Tag Archives: italy

Album Review – Rockstar Frame / Stand up…Jump ’n’ Fly (2021)

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Italy’s own Hard Rock outfit arises once again with a brand new lineup and a kick-ass album that beautifully represents the glorious days of the iconic Sunset Strip.

Sometimes you have to take a step back (to the 80’s) before taking a step forward in your career, which is exactly the case with Milan, Italy-based Rock N’ Roll/Hard Rock outfit Rockstar Frame, or RSF if you prefer. After the releases of their 2015 album Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia and their 2018 album Bulletproof, and after a few successful international tours, the band fell apart due to irremediable conflicts and internal problems, putting a huge interrogation mark in the future of RSF. However, in 2019 the band’s founder and drummer Max Klein redesigned their sound with the help of newcomers Leonard F. Guillan on vocals, Ian Darrell on the guitars and Ronam Destefani on bass, taking a journey back to 80’s Glam Metal and Hard Rock and crafting the most honest and vibrant music you can think of, culminating with the release in 2021 of their awesome new album entitled Stand up…Jump ’n’ Fly, a musical tribute to the glorious days of the famous Sunset Strip.

The opening track Is Not The End is a no-shenanigans 80’s Glam and Hair Metal hymn for lovers of the genre where Leonard lives up to the legacy of great vocalists like Vince Neil and Brett Michaels while Ian extracts sheer adrenaline from his guitar, and from Italy straight into the Sunset Strip the quartet delivers the thrilling and very melodic Get on My Knees, with the unstoppable Max beautifully dictating the song’s vibrant rhythm with his beats. By now you should have a very good idea of the musical direction of the band, but if not, simply take a listen at Hey Man!, offering us all pure Hard Rock flowing from their sonic weapons, with Leonard leading his crew with his classic vocals while Ronam shakes the foundations of the earth with his metallic bass jabs. Then blending their classic Rock N’ Roll with the Heavy Metal by Saxon and the old school Hard Rock by Scorpions, Rockstar Frame deliver the hard-hitting tune Ready to Go, perfect for heading out to the highway while Ian is on fire with his riffs and solos; followed by Hypnotized Fools, highly inspired by the Hair Metal played by Guns N’ Roses and Poison, with the rumbling bass by Ronam punching you hard in the head, not to mention the always amazing sound of the cowbell (and there’s never enough cowbell in rock and metal music, of course). And it’s time for a stylish ballad by Rockstar Frame titled Beyond the Fear, where Leonard displays all his vocal potency with a passionate performance supported by background keys and a powerful guitar solo.

Never tired of crafting our good old Hard Rock, the quartet blasts our ears with the dancing tune Golden Dreams, another solid composition where Max keeps guiding his bandmates with his rhythmic beats, whereas in Break me Down it becomes clear their Rock N’ Roll party has no time to end, with Ian and Ronam complementing each other’s riffs and lines in great fashion form start to finish in a very entertaining display of 80’s Hard Rock. Ronam is a beast armed with his thunderous bass, adding tons of groove to the band’s music in the pounding tune One in a Million, sounding beyond perfect for celebrating the golden years of Hair Metal while Leonard’s raspy vocals also bring an extra touch of rebelliousness to the overall sonority; and Halloween Night is another straight-to-the-point Hard Rock extravaganza by the quartet, not as vibrant as the rest of the album, though, with Leonard’s vocals sounding below what he can actually do (while the drumming by Max is as good as usual). After that, more stamina emerges from their sharp riffs, low-tuned bass and pounding drums in Like a Monster, with Leonard kind of personifying the one and only Sebastian Bach in his glorious days on vocals, while a very fun start kicks off the upbeat closing tune Sunshine in The Dark, a song made for bringing some joy to our hearts in such difficult times where all band members are in absolute sync, providing our ears an amazing sonority with a pleasant and positive vibe.

You can learn more about Rockstar Frame, their history, their plans for the future and their music by following Max and his henchmen on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel and by streaming all of their creations on Spotify, or simply click HERE to get access to all of that and more, and even more important than that, if 80’s Hard Rock is your cup of tea you should definitely purchase your copy of Stand up…Jump ’n’ Fly from an array of locations, including HMV, Rakuten, Alba Music and Impulse Music, just to name a few. Enough said already, how about we all grab our best pair of leather pants, our leopard-themed bandanas, jump on our motorbikes, and enjoy all the beauty and adrenaline of Sunset Boulevard together with the guys from Rockstar Frame to the sound of their stylish new album?

Best moments of the album: Get on My Knees, Ready to Go and One in a Million.

Worst moments of the album: Halloween Night.

Released in 2021 Volcano Records

Track listing
1. Is Not The End 4:19
2. Get on My Knees 3:31
3. Hey Man! 3:39
4. Ready to Go 3:33
5. Hypnotized Fools 3:34
6. Beyond the Fear 4:12
7. Golden Dreams 3:42
8. Break me Down 3:31
9. One in a Million 3:41
10. Halloween Night 4:08
11. Like a Monster 4:14
12. Sunshine in The Dark 4:23

Band members
Leonard F. Guillan – vocals
Ian Darrell – guitar
Ronam Destefani – bass
Max Klein – drums

Album Review – Nervosa / Perpetual Chaos (2021)

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What happens when you put together four metalheads hailing from Brazil, Italy, Spain and Greece? A deadly and thrashing lesson in perpetual chaos, of course.

Staying true to their roots while exploring new terrains with a revitalized international line-up now comprised of Brazilian founding guitarist Prika Amaral, Spanish growler Diva Satanica (of Bloodhunter), Italian bassist Mia Wallace (of bands such as Abbath, Triumph of Death and The True Endless) and Greek drummer Eleni Nota (of Lightfold and Mask of Prospero), the ruthless all-female Death and Thrash Metal powerhouse Nervosa is ready to attack with inexorable fury, pungently sharp riffs and aggressive vocals on the 13 massive tracks from their newborn spawn, entitled Perpetual Chaos, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2018 opus Downfall Of Mankind. Recorded at Artesonao Casa de Grabación Studio in Málaga, Spain, produced by Prika Amaral and Martin Furia at Studio Porino, and mastered by Yarne Heylen, Perpetual Chaos builds upon the turbulence, adding diverse musical elements to create an infallible new standout that will strike the listener in a way only Nervosa could, therefore placing the album as one of the best releases of 2021 hands down.

