kol 4:56
5. Aus Nebel Turm 6:40

Band members
Radok – guitars, bass, synth, vocals
Chimsicrin – drums

Album Review – Sinatras / Drowned (2017)

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A concentrate of Hardcore, Thrash and Death Metal mixed with an old school Rock N’ Roll attitude, courtesy of five talented and restless Italian musicians eager to bring more fun to the world through their creations.

Rating4

coverFrank Sinatra, born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915, was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. Death N’ Roll quintet Sinatras, born in 2014 in Vicenza, a city in northeastern Italy in the Veneto region, from an idea of Emanuele Zilio (now known as Lele Sinatra), guitar player for 20 years in Italian Metal/Hardcore band Strange Corner, and featuring expert musicians with different musical roots from Rock N’ Roll to Progressive Death Metal, bringing forth a classic but yet personal musicality tailored for fans of Carcass, Entombed, Pantera and Hatebreed, among others. What do these two entities have in common? Well, apart from carrying the same “family name”, let’s say that they can quickly put you to dance to the sound their high-end electrified compositions.

In less than five months after the project’s inception, thanks to the experience both live on stage and during studio sessions, Sinatras were able to write and record their first demo, called Six Sexy Songs, opening several doors for the band and inspiring them to release now in 2017 their debut full-length album, titled Drowned, a concentrate of Hardcore, Thrash and Death Metal mixed with an old school Rock N’ Roll attitude, featuring a simple and effective artwork by Mirko Marchesini (aka Minkio Sinatra) and eleven impactful songs with catchy choruses and immediate appeal. So start spreading the news, as Sinatras are ready to be the “number one, head of the list, cream of the crop at the top of the heap” in the world of heavy music.

In the opening track, Drowned, the band already blasts a frantic fusion of Thrash and Death Metal with the rebellious Rock N’ Roll played by Motörhead, with frontman Fla Sinatra playing really well the part of the demented vocalist with both his sick growls and clean vocals while Lele and Minkio make a great guitar duo with their roaring riffs. Leaning towards modern Thrash Metal, we have 24/7, a song about anger (“The value of our life is decreasing / and the stupidity grows faster / we are angry 24/7. / THEM! who? THEM! convicted in a false heaven”) perfect for their live performances, with highlights to the tempo changes effectively led by drummer Pisto Sinatra; followed by Cockroach, a badass song with Fla sounding extremely vile on vocals, maintaining their musicality at a high level of aggressiveness. Once again we face great guitar lines a la Pantera by Lele and Minkio, including a fiery solo to add more feeling to the overall result.

Something to Hate, one of the heaviest of all tracks, bursts violence through the deep growls by Fla and the song’s cutting guitar riffs and solos, with its drums played frantically as the music demands, whereas Flow, one of the best tracks in Drowned, brings forward an amazing blend of Southern Rock and Thrash Metal, sounding like a hybrid of Pantera, Chrome Division and Volbeat with a thrilling rhythm and catchy-as-hell vocal lines, not to mention the hints of progressiveness that end up enhancing the song’s punch even more. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record), an awesome version to the cult hit from the 80’s by Dead or Alive, delivers harsh growls and fast beats that will certainly please even fans of the original version, and in Los 43, a solid Rock N’ Roll composition with a catchy vibe and a good performance by all band members, Sinatras provide us what’s perhaps the harshest lyrics of the whole album (“Chaos, new world order / Despise, in your disorder / Homicide, deicide, burned gasoline, / Thrown in a pit as an animal / Death, is what you search Tears, are what you get / Genocide, misery, pain and slavery left to rot in their own reality”).

sinatras-2017Miss Anthropy is the closest the band gets to modern American metal music, being fast and furious with Pisto crushing his drums and also less harmonious than the rest of the album with some moments being pure Death Metal. It falls flat after a while, though, but nothing to worry about. On the other hand, Back in Frank is in my opinion the most complete and exciting of all songs, a perfect combination of Thrash Metal and Rock N’ Roll that also brings elements from Death Metal and Southern Rock, with both Lele and Minkio firing sharper-than-a-blade riffs while Fla delivers his strongest vocals overall. If you don’t get pumped up by this insane tune, you should definitely go see a doctor. Anyway, in Blind Fury, the name of the song summarizes its rhythm and approach, being an infuriated, modernized version of Death Metal with technical guitar lines, fast-paced beats and in special the metallic punches by bassist Lispio Sinatra, before Spiral Hell nicely concludes this fun and very cohesive album by Sinatras, with the whole band delivering more deranged music to the listener. Its heavy and melodic lines are boosted by the song’s potent vocals and backing vocals (as well as its excellent guitar solo), turning it into a nonstop tune for slamming into the pit with the band.

Are you ready to “start spreading the news” with this lunatic metal act from Italy? You can do that by visiting their Facebook page, YouTube channel and ReverbNation to know more about the band, and purchase Drowned at their BandCamp page, at the logic(il)logic Records webstore, on Amazon, at CD Baby, at Discogs, and several other locations. In summary, Drowned offers to you the most electrifying elements of old school and modern metal music, courtesy of five talented and restless Italian musicians eager to bring more fun to the world through their creations.

Best moments of the album: Drowned, Flow and Back in Frank.

Worst moments of the album: Miss Anthropy.

Released in 2017 logic(il)logic Records

Track listing
1. Drowned 5:52
2. 24/7 4:34
3. Cockroach 4:16
4. Something to Hate 4:48
5. Flow 3:31
6. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (Dear or Alive cover) 3:17
7. Los 43 4:18
8. Miss Anthropy 4:09
9. Back in Frank 4:19
10. Blind Fury 2:25
11. Spiral Hell 4:23

Band members
Fla Sinatra – vocals
Lele Sinatra – guitars
Minkio Sinatra – guitars
Lispio Sinatra – bass
Pisto Sinatra – drums

Album Review – Maze Of Sothoth / Soul Demise (2017)

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Inspired by the stunning creations of American writer H. P. Lovecraft, behold the debut hammering opus spawned from one of the newest underground Death Metal acts from Italy.

Rating4

cover-art-2000xThe debut full-length album by Italian Technical Death Metal horde Maze Of Sothoth, titled Soul Demise, is not only the first brutal, hammering opus spawned from one of the newest underground acts from Italy, but also a sensational tribute to the stunning creations of the unparalleled American writer H. P. Lovecraft. For instance, the band’s own name was inspired by Yog-Sothoth, a cosmic entity in the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle of Mr. H. P. Lovecraft, giving you an idea of how strong the admiration of this up-and-coming band from Bergamo, a city northeast of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy, is for one of the most influential writers in the history of horror fiction.

Founded by guitarist Fabio Marasco in January 2009, the initial sound fused massive influences from Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Dying Fetus, Nile and Slayer, with the band recording their first demo Guardian of the Gate in 2011. Five years after the demo was brought into being, Maze Of Sothoth are more than ready to storm the world with Soul Demise, an album that transpires brutality and harmony, with the cover art by Italian artist Ivory Crux perfectly translating into a hellish image the band’s obscure music. Furthermore, there isn’t a single song in Soul Demise that sounds soft or gentle, and that in Death Metal is unquestionably a synonym of excellence.

Ominous and devilish, the intro Cthulhu’s Calling opens the gates to the netherworld, setting the tone for drummer Matteo Moioli to begin his sonic demolition in the pulverizing Lies, with the metallic riffs blasted by Fabio and Riccardo Rubini complementing the band’s evil sonority, being highly recommended for fans of old school Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel. Their putrid and technical havoc continues with more visceral riffs and demented beats in Seed of Hatred, where I recommend you try to follow the song’s demonic lyrics together with lead singer and bassist Cristiano Marchesi and his guttural growls (“Our union will create a new form of evil / Put in your womb the seed of hatred / Your sacrifice won’t be vain / Errant demons populate the earth”). And smashing every living creature in their path, Maze Of Sothoth fire another bestial composition full of classic Death Metal riffs named Multiple Eyes, with highlights to the unstoppable drums by Matteo and the grisly vociferations by Cristiano, while the guitar solos by Fabio and Riccardo bring more balance to the song’s melody.

mosbandpicEven heavier than its predecessors, The Outsider is pure aggressiveness and darkness in the form of music, with Matteo displaying an outstanding performance on drums by being brutal and progressive at the same time. Put differently, this is top-notch Death Metal for lovers of the genre with a supernatural ending. The Dark Passenger brings forward elements of Progressive and Blackened Death Metal in its beginning, suddenly exploding into an extreme music carnage where Fabio and Riccardo once again pulverize our ears with their riffs and solos, whereas in At the Mountain of Madness the whole band showcases their refined techniques while Cristiano growls the song’s traditional Death Metal lyrics in a hellish way (“The awakening of the ancient ones is arrived / From their everlasting slumber / Cryptic creatures never seen before”). It could have been a bit shorter, though, but nothing that harms the overall quality of the album.

Increasing their heaviness and being as cavernous as usual, the band offers us Blind, a fast-paced infernal hymn perfect for getting completely crushed into the circle pit, with its guitars sounding angry and demented just the way we like in Death Metal. After that hurricane of extreme music we have Azzaihg’nimehc, a dark instrumental bridge to the last song of the album, the berserk Divine Sacrifice, where Matteo blasts his most furious beats and fills while Cristiano sounds like an ogre on vocals. If you survive this diabolical composition, I’m sure you’ll hit play again and go back to the beginning of such excellent album as any old school death metaller would do.

You can get more details on Maze Of Sothoth at their Facebook page, YouTube channel and ReverbNation, as well as purchase Soul Demise (which by the way can be streamed in its entirety HERE) through their BandCamp page, or at the Everlasting Spew Records’ BandCamp page and webstore. Maze Of Sothoth are technical, ruthless and ready to conquer the world of extreme music, and Soul Demise will certainly help them spread their brutality all over the world in the most effective way possible.

Best moments of the album: Lies, The Outsider and The Dark Passenger.

Worst moments of the album: At the Mountain of Madness.

Released in 2017 Everlasting Spew Records

Track listing
1. Cthulhu’s Calling 1:50
2. Lies 5:16
3. Seed of Hatred 3:19
4. Multiple Eyes 4:36
5. The Outsider 5:35
6. The Dark Passenger 4:41
7. At the Mountain of Madness 5:03
8. Blind 3:55
9. Azzaihg’nimehc 1:53
10. Divine Sacrifice 3:45

Band members
Cristiano Marchesi – vocals, bass
Fabio Marasco – guitars, synth
Riccardo Rubini – guitars
Matteo Moioli – drums

Album Review – Gaerea / Gaerea EP (2016)

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This five-piece faceless and nameless horde from Italy will blast your ears and minds with the darkened, dissonant and furious extreme music flowing from their debut self-titled album.

Rating5

front_coverPlaying darkened, dissonant and furious Black Metal without displaying any hints of mercy for mankind in the demonic 27 minutes of their self-titled debut EP Gaerea, Italian Black Metal quintet Gaerea will please fans of controversial groups such as Mgła, Secrets Of The Moon, Celeste and Behemoth, among others, bringing an infinite amount of obscurity and consternation to our ears and souls. Hailing from the cities of Rome and Lazio, this five-piece faceless and nameless act is one of the biggest promises in the Italian underground scene, and after listening to this professional and multi-layered album I’m sure the beautiful name of this phantasmagoric horde will stick inside your mind forever.

“Let’s make one thing clear. We need to stress the fact that our era is lost in a huge void of numbness. We are here to bring and present you what your system could not solve by itself. We’ll cover the daylight with ashes and smash the massive skull that’s blocking your brain and will to evolve. We’re Gaerea.” Those interesting words spilled by the band itself are precise in describing their musicality, a dense mix of different extreme styles such as Blackened Death Metal and Funeral Doom, which obviously leads to tenebrous lyrics and a total lack of happiness or hope in each one of the five tracks of the album.

An ominous intro with eerie background noises grows until guitars and deep guttural vocals join the musicality in Santificato, a demonic display of Black and Doom Metal that sounds disturbing from start to finish, setting the tone for the next tune, titled Final Call. Boisterous bass and guitar sounds open the gates to the underworld in this darkened chant blending Atmospheric Black Metal with elements from Funeral Doom and traditional Doom Metal, with its lyrics dealing with our personal struggles and all issues our society faces in this rotting world (“Why we all fight if the end is the same? / Six feet under is deep enough to make us equal like an unborn child / Black or white we want to be someone / We are all made of choices so why do we choose the wrong one? / War is not the answer to stop this carnage / So stand up and face it”).

img_0429Crisp guitar lines ignite the blackened tune Pray To Your False God, where drums come crushing like a steamroller. Moreover, desperate growls and an obscure vibe are the main ingredients in the most menacing of all songs, with its second half getting more sluggish with Black and Doom Metal flawlessly merging into one forbidding organism; followed by the sinister Through Time, a song fans of Behemoth and Triptykon will enjoy for sure due to its flammable Black Metal guitar riffs, anguished screams and a rhythmic and fierce drumming. And singing about death (“You scream for silence / You yell for pain / You just want to be quiet / On this pleasant dream / It burns you must feel / Your flesh going to ashes”), Void Of Numbness is Blackened Death Metal at its finest with a great performance by all band members, closing the EP in a more-than-fantastic and somber way. Furthermore, its drums sound amazingly powerful and heavy, making a precise duo with the satanic gnarls blasted by the band’s phantom vocalist.