The unstoppable Prika ignites their thrashing machine with her flammable riffs in the brutal Venomous, sounding pulverizing from the very first second with Diva Satanica being a true she-demon on vocals while Eleni showcases all her skills and rage on drums, whereas in Guided by Evil the rumbling, obscure sounds blasted by Mia and Eleni are everything Diva Satanica needs to growl the song’s vile words (“Desire consumes you, blinds you, takes you off the line / But you go slowly cause all you do is lie / Every step taken, misfortune is your delight / Tormented by feelings, swallowed by quicksand”) in another ass-kicking fusion of Death, Thrash and Black Metal. Following such frantic start, People of the Abyss is perhaps one of the most infuriated and heaviest of all songs in the history of Nervosa where Prika will pierce your ears mercilessly with her classy riffs and solos accompanied by the devilish bass by Mia, therefore inflicting some serious pain in your neck due to the intense headbanging needed. And more of their demented and grim sounds is offered in the title-track Perpetual Chaos, with Eleni and Prika making a hellish duo and, consequently, providing Diva Satanica a solid base for her to haunt our souls with her otherworldly screeches and gnarls.

Featuring guest guitarist Guilherme Miranda (of Entombed A.D.), Until the Very End is a high-octane fusion of Death and Thrash Metal brought forth by those unrelenting women where Prika is once again phenomenal armed with her killer strings; and it’s time for Nervosa to smash our skulls mercilessly in Genocidal Command, with German thrash legend Schmier, from the one and only Destruction, making a demented vocal duo with Diva Satanica, always supported by the thunderous kitchen by Mia and Eleni. Slower but heavy-as-hell, Kings of Domination presents hints of Groove Metal added to the guitar lines by Prika and the bass jabs by Mia, resulting in the perfect sound for headbanging like there’s no tomorrow, while Time to Fight is another short and sweet display of their thrashing savagery, inviting us all to slam into the pit while Eleni pounds her drums in great fashion. If you think the girls from Nervosa are tired already of so much violence, you better get ready for more of their Stygian sounds in Godless Prisoner, showcasing a straightforward sonority led by Prika while Eleni dictates the pace with her solid beats, albeit not as powerful as the other songs from the album.

Blood Eagle gets back to a more ferocious and somber musicality, with Prika and Mia being in total sync with their stringed weapons while Diva Satanica adds her personal dosage of Death Metal to the band’s core Thrash Metal through her devilish gnarls; and Eric A.K. (of Flotsam and Jetsam) lends his trademark vocals to Rebel Soul, a Motörhead-inspired metal extravaganza that will invite you to raise your horns and bang your head like a beast, bringing forward Diva Satanica and Eric on absolute fire from start to finish. Never slowing down nor selling out, and always loyal to the foundations of Thrash Metal, the band offers us all Pursued by Judgement, with Mia hammering her evil bass accompanied by the crushing drums by Eleni, keeping the album at a high level of animosity before we’re treated to the closing tune Under Ruins, presenting disruptive words viciously barked by Diva Satanica (“I feel death coming / Getting lonelier everyday / In the cravings that consume me / Self destruction without limits”) while her bandmates make sure the electricity keeps flowing nonstop through their wicked instrumental.

To be fair, I was a little worried about the future of Nervosa after the departures of vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira and drummer Luana Dametto last year, but the moment Prika announced Diva Satanica, Mia Wallace and Eleni Nota as the new members of her thrashing squad I was more than sure their new album would sound phenomenal to say the least based on their unique talent and background in heavy music. Well, let’s say those four metal ladies exceeded all expectations in Perpetual Chaos, delivering an album that’s at the same time brutal, melodic, thrilling and detailed. Hence, don’t forget to give the girls a shout on Facebook and on Instagram to let them know how much you enjoyed their newest creations, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their distinguished music and videos, to stream all of their catalogue on Spotify, and above all that, to purchase Perpetual Chaos from their own BandCamp page or webstore (America or Europe), or simply click HERE for all locations where you can buy or stream what’s by far one of the most exciting metal albums of the year. And before I forget… VIVA PERPETUAL CHAOS!

Best moments of the album: People of the Abyss, Genocidal Command, Time to Fight and Rebel Soul.

Worst moments of the album: Godless Prisoner.

Released in 2021 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Venomous 3:46
2. Guided by Evil 3:30
3. People of the Abyss 3:27
4. Perpetual Chaos 3:39
5. Until the Very End 3:18
6. Genocidal Command 2:56
7. Kings of Domination 3:41
8. Time to Fight 2:32
9. Godless Prisoner 3:19
10. Blood Eagle 3:41
11. Rebel Soul 3:17
12. Pursued by Judgement 3:27
13. Under Ruins 3:57

Band members
Diva Satanica – lead vocals
Prika Amaral – guitar, backing vocals
Mia Wallace – bass
Eleni Nota – drums

Guest musicians
Guilherme Miranda – additional guitars on “Until the Very End”
Schmier – additional vocals on “Genocidal Command”
Eric A.K. – additional vocals on “Rebel Soul”

Album Review – Walk In Darkness / On The Road To Babylon (2020)

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Walk in darkness on the road to Babylon together with one of the newest names of the Italian Symphonic Metal scene to the sound of their third full-length album.

Born in 2015 as a Gothic Metal project with many influences by guitarist, composer and lyricist Shaman, Italian Symphonic Gothic Metal outfit Walk In Darkness has just released their third full-length opus, entitled On The Road To Babylon, the follow up to their critically acclaimed 2018 album Welcome to the New World. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Virus Recording Studio by Alessandro Guasconi, and portraying a stunning artwork by Brazilian artist Carlos Fides (Artside Studio), On The Road To Babylon presents the band’s captivating atmospheres from their previous efforts, dragging the listener to another dimension as in a psychedelic and shamanic journey through time, a dreamlike journey but only in appearance as the dream is lucid and plausible. Constantly evolving, albeit having originally approached the Gothic Metal genre, the band diverged from its primeval sound to more original and unpredictable paths following the emotional and psychedelic component of music, with their brand new album perfectly representing that evolution in their musicality through the years.