Gaerea can be found (but not unmasked) at their official Facebook page, with their devilish EP being available for purchase at their BandCamp page and at the Everlasting Spew Records’ BandCamp page or webstore, but if you want to put your perverse hands on an awesome bundle containing the album and an exclusive, stylish T-shirt, simply visit the Everlasting Spew Records’ webstore for that very special offer. In short, Gaenea might be faceless and nameless, but they’re undoubtedly a solid evil identity that will reach the darkest depths of your mind with their unrelenting music.

Best moments of the album: Pray To Your False God and Void Of Numbness.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Everlasting Spew Records

Track listing
1. Santificato 3:32
2. Final Call 6:25
3. Pray To Your False God 5:50
4. Through Time 6:31
5. Void Of Numbness 5:09

Band members
*Information not available*

Album Review – Lectern / Precept Of Delator (2016)

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It doesn’t matter what happens to the world of music, these Italian metallers will never back off, always blasting our ears with their high-quality brutal Death Metal.

Rating5

lectern_precept-of-delatorIf there’s an underground Death Metal band that deserves our utmost respect for never giving up on extreme music, remaining always loyal to their foundations and beliefs despite all the hurdles faced during their entire career, it’s Italian death metallers Lectern. Since their inception in 1999 in the Italian capital city of Rome, the band led by lead singer and bassist Fabio Bava has been through several lineup changes, enduring an increasing lack of support from record labels and even the general public to any type of Extreme Metal, which ended up hampering the band from producing music for many years. But if you think that all those issues would cease their inner fire to craft old school brutal Death Metal, you’re absolutely wrong.

Inspired by all Death Metal bands from the United States from the 90’s, especially the ones based in Tampa, Florida, Lectern have always delivered excellent music to fans of the genre, starting with their debut EP Bisbetical in 1999, followed by a series of albums released after a huge hiatus, those being the EP Salvific Of Perhaps Lambent (2010) and the self-titled EP Lectern (2014), and their first full-length album Fratricidal Concelebration (2015). Now in 2016 it’s time for Lectern to haunt the world once again with Precept Of Delator, their brand new beastly album which features a Satanic old school artwork by Indonesian musician and artist Adi Dechristianize and an unbounded amount of sheer aggressiveness.

The opening track Gergal Profaner offers brutal devastation from the very first second, with drummer Marco Valentine being that rhythmic annihilator we all enjoy in technical Death Metal, while the band’s mastermind Fabio keeps growling like a beast. In short, this is awesome straightforward Death Metal for lovers of extreme music, period. Singing about the Catholic Church and their issues with pedophilia (“Palpation of sacramentarian / Sworn with fratricidal scars / Molested flesh / Eluded truth”), Palpation of Sacramentarian feels like old school Cannibal Corpse with a Thrash Metal vibe, with guitarist Pietro Sabato and Gabriele Cruz firing those traditional kick-ass riffs that always inspire us to slam into the pit; followed by the Satanic Fluent Bilocation, a brutal metallic massacre with Fabio and Marco dictating the rhythm with their respective gnarls and boisterous beats. In addition to that, the insanely good neck-breaking riff in the middle of the song keeps up with the basis of the Death Metal institution, proving how much those guys love that type of music.

lectern-2016Distil Shambles is a metal storm bursting aggressive growls and beats upon the listener, with all its tempo changes adding tons of ferocity and electricity to the musicality, as well as an excellent solo to close the song in an apocalyptic way. Then we have some ominous voices kicking off the obscure and putrid chant Pellucid, tailored for fans of pure pugnacity in music, with the guitars by both Pietro and Gabriele sounding truly menacing during the song’s five minutes of the most violent Death Metal you can think of. And Lectern continue their path of doom in Diptych of Perked Oblation, blasting brutal music with guitars and drums smashing your brain while Fabio roars each word of the song manically, turning this into a beyond excellent composition for their live performances.

Garn for Debitors brings forward two minutes of crushing riffs and drums, another song that sounds like the early days of Cannibal Corpse, and if you survive this hurricane of metal music you’re definitely a true badass headbanger ready for the title-track Precept of Delator and its pure Satanic lyrics (“With blasphemy reasons burn / Infamous scriptures / Devotional calvary / Precept of delator / Evil truth”). It might not be as fast-paced as its predecessors, but it’s dark and thrilling, with highlights to the furious riffage and solos by Pietro and Gabriele. Closing this brutal album we have another shot of traditional Death Metal titled Discorporation with Feral, showcasing a good pace and the deranged, deep growls by Fabio as its main ingredients.

All the exciting history, the metallic victories and the inspiring losses of such amazing underground band can be better appreciated at their Facebook page, and you can enjoy their extreme and technical music at their YouTube channel, ReverbNation and SoundCloud. Precept Of Delator, available for purchasing at the Via Nocturna’s BandCamp page and at the band’s Big Cartel page, is a solid and uproarious declaration by Lectern which confirms that it doesn’t matter what happens to the world of music, these Italian metallers will never back off, continuing to blast our ears with their belligerent Death Metal for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Gergal Profaner, Fluent Bilocation and Diptych of Perked Oblation.

Worst moments of the album: Discorporation with Feral.

Released in 2016 Via Nocturna

Track listing
1. Gergal Profaner 3:50
2. Palpation of Sacramentarian 5:13
3. Fluent Bilocation 3:45
4. Distil Shambles 3:35
5. Pellucid 5:05
6. Diptych of Perked Oblation 3:55
7. Garn for Debitors 2:15
8. Precept of Delator 4:34
9. Discorporation with Feral 4:43

Band members
Fabio Bava – vocals, bass
Pietro Sabato – guitar
Gabriele Cruz – guitar
Marco Valentine – drums

Interview – Cadaveria

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Descend into the dark world of Cadaveria and Necrodeath in this exclusive interview to The Headbanging Moose where Cadaveria herself and Flegias discuss the past, present and future of their music, their high-yielding longtime partnership and the metal scene in Italy, among other topics.

cadaveria

Cadaveria

The Headbanging Moose: First of all, could you please give a brief introduction of who Cadaveria is for the readers of The Headbanging Moose who for some reason don’t know you and your music yet? How would you define your style, and what’s your main objective with your music?