Currently comprised of the aforementioned Shaman together with the talented frontwoman Nicoletta Rosellini (from Kalidia), guitarist Flaming Jack, keyboardist Tio Frank, bassist Monk Key and drummer Arcanus, Walk In Darkness are on fire throughout the entire album, offering us fans a collection of hymns to the sublime beauty of humanity that recedes and declines, dramatically mortal and fleeting but unattainable in its immense poetry. “On the Road to Babylon is a milestone in our endless musical research and evolution, almost like a prophecy and a warning to a world imploding due to pandemic crisis, self-isolation and trans-humanity. Mankind is perpetually on the road to Babylon and once again we are awaiting trial. Our intention is to write original songs with emotional and intense vocal parts combined with atmospheric and heavy music. The album is a concept formed by 9 songs, each of which is surprising and irrepressible because of the melodic and rhythmic solutions, the sweet and strong vocals as well as the deep and engaging lyrics. We directed an attentive gaze to the present and future world, analyzing and thinking about it, and we realized this album with incredible and moving atmospheres. We hope that every human being can listen to this at least once during lifetime on the way to Babylon,” commented Shaman about their newborn opus.

Whimsical keys permeate the air in the gorgeous opening track The Sound Of Rain, morphing into a classic Symphonic Metal feast led by the crushing beats by Arcanus while Nicoletta and guest Emiliano Pasquinelli make a dynamic vocal duo with their respective clean lines and visceral roars, and after such imposing start it’s time for the title-track On The Road To Babylon, starting in a melancholic and dark manner before the scorching riffs by Shaman and Flaming Jack, supported by the rumbling bass by Monk Key, fill out every single empty space in the music, sounding epic and touching until its very last second. Then inspired by the music by renowned European Symphonic Metal bands like Epica, Xandria, Delain and Beyond the Black, Walk On The Sky brings forward another round of slashing riffs, pounding drums and guttural growling, all embraced by Nicoletta’s angelical performance, whereas futuristic elements are thoroughly inserted in their classic sonority in On The Moon Or On Mars, with the keys by Tio Frank bringing a touch of finesse to the overall result, feeling like a hybrid of Progressive Rock and a Metal Opera.

A lot more inclined to old school Gothic Metal, Nothing showcases pensive words declaimed by the charming Nicoletta (“We can see / ships leaving for the stars / along the lines of space-time, / defying the laws of gravity / Only memories / are left in the cone of light / among floating plastic islands / in post-reality”), while in In The Mists Of Time the band enhances their heaviness and epicness considerably, with Nicoletta being amazingly supported by the powerful riffage by Shaman and Flaming Jack. Furthermore, it’s quite easy to visualize their fans hanging their lighters high while singing it together with the band during their live concerts. Then featuring guest vocalist Elisabetta Bettini, the band fires the also extremely melodic and passionate My Restless Wings, where Tio Frank, Mon Key and Arcanus generate a dense base perfect for the band’s guitar duo to shine with their soulful riffs; followed by Time To Rise, one of the first singles of the album, bringing forward the band’s characteristic romance, serenity and an embracing atmosphere while flowing smoothly until the very end and sounding as imposing as good Symphonic Gothic Metal always demands. Lastly, closing the album we have the groovy Critical System Failure, where the heaviness brought forth by Monk Key with his bass creates a gorgeous paradox with the gentle vocals by Nicoletta, resulting in a hypnotizing tune that will leave you eager for more of their music.

The talented metallers from Walk In Darkness are waiting for you to (guess what?) walk in darkness together with them on the road to Babylon, and in order to do that go check what they’re up to on Facebook, subscribe to their YouTube channel, listen to more of their stylish music on Spotify, and of course purchase On The Road To Babylon from their own BandCamp page or from Apple Music, among other locations. Italy is a well-known source of some of the best Symphonic Metal bands in the entire world, and now with Walk In Darkness solidifying their name with a triumvirate of high-end albums we can rest assured not only the country will remain on top of the “symphonic” food chain, but also that it won’t take long before Nicoletta, Shaman & Co. take your city by storm with their delicate and powerful music wherever you are.

Best moments of the album: On The Road To Babylon, On The Moon Or On Mars and In The Mists Of Time.

Worst moments of the album: Nothing.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. The Sound Of Rain 5:24
2. On The Road To Babylon 6:22
3. Walk On The Sky 4:40
4. On The Moon Or On Mars 4:47
5. Nothing 5:31
6. In The Mists Of Time 5:24
7. My Restless Wings 5:19
8. Time To Rise 5:35
9. Critical System Failure 4:06

Band members
Nicoletta Rosellini – vocals
Shaman – guitars
Flaming Jack – guitars
Tio Frank – keyboards
Monk Key – bass
Arcanus – drums

Guest musicians
Emiliano Pasquinelli – harsh vocals
Elisabetta Bettini – additional vocals on “My Restless Wings”

Album Review – Genus Ordinis Dei / Glare of Deliverance (2020)

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Witness the story of a young woman named Eleanor who is persecuted by the Holy Inquisition in the form of a stunning album of Symphonic Death Metal made in Italy.

There’s nothing better than celebrating what’s probably the weirdest Halloween of the past few decades (due of course to all the madness the world is going on right now) than with the pulverizing Symphonic Death Metal         blasted by a four-piece band hailing from Crema, a city and comune in the province of Cremona, in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, that goes by the stunning name of Genus Ordinis Dei, which translates from Latin as something like “the order of the race”. Comprised of Niccolò “Nick K” Cadregari on vocals and guitars, Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli on guitars and orchestrations, Steven F. Olda on bass and Richard Meiz on drums, Genus Ordinis Dei are unleashing upon humanity their brand new opus entitled Glare of Deliverance. Produced by Tommy himself at Sonitus Studio, Glare of Deliverance is much more than a follow-up to their sophomore album Great Olden Dynasty, offering us all a series of ten individual songs, each with its own music video or episode, which combine in sequence like a short film or television series that tells the story of a young woman named Eleanor, who is persecuted by the Holy Inquisition, bringing the concept art of American author Tom Roberts to life.

Sounds of nature warm up our senses for the enfolding and atmospheric journey that’s about to begin in a beautiful and imposing intro named Ritual, setting the stage for the band to kill in Hunt, a majestic Death Metal aria infused with symphonic and epic elements, with Nick roaring and screaming in anger nonstop accompanied by the pulverizing drums by Richard and the beyond whimsical orchestrations by Tommy; and soaring choirs intertwined with the pounding beats by Richard ignite the progressive and heavy-as-hell Edict, with Steven adding his share of groove to the music while Nick and Tommy slash their stringed axes powerfully. The band keeps smashing their instruments in great fashion in Examination, where we’re all invited to bang our heads to this sinister tune spearheaded by Nick’s demonic growls and vociferations, alternating between Symphonic Metal moments and eerie passages. After that, like in an epic movie, the music in Torture grows in intensity until all hell breaks loose, morphing into a melodic and atmospheric feast of Death Metal presenting incendiary guitars making a thrilling paradox with all background orchestrations.

Then phantasmagorical guitars, melancholic violins and endless sorrow and pain will penetrate deep inside your mind in Judgement, where Steven and Richard bring a touch of Doom Metal to the music while Nick and Tommy fire Groove Metal-inspired riffs, with the whole experience ending in pure solitude. And cryptic sounds and tones are gradually joined by serene acoustic guitars in Dream, sounding and feeling as progressive as possible, with its hammering drums walking hand in hand with the background keys by Tommy, whereas Gregorian chants kick off the also dense and doomed Abjuration, offering our avid ears a cinematic vibe boosted by Nick’s and Tommy’s razor-edged guitars in another gorgeous creation by the quartet, uniting the rage of Death Metal with the finesse of a classic opera. Sounding like a metallic and grim waltz we face the amazing Exorcism, with Nick taking the lead with his deep guttural roars while his bandmates generate a massive wall of sounds for our total delight, resulting in seven minutes of the best Symphonic Death Metal you can find anywhere in the world; and last but not least, if Mastodon, Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir and Gojira were combined into one single entity they would certainly write the multi-layered, breathtaking tune Fire, where the keys by Tommy are enhanced by the contrast with Steven’s bass and Richard’s beats, and with all breaks, variations, gentle passages and the Stygian growling by Nick blowing our minds, or in other words, it’s a first-class hybrid of sheer heaviness and a stylish metal opera to flawlessly close the album.

I’m sure you’re eager to put your hands on what’s one of the best metal albums of the worldwide underground scene, and you’ll be able to do that sooner than later by clicking HERE and selecting your favorite version of the album to buy or stream when it’s officially released. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow Genus Ordinis Dei on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel to be the first to know about each chapter of the incredible Glare of Deliverance, and listen to more of their music on Spotify. Are you curious to know what happens to Eleanor in this high-octane, top-of-the-line album of Symphonic Death Metal? Well, the skillful musicians of Genus Ordinis Dei are here to tell us the fate of such interesting character in their new album, and let’s hope they continue to embellish the airwaves for many years to come with their impressive creations while at the same time they keep us all absolutely hooked with their refined storytelling abilities in each of their future releases.

Best moments of the album: Hunt, Edict, Exorcism and Fire.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Ritual 3:47
2. Hunt 4:18
3. Edict 6:42
4. Examination 6:59
5. Torture 4:41
6. Judgement 7:46
7. Dream 6:38
8. Abjuration 7:47
9. Exorcism 7:04
10. Fire 16:08

Band members
Niccolò “Nick K” Cadregari – vocals, guitars
Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli – guitars, orchestrations
Steven F. Olda – bass
Richard Meiz – drums

Album Review – Invernoir / The Void and the Unbearable Loss (2020)

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Succumb to the fusion of the Doom, Death and Gothic Metal sounds found in the first full-length opus by an Italian act that perfectly represents the coldness of anguish and pain.

Born from the desire to revive the fusion of Doom, Death and Gothic Metal sounds of the 90’s taking inspiration from the best albums of bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia and Paradise Lost, Rome, Italy-based project Invernoir is cold and decadence, the anguish due to the awareness of not having a goal, the lack of answers, apathy and pain. Comprised of Alessandro Sforza (Ars Onirica) on harsh vocals, guitars, drum programming and cymbals, Lorenzo Carlini (Black Therapy) on clean vocals and guitars, and Valerio Lippera (Lykaion) on bass, Invernoir have been making a name for themselves since their inception in 2016, having already played alongside amazing bands such as Candlemass, Ahab, Skepticism, Shores of Null, Naga and Weeping Silence, and now two years after their debut four-track EP Mourn this dark and talented Italian triumvirate (now a quartet with the recent addition of drummer Flavio Castagnoli to their lineup, by the way) returns with the bold and atmospheric The Void and the Unbearable Loss, not only their first ever full-length effort, but an album that will surely carve the word “doom” in the blackened hearts of fans of the genre from all over the world.

It’s a grey, rainy and bleak day, the perfect ambience for Invernoir to captivate our senses with the title-track The Void and The Unbearable Loss, slowly growing in intensity until their sluggish beats and piercing guitars permeate the air for our total delight, followed by The Path, sounding less doomed and a lot more inclined to Gothic Metal than its predecessor. Furthermore, Alessandro and Lorenzo are once again precise with their riffs while alternating between their anguished roars and gloomy clean vocals, while Valerio blasts his bass with tons of groove. Then get ready for a somber and heavy-as-hell hybrid of traditional Doom Metal with Blackened Doom and Gothic Metal entitled House of Debris, perfect for breaking your neck headbanging in solitude while Alessandro screams like a demonic entity. And more melancholy in the form of first-class Doom Metal is offered by Invernoir in Suspended Alive, showcasing truly deep and obscure lyrics (“The purest form of pain / I saw it before it was born / The purest form of pain / A frame / Of what it was / And yet not”), smashing drums and endless agony flowing from their riffs.