Cadaveria: CADAVERIA was formed in 2001 by Marçelo Santos (Flegias) and I with the intent to create a virtual space where to freely express ourselves as musicians and extreme artists. Since then we released five full length albums, a double DVD and, recently, an EP, entitled Mondoscuro, with the cooperation of Necrodeath. Basically our music is a personal mix of Black Metal and Death Metal with Doom and Gothic influences. Fans and critics have labeled it Horror Metal, not just for my dark and pale image, but rather for the obscure atmospheres evoked by our songs. This definition leaves us free to experiment while we compose and to play the music we like and feel, with no particular boundaries and without following any trend.

THM: What was the main idea that originated the amazing and distinct project Mondoscuro? You defined it as “a blood pact between two diabolic entities that will give life to a new irreligious and obscure soul”. Could you please explain that in more details for our readers?

Cadaveria: The idea to work with Necrodeath was flowing in our minds since a long time. These two bands have an individual history and they have always walked along parallel paths without meeting each other, but at the same time there is a strong connection between them, for the fact we share two band members: our drummer, Marçelo Santos/Flegias, is Necrodeath’s singer and GL/Peter Dayton plays the bass in both the bands. Last year we felt the time has come to make it real, so we started thinking about this EP and its contents. We wanted to create something special, not an ordinary split EP, and we wanted the two bands interact on the same songs. Finally Mondoscuro features two brand new and co-written songs, two covers (one of The Beatles and one of Type O Negative) and two unusual “exchange of roles”, that see CADAVERIA reinterpreting a classic by Necrodeath and Necrodeath performing a CADAVERIA hit. The EP title reminds of “Mondocane Project One” split by Necrodeath and Schizo, released in 1990, and it also refers to the cinematographic genre “Mondo film” of explicit documentaries, born in the 60s and depicting sensational, bloody and shocking scenes. The cover artwork synthesizes this topics in some way.

THM: How is your relationship with the other half of Mondoscuro, the unstoppable Black/Thrash Metal band Necrodeath? As you and Flegias have been together for decades already, since your time with Opera IX from 1992 to 2001, how easy was the process for you to compose songs together for this very special album, as well as playing each other’s songs (Cadaveria playing Mater Tenebrarum and Necrodeath playing Spell)?

Cadaveria: The creation of Mondoscuro was quite demanding. The involved bands have different methods concerning songwriting, so sometimes it was hard to merge forces. I enjoyed a lot to write the lyrics for Necrodeath’s song “Rise Above”, to cover “Mater Tenebrarum” and of course to duet with Flegias. This was a great for us both, although we play together since 1991. Recordings took place in two different Italian studios, so that each band preserved its own sound, vocal duets took place in the same studio where CADAVERIA recorded the rest of the EP and the recording studios worked in connection, in order to give unity to the final product.

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Album Review – Mondoscuro / Mondoscuro EP (2016)

THM: Two tracks in Mondoscuro that certainly caught my attention were your cover version for Type O Negative’s classic Christian Woman, and Necrodeath firing a sick version for The Beatles’ Helter Skelter. Why did you and Necrodeath chose those specific songs to be part of Mondoscuro? What do they represent to your life and career?

Flegias: “Christian Woman” is part of “Bloody Kisses”, an album that Cadaveria and I have consumed and listened to so many times in our early years, it is part of our background. It formed that particular “doom-and-romantic” soul that you can often find in CADAVERIA compositions. The rest of CADAVERIA band love it as well and when we proposed to cover Christian Woman there was a standing ovation. For what concerns “Helter Skelter” we wanted to pay homage to a song that is considered the first heavy metal track ever composed in all the history of heavy metal. In addition, Peso, Necrodeath drummer, is a great expert of The Beatles and of Ringo Starr, a genius and a great innovator of the drums.

THM:  Another interesting detail in Mondoscuro is that, in the brand new song Rise Above, the first few sentences of the lyrics are in Italian, your mother tongue. English might be the “official language” of Dark Metal, but don’t you think more songs in Italian would bring an extra layer of obscurity and lust to the music? I’m asking this because I personally enjoyed a lot the energy of the Italian words in Rise Above and I would love to see more of that in the music by Cadaveria.

Flegias: Despite the fact the last full length from Necrodeath, “The Seven Deadly Sins”, was half written and sung in Italian, for me to sing in Italian was more difficult than to do it in English. By the way I’m very satisfied of this choice made by Cadaveria concerning the language to use in this song, the parts to leave in Italian and the parts of the lyrics I had to sing.

Cadaveria: I usually write lyrics in Italian then I translate them into English. Sometimes I feel English doesn’t get the proper synonym for a word. In those cases the temptation to leave it in Italian is strong, but usually I search and find a satisfying solution. This time, with Rise Above, I decided in advance what parts to compose and leave in Italian. The very beginning is a prologue, a sort of ritual or a prayer and it sounded so good like this. The following verses came to me in rhyme, so they were born to live in Italian.  But I don’t think an entire album in Italian would be a good idea. I like to use this language when verses are particularly poetic and the music is very atmospheric, but I think Italian lyrics would sound a bit punk-hardcore on a fast tempo.

THM: In regards to your career, what has changed in the music by Cadaveria from when the band started back in 2001 (with the release of The Shadows’ Madame in 2002) until today, and what have the biggest challenges been for the band to stay alive and kicking ass through the years?

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Flegias (Necrodeath)

Cadaveria: We grew up as musicians and producers of ourselves. And we grew up as human beings, so the music we play now is on a higher level, enriched by our experiences. Passion and independence are still the same. This is probably what made us survive in the music business. I’m very proud of the fact we have our own style, that makes us be noticeable among so many clones.

THM: What’s next for Cadaveria? After the excellent album Silence, from 2014, and now Mondoscuro, what does the future hold for the band? Can we expect another project like Mondoscuro soon, or is it time for a brand new Cadaveria album to become alive?

Cadaveria: In the last four years we never stopped working, we have released the Horror Metal album, re-mastered and released our debut full length The Shadows’ Madame, we gave life to the retrospective double DVD Karma, then it was the time for Silence album and now Mondoscuro EP, without counting we played about 60 live gigs in Europe and outside it. It’s time to take a short break. I need to recharge energy and to find new inspiration before starting working on a new album, that could be the last one for us. And so it must be unique and perfect. In the meanwhile Mondoscuro will be released on vinyl by the end of this year and in Spring 2017 we will re-release our 2nd album Far Away From Conformity (2004). Both releases will be via Sleaszy Rider records. We will continue to play live here and there and I hope to be invited to play in places where we have never been before.

THM: Talking about your personal life now, what does Raffaella Rivarolo do in her free time that Cadaveria doesn’t do, and vice-versa? How do you work on the transition between the two, and how do you manage to keep both entities separate in your life? Or are Raffaella and Cadaveria the exact same person, sharing all their likes and dislikes all the time?

Cadaveria: Well, basically Cadaveria and Raffaella are the same person, it’s just a matter of names… (but many people call me Cadaveria or Cada in private life too). I love art and when I’m not busy with music I make videos (music videos, institutional, etc) to pay my bills. I travelled a lot in the last two years to follow an Italian athlete who cycled the world by bike. I made some video documentaries about this. You will find a lot of Raffaella in CADAVERIA lyrics… the experiences I live flow into CADAVERIA songs.

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Album Review – Cadaveria / Silence (2014)

THM: I’ve been reviewing so many incredible Italian bands lately it’s hard to name just a few, for example we have the electrified Metalcore by Moth’s Circle Flight, the fusion of Black and Heavy Metal blasted by Malamorte, the badass Rock N’ Roll by Helligators and Roadless, the beautiful Gothic and Doom Metal by Witches Of Doom, among many others. How do you see the state of the underground metal scene in Italy today? What have been the biggest improvements in Italian metal, and what’s still far from being acceptable in your opinion?

Cadaveria: Italy counts many new bands that try to emerge and be noticed in the underground music scene. But in Italy everything connected to culture is very difficult to carry out and unfortunately music is not considered a major art here. I always say to new comers: do it just for yourself, release your passion and don’t think about success. Rather try to make the difference.

THM: Here at The Headbanging Moose we have a special section called Metal Chick of the Month, where every month we pay a tribute to an already established and prominent woman in metal such as Masha Scream (Arkona) and Lena Abé (My Dying Bride), or to an up-and-coming lady from an underground band that’s starting to make a difference in heavy music. How do you see the importance of women in metal today? And who are your biggest female idols in music?

Cadaveria: Yes and I can see it today and, however, I have never experienced any discrimination for being a female. Male or female it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to be strong and faithful to yourself. Music has no sex. The first female voice I heard in extreme metal was Sabina Classen. I was in the beginning of my career so I’m in a certain sense connected with her. I do not have idols but I like Skin’s voice very much.

THM: How about your current and upcoming tour dates to support the release of Mondoscuro? How have the fans reacted to the new songs and to the overall project during your live performances? And can we expect a Cadaveria tour to Canada and the United States in a not-so-distant future? We have a huge Italian community here in Toronto that would love to have you perform in front of them, no doubt about that.

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Beautiful witch give light to this black muddy sky…

Flegias: We did a unique show for Mondoscuro at an important festival in Italy last month. We had the opportunity to play a great show with a specific scenic design that evoked the birth and death theme of Mondoscuro. Just to mention a detail, Cadaveria appeared on stage in a mortuary body bag… and we performed some songs singing together. All was perfect and really great, but this will remain unique and once in a lifetime. The effort to bring two bands like this on the same stage into the same show is very big. We spent a lot of energies in this and we decided that it will not be possible to replicate this project live on stage in the future.

Cadaveria: We will bring at least one song from Mondoscuro in CADAVERIA future set list. As I said I need a pause, so next shows will happen in 2017. We would love to tour your country! We had received a couple of offers in the past but we need also a US tour segment to add, to make costs be covered. We really hope the Italian community in Toronto who wants to see us playing there will make their voices be heard by local promoters. Ask them to invite us. We are available and ready to kick ass.

THM: Thank you very much for your time, I truly appreciate that.  Please feel free to send a final message to all our readers and all metalheads not only in Canada, but everywhere else in the world.

Cadaveria: Flegias and I want to thank you a lot for your attention and interest. Hail to all CADAVERIA and Necrodeath fans. Check out Mondoscuro!

Links
Cadaveria Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Necrodeath Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Album Review – Misteyes / Creeping Time (2016)

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Which side will you chose in the never-ending battle between Light and Dark Metal brought forth by this distinct symphonic band from Italy?

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creeping-time-front-cover-artwork“Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony.” – Heraclitus

The never-ending battle between good and evil, day and night, light and dark, heaven and hell, life and death or whatever other philosophical depiction you want to give to the two opposite worlds that guide our thoughts and actions has just been transformed into high-end music by Italian Symphonic Death/Gothic Metal act Misteyes in Creeping Time, the debut full-length album by a band that definitely knows how to put together the best elements from Light and Dark Metal, enhancing their contrast and, consequently, their impact on the listener.

Misteyes started back in 2012 in the city of Turin, Italy as a five-piece group, playing what could be considered Melodic Death/Black Metal before changing their music direction in 2014 to what exists today, including the addition of a female vocalist and a keyboardist to the band. The next couple of years were very fruitful for Misteyes, who not only started working on Creeping Time, but also shared the stage with renowned names in the Gothic scene such as Cadaveria, Opera IX, Lunarsea and Elegy Of Madness. The band’s approach and musicality can already be sensed through the obscure artwork by Italian artist Alessandro Alimonti (Overload Design Studio), but it’s when the music starts that you’ll find yourself in the middle of the fight between light and dark, getting completely mesmerized by the music that flows through your ears.