Investing in a much more atmospheric and melodious sound, with Lorenzo taking the lead with his passionate clean vocals, Cast Away is another dense and introspective fusion of Melodic Doom Metal and Gothic Rock by this talented Italian trio, and they continue their downward spiral into madness and obscurity with the hammering Doom Metal feast titled The Burden, displaying a great job done by all three band members with their stringed weapons, therefore offering both Alessandro and Lorenzo all they need to sing and gnarl in anger. After such dense sonority, a strident riff kicks off the brutal, slow-paced At Night, presenting the band’s most damned side and reminding me of some of the creations by the iconic Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride in what’s probably their rawest and most visceral of all songs, before they come ripping with one more of their Stygian voyages through the realms of gothic and doom in The Loneliest, where Lorenzo is spot-on with his clean vocals by generating an amazing paradox with the harsh growls by Alessandro, always supported by the minimalist, thunderous bass by Valerio. Put differently, they couldn’t have ended the album in a more beautiful way.

This fantastic and somber gem of Italian gothic and doom can be fully appreciated on YouTube and on Spotify, and if you’re curious to know more about the guys from Invernoir, their music and their plans for the future you can start following them on Facebook and on Instagram, and of course purchase The Void and the Unbearable Loss from their own BandCamp page, from Funere’s BandCamp page or from the BadMoodMan Music’s BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music, Amazon and Discogs. As aforementioned, the new album by Invernoir is highly recommended for lovers of the melancholy blasted by the titans of the genre like My Dying Bride and Katatonia, proving once again why Italy has become (and will always be) a reference in underground doom.

Best moments of the album: Suspended Alive and Cast Away.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Funere/BadMoodMan Music

Track listing
1. The Void and The Unbearable Loss 7:03
2. The Path 7:02
3. House of Debris 5:57
4. Suspended Alive 5:37
5. Cast Away 7:09
6. The Burden 5:28
7. At Night 6:08
8. The Loneliest 7:00

Band members
Alessandro Sforza – harsh vocals, guitars, drum programming, cymbals
Lorenzo Carlini – clean vocals, guitars
Valerio Lippera – bass

Album Review – Fenisia / The Spectator (2020)

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Have fun with the third and final chapter of the conceptual discography by these Italian rockers, showcasing a fantastic fusion of styles from early Doom Metal to Southern Rock and Alternative Metal.

Produced by Ray Sperlonga (American Idol) at Rosary Lane Studios and mastered by Collin Davis (Imagica, Deeds of Flesh), The Spectator, the brand new album by Rome, Italy-based Alternative Rock/Metal act Fenisia, is a concept album featuring nine Southern Rock-influenced Alternative Metal songs that together represent a bold statement against organized religion, questioning the very roots of faith, telling a story surrounding the English enlightenment newspaper published in England from 1711 to 1712, which quickly became the symbol of modern journalism. Founded in 2009, Fenisia are currently comprised of Nic Ciaz on vocals and lead guitar, J Snake on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Doc Liquido on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Tig Smith on drums, all strongly influenced by the “deep south” sound of the American Southern Rock movement, and their new effort perfectly depicts that influence in their music, offering our ears an even more melodic side of the band if compared to their previous albums Lvcifer and Fenisia Café, released back in 2011 and 2015, respectively.

The opening track Lord Lumieres, the main character of the story told in The Spectator, is very melodic and atmospheric from the very first second, with Nic and J Snake showing no mercy for their stringed axes in a modern Hard Rock party with a 70’s and 80’s twist; and venturing through the lands of Stoner Rock and Metal they bring forth the awesome Sky Oracle, where Nic’s vocals remind me of the early days of the one and only Ozzy Osbourne, while Tig dictates the pace with his classic, neck-breaking beats and fills. Then the low-tuned, rumbling bass by Doc Liquido is quickly joined by the band’s heavy and strident riffs in Manifesto, another excellent tune blending elements from Alternative Rock with classic Rock N’ Roll and Stoner Rock, and you better get ready for another round of incendiary guitars and headbanging beats in Wake Me Up, where Doc Liquido continues to bring the groove to the music with his unstoppable bass, sounding fast and melodious from start to finish with Nic kicking ass on vocals.

Their 70’s vein keeps pulsing in Eternal Cult, with both Nic and J Snake firing their trademark riffs and solos accompanied by Tig’s rhythmic drums, whereas it’s time for a smooth ballad by the quartet titled Burned In My Brain, a pleasant tune albeit not as gripping as their usual Hard Rock, showcasing an introspective performance by Nic on vocals. After a moment of calmness, let’s bang our heads like true maniacs together with Fenisia in Wizard of the World, starting with an infernal riffage before morphing into a feast of Stoner Metal and Hard Rock, also presenting a fantastic sync between Tig and the band’s guitar duo, and adding elements from bands like Down to their Black Sabbath-ish sonority the band offers us the rockin’ Conspiracy Rules, with Nic delivering sheer electricity through his guitar solos. And lastly, as the icing on the cake we have a cover version for Lenny Kravitz’s biggest hit Are You Gonna Go My Way, an amazing rendition by Fenisia adding their own personal touch to the original song, with Doc Liquido being on fire with his bass jabs.

This fun and vibrant amalgamation of styles, from the early Doom Metal played by Black Sabbath to modern-day Alternative Rock and Metal, will soon be available from several locations such as Apple Music and Amazon, or you can simply click HERE and choose your preferred music service to get the album as soon as it’s unleashed upon us all. In addition, don’t forget to give the guys from Fenisia a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, and to listen to more of their music on YouTube and on Spotify, showing your support to such talented rock band from the beautiful Italy. Two years in the making, the third and final chapter of the band’s conceptual discography is finally ready to be released, exploring its roots in depth and extending the songwriting a step above the band’s previous releases, therefore putting a beyond climatic ending to such dark story. Having said that, what are you waiting for to join Fenisia and their “friend” Lord Lumieres in the rockin’ world brought into being in The Spectator?

Best moments of the album: Sky Oracle, Wake Me Up and Wizard of the World.

Worst moments of the album: Burned In My Brain.