The melancholic intro The Last Knell, which begins with the sound of a baby crying, grows in intensity until the title-track Creeping Time arises from the depths of hell in a feast of Symphonic Black and Gothic Metal. Denise “Ainwen” Manzi is the beauty on vocals while Edoardo “Irmin” Iacono provides his beastly growls, perfectly depicting what the band wants to say with the “Light and Dark Metal” concept, with keyboardist Gabriele “Hyde” Gilodi being the one responsible for giving the song its operatic vibe. Then it’s time for some heavier riffs by Daniele “Insanus” Poveromo and Riccardo “Decadence” Tremaioni in the dense Brains in a Vat, an amazing composition filled with passion, hate and agony featuring the creepy spoken words by guest musician Mattia Casabona (Aspasia), sounding like a hybrid of the music by the early days of Cradle of Filth with Epica, resulting in a masterpiece of underground Symphonic Metal. Moreover, it’s interesting how Hyde maintains the mystery in Misteyes’ music through his keyboards no matter how fast and heavy the music is, which is the case in Inside the Golden Cage, where the vocals by Ainwen are once again heavily inspired by the diva Simone Simons whereas Irmin leans towards pure Black Metal, not to mention the thrilling beats by Federico “Krieger” Tremaioni.

Lady Loneliness, a beautiful atmospheric power ballad focused on the gentle voice of Ainwen with some pianos notes giving it an extra touch of delicacy, showcases a good story told through its lyrics (“If you are here, I cannot be overtaken by fear / Only this eternal silence is what can soothe my pain / In darkness I can find you, this time will be forever / Come! Come to me, my lady! Lady Loneliness!”); followed by The Prey, with the whole band getting back to a more brutish mode. Irmin effectively enhances the song’s aggressiveness due to his deranged harsh growls, with Insanus, Decadence and Hyde delivering sheer madness while bassist Andrea “Hephaestus” Gammeri brings forward his share of insanity through his low-tuned punches. Their operatic and dark vein becomes evident once again in Destroy Your Past, a song full of progressive passages thanks to the intricate lines delivered through guitars and bass and all tempo changes led by Krieger, as well as in the operatic metal hymn The Demon of Fear, where guest musician Roberto Pasolini (Embryo) complements the menacing keyboards by Hyde with his enraged growling. This excellent song, displaying a Symphonic Black Metal vibe with hints of Gothic Metal and Melodic Metal, is another good example of the fight between good and evil proposed by Misteyes, proving one more time how connected to the concept of opposition all songs are.

misteyes-2016Special guest Mattia Casabona is back in action, this time with clean vocals, in the two-part aria entitled “Awake the Beast”, starting with the operatic A Fragile Balance (Awake the Beast – Part 1), with its eerie piano intro and Ainwen providing her Tarja-inspired vocals. Almost “a capella”, it sounds like a horror flick soundtrack, leading to the furious and blackened Chaos (Awake the Beast – Part 2), a high-octane tune tailored for fans of obscure and harmonious music where Progressive and Symphonic Black Metal are flawlessly united. Krieger and Hyde are yet again the architects of the musicality, generating the perfect ambience for the sick riffs by both Insanus and Decadence to shine.

In the gripping Decapitated Rose, guest vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork) steals the spotlight by blasting his infuriated declamation of the song’s dark lyrics (“When life is withered …There is no water which can bring it back! / Ivy smothers your soul! Petals fall and you are alone! / All beauty is gone! Only the thorn is what remains! / In this garden of madness … Decapitated rose! Decapitated rose!”), with Hephaestus firing some thunderous bass lines that end up increasing the song’s creepiness while the keyboard sounds by Hyde will pierce your head and haunt your soul. And last but not least, the talented Nicole Ansperger (Eluveitie) and the awesome sound of her violin add the word “epic” to the powerful Winter’s Judgement, a Symphonic Gothic Metal feast that blends elements from the music by Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish, Epica, Moonspell and other prominent bands. In addition, the growls by Irmin get deeper than ever, guiding the listener into a journey through the realms of darkness and light until the song’s soulful ending.

In summary, it doesn’t matter which side you choose in the battle between Light and Dark Metal proposed by Misteyes, you’ll certainly win due to the sensational quality of their music. Thus, you can get in touch with these Italian metallers and get to know more about their music through Facebook, YouTube, ReverbNation and SoundCloud, and acquire your copy of Creeping Time at several different places such as their BandCamp page, the Maple Metal Records’ BandCamp page or Big Cartel, on iTunes, Amazon or CD Baby.

Best moments of the album: Creeping Time, Brains in a Vat, The Prey and Decapitated Rose.

Worst moments of the album: Destroy Your Past.

Released in 2016 Maple Metal Records

Track listing
1. The Last Knell (Intro) 1:40
2. Creeping Time 6:29
3. Brains in a Vat 5:39
4. Inside the Golden Cage 5:24
5. Lady Loneliness 4:37
6. The Prey 7:03
7. Destroy Your Past 5:02
8. The Demon of Fear 6:55
9. A Fragile Balance (Awake the Beast – Part 1) 3:41
10. Chaos (Awake the Beast – Part 2) 5:26
11. Decapitated Rose 4:48
12. Winter’s Judgement 8:05

Band members
Edoardo “Irmin” Iacono – growl and scream vocals
Denise “Ainwen” Manzi – clean and operatic vocals
Daniele “Insanus” Poveromo – lead guitars
Riccardo “Decadence” Tremaioni – rhythm guitars
Gabriele “Hyde” Gilodi – piano, synth and orchestrations
Andrea “Hephaestus” Gammeri – bass and fretless bass
Federico “Krieger” Tremaioni – drums

Guest musicians
Björn “Speed” Strid – additional scream and clean vocals on “Decapitated Rose”
Nicole Ansperger – violin on “Winter’s Judgement”
Roberto Pasolini – additional growls and scream vocals on “The Demon of Fear”
Mattia Casabona – spoken words on “Brains in a Vat”, additional clean vocals on “A Fragile Balance (Awake the Beast – Part 1)”, and additional growls and scream vocals on “Chaos (Awake the Beast – Part 2)”

Album Review – Mondoscuro / Mondoscuro EP (2016)

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Enter the exciting dark world newly created by Italian legendary bands Cadaveria and Necrodeath, and your life will never be the same again.

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mondoscuro_coverartworkMore than just a regular split album, what you’ll find in the special release entitled Mondoscuro (the fusion of the Italian words “mondo” and “oscuro”, meaning “dark world”) is a fresh and vibrant cooperation between two legendary bands from the Italian metal scene, those being Biella-based Gothic/Horror Metal act Cadaveria and Genoa’s own Black/Thrash Metal squad Necrodeath. Our stunning diva Raffaella Rivarolo, commonly known as Cadaveria, has defined this unique project as “a blood pact between two diabolic entities that will give life to a new irreligious and obscure soul”, while Alberto Gaggiotti, known as Necrodeath’s frontman Flegias and also as Cadaveria’s drummer Marçelo Santos, also defined this collaboration between these iconic bands as “a pact between these entities, which has been haunting us for some time, and now the time has come to exorcise it, entering together in the same studio.” Based on the hellish words by both Cadaveria and Flegias, you can have a very good idea of what you’ll find in Mondoscuro.