Released in 2020 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Lord Lumieres 4:38
2. Sky Oracle 4:34
3. Manifesto 4:18
4. Wake Me Up 4:08
5. Eternal Cult 3:45
6. Burned In My Brain 5:42
7. Wizard of the World 4:00
8. Conspiracy Rules 4:33
9. Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz cover) 3:39

Band members
Nic Ciaz – vocals, lead guitar
J Snake – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Doc Liquido – bass guitar, backing vocals
Tig Smith – drums

Album Review – From The Depth / Moments (2020)

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Enjoy the new chapter in the career of this electrifying Italian Power Metal unity, celebrating relevant memories and episodes of everyday life while time passes by.

Punchy and aggressive, fans who have been waiting since the 2014 EP Perseverance are now rewarded with Moments, the sophomore full-length opus by Italian Power Metal unity From The Depth, presenting a series of personal occasions in the band members’ lives that they are reliving through their music, from hard times to the anniversary of the group forming back in 2008 in Parma, a city in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Recorded at Domination Studio and Angle Room Studio, mixed and mastered at Domination Studio, and featuring a classic artwork by Hungarian artist Péter Sallai (MORTPAINTGRAPHICS), Moments showcases all the maturity and refinement in this new chapter of a band currently comprised of Raffaele “Raffo” Albanese on vocals, Gianpiero Milione and Simone Martinelli on the guitars, Santo Clemenzi on bass and Cristiano Battini on drums. In the band’s own words, “Moments is a way to celebrate relevant memories and episodes of everyday life while time passes by. Each aspect of the production has been taken care of with extreme attention to detail from song structure to the final master; nothing has been left to chance and we did our best to get out the most from each session during songwriting.”

Futuristic and electrifying form the very first second, Immortal is a kick-ass hybrid of the music by Stratovarius, Nightwish and Gamma Ray with the band’s own Italian twist, with Gianpiero and Simone being utterly insane with their riffs, providing Raffo all he needs to shine on vocals. Then we have the faster and more ferocious Spread your Fire, a lesson in Power Metal by this Italian squad led by Cristiano’s pounding drums and the always melodious and sharp vocals by Raffo, also presenting some atmospheric passages, followed by Ten Years, another high-octane, melodic composition featuring their trademark riffs and solos and crisp background keys intertwined with the rumbling bass by Santo, with endless stamina flowing from all band members. After such high level of adrenaline, it’s time for a stunning semi-ballad by From The Depth titled Streets of Memory, where Raffo’s introspective vocal lines are nicely boosted by the smooth sound of the guitars and the groove from bass, sounding epic and imposing from start to finish. And the cinematic bridge Hypnos warms up our senses for the Symphonic Metal tune Forget and Survive, where the band brings a good amount of progressiveness to their sharp sonority with both Gianpiero and Simone embellishing the airwaves with their refined riffage and strident solos, being therefore tailored for admirers of the genre.

A medieval overture explodes into another symphonic and epic feast of Power Metal entitled Just Ice, with Santo and Cristiano making the earth shake with their thunderous kitchen, and showcasing a pleasant pace where Raffo gives another lecture with his soaring vocals during the song’s almost eight minutes of awesomeness. The band continues to crush our senses in Missed, a galloping, Stratovarius-inspired metal hymn perfect for headbanging together with the band where Cristiano is on fire with his beats, supported by all incendiary riffs, guitar and keyboard solos and rumbling bass punches. In other words,  you’ll certainly feel energized after listening to it, while endless groove and an enfolding atmosphere are the main ingredients in the modernized A Matter of Time, uniting the classic sound of Symphonic and Power Metal with nuances from more contemporary styles. And lastly, the band offers us all Somewhere, a delicate piano ballad where Raffo steals the spotlight with his deep vocals. Although I love ballads, I personally think they should have ended the album with a more gripping tune, but of course this one has its good moments such as the embracing ambience crafted by the sound of keys and bass.

In a nutshell, From The Depth have truly mastered the art of Symphonic and Power Metal in their newborn spawn, positioning them as one of the driving forces of the genre not only in their homeland, but all over our Heavy Metal world. Hence, if you want to show your support to those unstoppable Italian metallers, go check what they’re up to on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel and search for them on Spotify to listen to more of their thrilling creations, and above all that, grab your copy of Moments from the Rockshots Records webstore or from Apple Music, letting the magical sounds and epic passages crafted by Raffo, Gianpiero, Simone, Santo and Cristiano penetrate deep inside your mind and soul in the name of Heavy Metal, providing you some amazing musical moments in your everyday life.

Best moments of the album: Immortal, Spread your Fire and Missed.

Worst moments of the album: Somewhere.

Released in 2020 Rockshots Records

Track listing
1. Immortal 4:55
2. Spread your Fire 4:55
3. Ten Years 5:09
4. Streets of Memory 4:20
5. Hypnos 1:51
6. Forget and Survive 4:48
7. Just Ice 7:46
8. Missed 4:51
9. A Matter of Time 5:47
10. Somewhere 4:22

Band members
Raffaele “Raffo” Albanese – vocals, choir vocals, guitars on “Streets of Memory”
Gianpiero Milione – guitars
Simone Martinelli – guitars
Santo Clemenzi – bass, choir vocals
Cristiano Battini – drums

Guest musicians
Davide Castro – keyboards on “Immortal”, “Spread your Fire”, “Ten Years”, “Streets of Memory”, “A Matter of Time” and “Somewhere”
Andrea De Paoli – keyboards on “Ten Years”, “Forget and Survive”, “Missed” and “A Matter of Time”
Oreste Giacomini – keyboards on “Immortal”
Roberto Tiranti, Giacomo Voli, Angelo Guidetti, Marco Spitale, Stefano Nusperli, Marco Olmedi, Ros Crash, Jennifer Ferretti – choir vocals

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”

Interview – Silver Nightmares

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It’s time to dive into the progressive dreams of Italian rockers Silver Nightmares in this exclusive interview where they talk about their debut EP The Wandering Angel, their biggest challenges as a band and their main influences in music.

Alessio Maddaloni and Gabriele Esposito (Silver Nightmares)

The Headbanging Moose: First of all, thank you guys for the interview. Let’s start with a very simple question, which is who is Silver Nightmares? Could you please talk a little about the band, your origins and your mission?

Alessio Maddaloni: It’s a real pleasure for us! Thank you for the interview and for your support!  The band was formed in Palermo in 2018 by bassist Gabriele Esposito, keyboardist Gabriele Taormina and me on drums. It was a “strange meeting” ’cause we were involved in another band! We had “different views” with the leader of the band, we were quite unsatisfied, so we decided to split and to create a new band. We know it’s impossible to make something “unique” in music but we wanted to mix our various influences to create a “recognizable trademarked sound”. This is our mission 😉

THM: Why has the band gone through so many lineup changes in such a short period of time, as Silver nightmares was just formed a couple of years ago? I mean, what was the main reason for having an unstable lineup until now?

AM: Here in Palermo there are a lot of great musicians but it’s difficult to meet someone interested in creating unreleased music. We, the founders, coexist harmoniously but we were searching for motivated and “enthusiastic people” to play with. We went through several configurations (that’s why we turned our first moniker from “Silver Dreams” to the new one “Silver Nightmares”) until arriving at our current line-up with Mimmo Garofalo (guitars), who some years ago played with Gabriele Taormina in a prog band called Bright Horizon, and Michele Vitrano (vocals) and Tody Nuzzo (guitars), who played with me and Gabriele Esposito in a heavy metal cover band (HM80).

THM: You’ve just released your debut album, entitled The Wandering Angel. Can you give us more details about the album? What’s the main idea or theme behind it, and how happy is the band with the final result?

Gabriele Esposito: Our concept album is about the loss of the human spirituality. Being spiritual to us is more than being religious. Whereas the word “religion” generally refers to organized forms of worship and a wider faith community, “spiritual” often describes people’s private individual beliefs. “Our wandering angel” is coming from a distant star, the star of life. He falls down from heaven and begins its path on earthly contamination. Between heroes of the past and shrewd characters nowadays the real meter of his research will be the journey into the universe. We’re really happy of the result we achieved! We would like to thank all the magazines, fanzines, radio broadcasting for their support.

THM: As a fully independent band, what were the main issues you faced during the recording of The Wandering Angel, and what went better than expected? I’m sure you have a ton of “lessons learned” to share with us.

GE: Well said! It’s not easy for fully independent artists to make the most of every recording session and it is very important to make the right choices. For the pre-production of the EP, we worked out as much as we could before stepping into the studio. Fortunately, we contacted some professionals for the recording, mixing and for the mastering of our work. We didn’t want a “prefabricated sound” (I mean no drum triggers). Of course, there were some mistakes too but as a first studio experience, we think our final result was pretty good.

THM: The entire album carries a very pleasant and cohesive vibe, with each song maintaining pretty much the same level of electricity and a polished yet raw sonority. How did you guys manage to reach such high level of quality and professionalism in your debut album?

Album Review – Silver Nightmares / The Wandering Angel EP (2020)

GE: Thanks indeed for your compliments! We tried to do our best. Well, as I said before, our EP is a concept album so all the songs are interconnected. For us this was achieved through our central lyrical theme. It was very natural to keep a cohesive vibe and quite the same level of electricity. I mean it was not a deliberate choice… Music guided our journey 🙂 I think this could be our trademark in the future: Let the music guide you and everything will be fine!

THM: One of the songs of the album, D.D. (Dick Dastardly), is obviously your personal tribute to one of the greatest villains in the history of cartoons. How did you come up with the idea of paying a tribute to such unique character, and when and how did you decide it was going to be an instrumental track?

AM: Such is my passion for this cartoon!! 🙂 As you said, Dick is one of the greatest villains in the history of cartoons. He is dishonest, selfish and unsportsmanlike. He definitely wants to win! In life there are a lot of people like him… who fail from the start… About the track… we decided it was going to be an instrument track following the advice of Mimmo Garofalo. We had already written the lyrics but we liked his suggestion and we changed our minds.

THM: How’s the current rock and metal scene in your hometown Palermo and in the entire Sicily? I’m pretty sure that now with all this COVID-19 situation not only the bands but also the venues all over Italy might be struggling to survive. Are you guys experiencing the same issues right now, and how are you dealing with that?

GE: Yep 😦 Fortunately the curve has started to descend and the death toll is also starting to drop. Here in Italy all the venues were closed and there was no chance to rehearse. We stand waiting for better times. During this period of lockdown we began writing new stuff for a full length album and we tried to promote our EP the best we could.

THM: What your main inspirations in music and in life in general? Also, which bands do you dream of sharing the stage one day in Italy, or which rock and metal festivals do you dream of playing anywhere in the world?

Gabriele Taormina: We are music addicted! We have a lot of different influences and tastes. Alessio likes a lot bands like Testament, Judas Priest, Savatage, Annihilator, Marillion, Transiberian Orchestra, Anvil, Jethro Tull. Gabriele Esposito loves fusion but also bands like Supertramp, Toto, Beatles, Iron Maiden, King Crimson, Triumph, Peter Gabriel. I’m mostly into the Prog/A.O.R scene I love Kansas, Queensryche, Ten, Asia, Anathema, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Rush, the Swedish prog etc… I think it could be interesting to share the stage with some of the Italian prog bands. As you know, there is a great “progressive rock” tradition here in Italy. It would be awesome too to play our music in ENGLAND. The homeland of progressive rock 😉 Well, about metal festivals…Progfest, Wacken, Hellfest? 🙂 Why not? 🙂 I have many things to say and write but I’ll stop here, even because dreaming doesn’t cost anything! 🙂

Gabriele Taormina (Silver Nightmares)

THM: How was your agenda before the lockdown began due to COVID-19? Was the band being scheduled to play all over Sicily, Italy and anywhere else? And what are your plans for after this crisis is over?

GT: We were starting to rehearse with a stable line-up in view of some dates/festivals here to play all over Sicily. We hope this crisis will be over soon! As Gabriele Esposito said, during the lockdown we also began writing songs for the new Cd. We already have some interesting stuff 🙂 We hope to rehearse soon. Time will tell 🙂

THM: Once again, thank you very much for spending some time with us. Please feel free to share anything you want with our readers, including where they can buy your music, and I hope to hear more from Silver Nightmares in a not-so-distant future!