The creepy artwork by Italian artist Paolo Perrotta Mazza is a precise depiction of the dark world crafted by Cadaveria and Necrodeath, portraying a mutilated woman with her throat slit and a dead fetus hanging from her stomach. Nothing could better represent the fusion of Black, Death, Gothic and Horror Metal than that, a diabolic combination of different subgenres of extreme music brought forth by two of the most important groups of the Italian underground scene. Furthermore, the way this amalgamation of evil is presented to the listener also deserves our attention, as the bands invert their roles, playing each other’s classics, firing brand new material composed together and paying a tribute to some of their favorite artists, all wrapped up in around 30 minutes of high-quality music emanating professionalism and passion for what they do. What else can you ask for in a heavy music album?

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Cadaveria

This devilish masquerade ball kicks off with Cadaveria playing Necrodeath’s sonic havoc Mater Tenebrarum, from their 1987 album Into the Macabre (check the original version HERE). There was absolutely no doubt this version was going to sound darkly delicious, with Cadaveria firing her trademark demonic gnarls blended with ominous clean parts after the song’s  somber intro. Not only this song presents a wilder and more metallic side of Cadaveria, but the epic operatic ending (from Keith Emerson’s Inferno outro) features some very special guests including the multi-talented Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth, Schoolcraft, The Astroplex). Then it’s Necordeath’s turn to provide their view of Cadaveria’s Spell, from their 2002 album The Shadows’ Madame (listen to the original version HERE), sounding as infernal as possible. Flegias does a great job on vocals, turning the original song into a more hellish tune, as well as guitarist Pier with his old school Thrash Metal attack through the sound blasted from his six-stringed ax.

The second act brings forward two brand new songs by Cadaveria and Necrodeath, starting with Dominion of Pain, where Dark and Black Metal are united by the demonic vocal duo of Cadaveria and Flegias, who together blast the song’s psychological words flawlessly (“Overtaking the boundaries of consciousness / Dominating the fevers of pain / Exorcising all fears with the violence of truth / Dissipating the ashes of uncertainty.”). In addition to that, Marçelo Santos (or Flegias, if you prefer) does a very good job with his rhythmic beats, with the last piece of the song offering that type of sluggish and somber Doom Metal powerfully blasted by bands like Cadaveria and My Dying Bride. Rise Above, a wicked marriage of Thrash and Gothic Metal fired by Necrodeath with guest vocalist Cadaveria and guitarist Dick Laurent, showcases truly Stygian lyrics (“I found your name trace in the ancient Book of Shadows / I felt your strength inside the circle of a spell / I want reality obey your dark commands / My soul is troubled by indomitable sensations.”) and a fiery Peso providing his share of aggressiveness and harmony to the musicality through his bestial drums. Moreover, its chorus couldn’t sound more old school, highly inspired by the darkest and most macabre metal music from the 80’s.

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Necrodeath

The last duo of compositions are in fact cover versions for two of the most important bands in the history of music, American Gothic/Doom Metal band Type O Negative and the unparalleled The Beatles. Cadaveria is the first one to pay homage to Type O Negative through her outstanding version for Christian Woman (check the original version from the 1993 classic Bloody Kisses HERE), a powerful and passionate tribute to Peter Steele (R.I.P.) and his iconic band. Although it doesn’t beat the beauty of the original version for obvious reasons, the low-tuned obscure guitar lines by Dick Laurent and the devilish performance by Cadaveria deserve our humble recognition so amazing they are, all embraced by atmospheric keyboards and a lustful vampiric vibe. And closing this special album we have Necrodeath playing a thrashier-than-ever version of one of the biggest classics by The Beatles, Helter Skelter, from their 1968 cult album The White Album (see the difference from the original version HERE). In this eccentric version of an old school rock anthem, the whole band is on fire, especially Flegias with his deranged growls, turning what used to be just a fast-paced Rock N’ Roll song into a brutal mosh pit-generator.

If you think you have what it takes to survive this brand new dark world created by those two iconic bands from Italy, all you have to do is go check both Cadaveria’s and Necrodeath’s Facebook pages, and purchase your copy of the EP at Cadaveria’s official webshop or at the Black Tears’ webshop. But let me warn you that once you enter this “mondoscuro” built by Cadaveria and Necrodeath there’s no turning back, as you’ll be consumed by their vile and merciless extreme music, becoming a prisoner to their realm of darkness. To be fair, I guess that’s what you’ve always wanted to happen when the band in question is Cadaveria, no doubt about that.

Best moments of the album: Mater Tenebrarum and Dominion of Pain.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Black Tears

Track listing  
1. Cadaveria – Mater Tenebrarum (Necrodeath cover feat. Lindsay Schoolcraft) 5:29
2. Necrodeath – Spell (Cadaveria cover) 5:14
3. Cadaveria – Dominion of Pain (feat. Flegias and Pier) 5:59
4. Necrodeath – Rise Above (feat. Cadaveria and Dick Laurent) 4:44
5. Cadaveria – Christian Woman (Type O Negative cover) 8:39
6. Necrodeath – Helter Skelter (The Beatles cover) 2:30

Band members
Cadaveria
Cadaveria – vocals
Dick Laurent – guitars
Peter Dayton – bass
Marçelo Santos – drums 

Necrodeath
Flegias – vocals
Pier Gonella – guitars
GL – bass
Peso – drums

Guest musicians
Lindsay Schoolcraft – lead lyric soprano on “Mater Tenebrarum” (Keith Emerson’s “Inferno” outro)
Tiziana Ravetti – dramatic soprano on “Mater Tenebrarum” (Keith Emerson’s “Inferno” outro)
Cristiano Caldera – tenor on “Mater Tenebrarum” (Keith Emerson’s “Inferno” outro)
Ignis Forasdomine – organist on “Mater Tenebrarum” (Keith Emerson’s “Inferno” outro)

Metal Chick of the Month – Morgan Lacroix

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In your nightmares you will find me… In this twilight you will taste my embrace…

Whenever a female performer is selected to be the Metal Chick of the Month here at The Headbanging Moose, she’s not chosen only because of her skills as a musician, but mainly due to her significant contribution to the development of women in the world of heavy music. Having said that, it couldn’t be different this month with our metallic diva, the darkling Italian succubus Morgan Lacroix (or MorgaN LacroiX), the sexy frontwoman, lyricist, composer, producer and (why not?) lady vampire of Italian Gothic/Dark/Industrial Metal band Mandragora Scream (also spelled MandragorA ScreaM). Are you ready for a journey through the dark realms of vampirism with our enigmatic modern-day medusa?