GT: Thank you for the opportunity you have given us today to discuss and to introduce Silver Nightmares! Our EP is available on all the digital stores and CD format (but it’s a special limited edition, 300 copies). We’re also on Bandcamp. If some of your readers is interested in our EP. It’s quite simple to order it! You just need to contact us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Bandcamp or to check the site of the italian label Artewiva. Prog on! 😉

Links
Silver Nightmares Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | BandCamp

Album Review – Thecodontion / Supercontinent (2020)

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An atmospheric and conceptual voyage through various stages of ancient Earth’s continental drift phase, blasted by two Italians who use no guitars – only death.

In case you’ve never heard of Thecodontion, they’re an Atmospheric Black/Death Metal band founded in 2016 in Rome, Italy by vocalist G.E.F. and bassist G.D. who don’t use guitars in their music. Instead, they use two finger-picked, distorted basses, with a third one for solos, accompanied by vocals and drums in order to convey a more ancestral sound. This approach compliments their lyrical imagery, which is based on prehistory, fossils and geologic periods, being highly recommended for fans of the music by Antediluvian, Mitochondrion, Mithras and Neurosis, resulting in what the duo itself likes to call “Prehistoric Metal of Death”. As a matter of fact, the name Thecodontion comes from “Thecodontia”, an Ancient Greek word meaning “socket-teeth”, or an obsolete taxonomic grouping formerly used to describe a diverse group of reptiles which included both the ancestors of dinosaurs and of modern alligators and crocodiles, among others. After releasing their self-titled demo in 2018, followed by the EP Jurassic in 2019, Thecodontion return in full force in 2020 with their first full-length opus titled Supercontinent, an Atmospheric Black and Death Metal sonic journey and another step for the ever-developing and evolving sound of this archaic entity.

Recorded at Snakes Studio in Rome by Guglielmo Nodari, mixed and mastered at Necromorbus Studio in Stockholm, Sweden by Marco Salluzzo, and featuring an array of special guest musicians the likes of session drummer V.P. (Seventh Genocide), vocalist Skaðvaldur (Urðun, Igor Mortis), guitarist J.G.P. (Seventh Genocide, Bedsore) and vocalist R.C. (Seventh Genocide), Supercontinent is a conceptual voyage through various stages of ancient Earth’s continental drift phase, from the earliest known supercontinent (“Vaalbara”) to the most recent one (“Pangaea”), with extensive researches with an almost scientific approach having been made for the lyrical department, also bringing forward four instrumental non-metal songs featuring short poems about “superoceans” and a phenomenal artwork by Stefan Thanneur (Chaos Echoes), with a colorful representation of the final supercontinental stage and climax of the record, Pangaea surrounded by the Panthalassa Ocean.

The low-tuned, metallic bass lines by the duo ignite the album in the atmospheric intro Gyrosia before rumbling sounds and noises permeate the air in Vaalbara, blending the vilest elements from Black and Death Metal led by G.E.F.’s devilish roars while G.D. and V.P. hammer their instruments mercilessly, followed by Ur, featuring guest Skaðvaldur blasting some deep, gruesome vocals, where the band offers more of their primeval bass-driven music, sounding absolutely tribal and Stygian from start to finish (not to mention the amazing job done by V.P. with his ritualistic beats). After such demolishing start to the album, madness and chaos from the prehistorical times invade our ears in Kenorland, where it’s impressive how G.E.F and G.D. are capable of extracting such crisp and strident “guitar” sounds only using their bass guitars, overflowing the always amazing groove and rage of old school Death Metal. Then cinematic bass jabs set the tone in the bridge Lerova, growing in intensity until the duo comes crushing our senses accompanied by the pounding beats by V.P. in Nuna, a lesson in how to fill every single space in the air with menacing bass sounds while G.E.F. vociferates the song’s cryptic lyrics in great Black Metal fashion.

And they’ll make your head hurt with their pulverizing bass punches in Rodinia, where G.E.F. sounds even more demented and berserk on vocals, feeling very progressive and raw at the same time (albeit going on for a little too long, though), whereas Tethys is another atmospheric and enfolding bridge that warms up our senses for Laurasia-Gondwana, featuring guest J.G.P. on the baritone guitar, with the band smashing our skulls viciously with their infernal jamming, blending the fury and violence of Death Metal with the venomous screeches from Black Metal. Then we have the amazing Pangaea, where guest R.C. shares the vocal duties with G.E.F., while G.E.F. himself and G.D. make the earth tremble with their visceral bass attack. Moreover, it’s quite interesting to notice how the music evolves and progresses like the formation of a supercontinent, flowing darkly until the somber outro Panthalassa brings forward reverberating bass lines and slow-paced beats, giving the album a proper (and melancholic) ending.

Thecodontion’s journey through the history of ancient Earth’s supercontinents will soon be available for purchase from their own BandCamp page, as well as from the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp or webstore, and from the Repose Records’ webstore (in LP format), and you can also follow this dynamic duo from Italy on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details, and search from them on Spotify for more of their prehistorical metal music. As already mentioned, the duo uses no guitars in their music, only death, with Supercontinent undoubtedly representing the most important milestone in their short but already respectful career and, above all, a solid statement that the atmospheric, dark and heavy-as-hell music played by bands like Thecodontion will never face extinction.

Best moments of the album: Vaalbara, Kenorland and Pangaea.

Worst moments of the album: Rodinia.

Released in 2020 I, Voidhanger Records/Repose Records

Track listing
1. Gyrosia 2:09
2. Vaalbara 4:12
3. Ur 6:33
4. Kenorland 4:24
5. Lerova 2:24
6. Nuna 6:02
7. Rodinia 3:52
8. Tethys 1:58
9. Laurasia-Gondwana 3:06
10. Pangaea 7:37
11. Panthalassa 2:41

Band members
G.E.F. – vocals, arrangements
G.D. – bass, arrangements

Guest musicians
V.P. – drums (session)
J.G.P. – baritone guitar on “Laurasia-Gondwana”
R.C. – additional vocals on “Pangaea”
Skaðvaldur – vocals on “Ur”