It was more than obvious that I wouldn’t be able to find anything about Morgan’s age, place of birth or music background. We’re talking about a vampire, creatures that, above all things, must remain in the shadows and keep their lives as secret as possible. Well, as Mandragora Scream is a band from the comune of Lucca, located on the Serchio river in Italy’s Tuscany region and famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls, let’s assume she was also born in that same city. Whatever she did between being born and founding Mandragora Scream is something yet to be revealed by Morgan Lacroix herself, which means the focus will be solely on her career with the band.

Although Mandragora Scream were formed back in 1997 by Morgan, it was only in 1999 that the band released its debut self-titled demo containing four songs. Then in 2000 Morgan was introduced to Italian singer, guitarist and composer Terry Horn, and that artistic union resulted in their first full-length album, entitled Fairy Tales from Hell’s Caves, released in the year of 2001. According to the band, “Fairy Tales is definitely a concept album: a trip throughout the Dantean Hell, tormented by passion, anguish and insanity, where the character of Virgil is surprisingly replaced by an unusual bewitching vampire fairy.”

After that amazing debut, the band released the albums A Whisper of Dew (2003), Madhouse (2006), Volturna (2009) and Luciferland (2012), as well as the singles Jeanne d’Arc (2007) and From the Heart (2010), and a DVD named Dragonfly (2008), always providing us the lustful voice of our diva of darkness and also her own devilish touch to all lyrics, cover artwork, mixing, mastering, production and booklets. In addition, from those releases, A Whisper of Dew is also a concept album, centered on a vampire story purposely written for the band by Julio Angel Olivares Merino, horror-gothic literature writer and teacher of English Philosophy at the Spanish University of Jaén. Drawing inspiration from this tale, Lacroix composed the entire album lyrics. Also, in regards to their latest album Luciferland, there’s an interesting and extensive three-part interview on YouTube where both Morgan and Terry discuss about the album with Metal Hammer, which can be seen HERE, HERE and HERE.

Mandragora Scream are also featured on the international compilations Beauty in the Darkness Vol. 5 (2001), Mystic Art (2001), Nuclear Blast Vol. 6 (2001), Off Road Tracks Vol. 45 (2003) and Beautiful Voices (2005), toured with renowned dark bands Christian Death and The 69 Eyes in 2010 and with British Extreme Metal masters Cradle of Filth in 2011, and were the special guests in the 2010 edition of the Fantasy Horror Award. There are numerous videos on YouTube (and other platforms) where you can relish Morgan’s alluring vocals, sensuous moves and bewitching performance, as for instance in the songs A Vision They Shared, Blight Thrills, Medusa, Blindness, Breaking Dawn, Silent Lullabies, Bloody Ballade, the whimsical The Chant of Furies, and her awesome cover version for Cher’s Bang Bang, among others. Besides her work with Mandragora Scream, you can find Madame Lacroix lending her voice to the bonus song Watch Me Crawl Behind, from the 2012 album Happy Deathday by Greek Gothic Metal band SadDolls, and to the song The Promise, from the 2004 album Follow Me by Italian Power Metal band Wonderland.

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When asked in 2001 to provide more details about the history of Mandragora Scream, her explanation was beyond eccentric. In her own words, “The history of the name Mandragora Scream goes back to the medieval period. At that time witches used a root to make love and death potions called ‘Mandragora’.This root with man-shape was generated by the ejaculations of a hanged man and it needed to be pulled out from the earth with particular magic rites during full moon nights. When extracting the root from earth, witches had to be very careful not to break the arms or legs of the root, otherwise it would have screamed so loud to bring witches to death.” Interesting, isn’t it?

In regards to her unique style, our vampire queen mentioned her lyrics and the atmosphere found in her music reflect her soul, her life and her personality, preserving that way her own musical identity. Furthermore, Morgan grew up with fairy tales, in which she truly believes, feeling and living her own life like a fairy tale. In one of her old interviews, Morgan mentioned she wrote a book (probably in 2000) that is a fairy tale for her angels in the form of decadent poetry called “The Ballad Of The Angels”, but yet again I couldn’t find anything online about that book. It should be a very interesting and unusual reading, if that has ever been published, of course.

Another remarkable fact about her personal life is that she doesn’t actually feel Italian as her ancient blood is Transylvanian, and because of that she is fascinated with Dante’s La Divina Comedia (The Divine Comedy), considering it a masterpiece (who doesn’t?) as it deals with the dead and eternal pain.  And to make things even more complex, Morgan also loves the Scandinavian culture and is attracted to Vikings. Add to that her lovely obsession for fairy tales, and there you have one of the most distinctive and diverse fusion of topics you can think of.

Her favorite albums of all time are a classy mix of progressiveness, passion and liveliness, and do not expect to find anything too Gothic, modern or ghoulish on her list, as it includes Blackmore’s Night’s best album to date Shadow of the Moon, Dream Theater’s classic album Metropolis, Pink Floyd’s masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon, King Crimson’s In the Wake of Poseidon, Yes’ Close to the Edge and Genesis’ Nursery Crime. In addition to that, she’s also a huge admirer of Queensrÿche and obviously of the vocals by Geoff Tate, especially the song Someone Else?, which she used to listen to when she started singing.

At long last, are you curious to know what the meaning of life and death is to our goddess of Dark Metal? Morgan firmly believes in reincarnation, which means life for her is a long path we are following and while we walk along this path we have to learn lessons, sometimes highly spiritual lessons. She completes her train of thought by saying that we always have to give our souls a chance to fly a little higher, closer to the divine, and that we could probably say that death is a little like “changing skin”. In my opinion, this is a stunning concept by an even more stunning diva of heavy music.

Morgan Lacroix’s Official Facebook page
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“Try and wake up the valiant warrior sleeping within you, he may have fallen asleep in one of your previous lives. And, first and foremost, don’t let your flesh be just food for worms.  Let there be someone with your blood after you, in this way you’ll be able to prove you did not live in vain and your image will be reflected by your heirs as if in a mirror.” – Morgan Lacroix