Album Review – Noumenia / Echoes (2025)

This promising Italian Post-Groove Metal band will hit us hard and fast to the sound of their exciting debut album, dealing with the paradoxical power of conjoining anger with empathy, despair with hope, and desolation with trust.

An exciting Post-Groove Metal album featuring heavy drumming, rhythmic virtuosity, ripsaw female growl vocals, and a gargantuan guitar sound that literally reinvents the power of the power chord, Echoes is the debut offering by Northern Italy-based band Noumenia, from Ancient Greek Νουμηνία, which translates to “new moon” and signifies the first day of the lunar month. Produced by Richard Meiz (Lacuna Coil, Genus Ordinis Dei), and mixed and mastered by Daniele Salomone (Lacuna Coil, Inverno) at DDStudio Records, Echoes is a powerful album that hits hard and fast, featuring buzzsaw vocals that explore a myriad of textures and tones, and an addictive groove vibe that lifts audience members out of their seats.

Eerie piano notes permeate the air in the opening tune Blind Idols before Samuele begins hammering his drums nonstop, opening the gates of the underworld for Vivian to deeply roar like a true she-demon; and we then face the groovy and modern The Circle, where their Djent vein arises stronger than ever thanks to the band’s “Matteos” armed with their stringed weapons. The quartet then increases their aggression and violence in Outsider, offering a striking hybrid of Post-Groove Metal with the music by Machine Head and In Flames; whereas the Djent-infused metallic, rumbling bass by Matteo Campagnoli will crush our heads in Fractures, while Vivian continues to vociferate deeply and with tons of anger in her blackened heart. And Fall Apart is another song that sounds at the same time very melodic yet visceral, with its background keys walking hand in hand with Vivian’s clean and harsh vocals.

Samuele continues to blast his drums in great fashion in Black Ocean, with the riffs by Matteo Radaelli exhaling Groove Metal for our total delight. It’s time to go full Groove Metal in Outbreak, with all band members sounding tight and infuriated until the very last second, followed by Firewall, one more song where Vivian’s anguished vocals are effectively complemented by the pounding drums by Samuele. Digital Aftermath is by far one of the darkest and most complex songs of the album, with Matteo Campagnoli crushing his bass majestically, not to mention Vivian reaches her deepest guttural of the entire record. And lastly, the band continues to venture through darker paths in Under the Veil, which ends up being a kind of tiresome outro as it’s too long and doesn’t offer anything truly outstanding.

In the end, Echoes is about the paradoxical power of conjoining anger with empathy, despair with hope, desolation with trust, and emptiness with the heartbeat of spirit. The band itself suggests that whether we bask in the sunlight or plunge down into the abyss, we do it with passion and verve, exactly like the music they have to offer us all in their debut opus. Hence, you can check what such a promising band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their live performances, stream their music on Spotify, and of course, put your dirty hands on Echoes by clinking HERE, or simply click HERE for all things Noumenia. This is undoubtedly a must-listen for fans of Post-Groove Metal, Modern Metalcore, Modern Metal, and other contemporary styles, building a very exciting path ahead of those Italian metallers and, therefore, inspiring them to keep delivering great music that will surely echo across the entire world.

Best moments of the album: The Circle, Fractures and Digital Aftermath.

Worst moments of the album: Under the Veil.

Released in 2025 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Blind Idols 5:40
2. The Circle 3:41
3. Outsider 3:31
4. Fractures 4:17
5. Fall Apart 3:53
6. Black Ocean 4:31
7. Outbreak 3:50
8. Firewall 4:25
9. Digital Aftermath 5:20
10. Under the Veil 3:52

Band members
Vivian Nigro – vocals
Matteo Radaelli – guitar
Matteo Campagnoli – bass
Samuele Zichi – drums

Concert Review – Machine Head (History, Toronto, ON, 04/28/2025)

Monday nights are always boring, except when you have four of the must-see bands of the current metal scene worldwide kicking some serious ass in the city.

OPENING ACTS: Unearth, Lacuna Coil and In Flames

What a night of modern and electrifying heavy music at the always amazing History this Monday during the North American Tour 2025 spearheaded by MACHINE HEAD, with special guests UNEARTH, LACUNA COIL and IN FLAMES, and despite the insane traffic in the city and the fact it was a Monday night, we can say it was a nearly sold out event where every single person at the venue had a phenomenal time, including Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I, of course. History is also a great venue for concerts because not only there are plenty of restaurants in the neighborhood, but they also have a few food options inside, like pizza for example, something not common at most venues in Toronto. This means that if you’re running late to any concert but you need to eat something beforehand, you don’t need to waste any second searching for food outside the venue. Simply get inside, and enjoy a slice of pizza while watching your favorite bands playing.

The doors opening at 5pm, when most people were still at work, plus the first band of the night, Boston, Massachusetts-based Metalcore outfit UNEARTH, kicking off their show already at the early time of 6pm, was kind of a bummer as a lot of people ended up missing their show, including myself, and I was very disappointed with that because their 2023 album The Wretched; The Ruinous is a real banger and I was eager to see them playing some of those not-so-new tunes live alongside some older meterial (although their short onstage time didn’t allow them to play their regular full setlist, of course). Well, Keith said they were beyond ruthless onstage led by their rabid frontman Trevor Phipps, already igniting some sick mosh pits in the floor section, and if you also missed those guys live on Monday at least we can enjoy their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, and patiently wait for the next time they pay a visit to Toronto. Hopefully at a later time slot.

Setlist
The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News song)
My Will Be Done
This Lying World
The Wretched; The Ruinous
Giles
Incinerate
Black Hearts Now Reign

Band members
Trevor Phipps – vocals
Buz McGrath – guitars
Peter Layman – guitars
Chris O’Toole – bass
Mike Justian – drums

Luckily, I made it just in time for the superb performance by Italian Alternative Rock/Metal icons LACUNA COIL, more specifically three minutes before they took the stage by storm with their endless charisma, undeniable talent, and highly addictive, catchy tunes, most of them from their brand new album Sleepless Empire (available on all streaming services like Spotify), including the excellent Hosting the Shadow, Gravity, I Wish You Were Dead, and Oxygen. Damn, those tunes sounded amazing live. The beyond stunning diva Cristina Scabbia (she looks younger than ever, by the way) and the enigmatic, sinister Andrea Ferro drove fans wild during their set, making a more-than-dynamic duo onstage for the delight of everyone who enjoys this type of “Beauty and the Beast” vocal attack. As usual, the duo was effectively supported by their bandmates Daniele Salomone, Marco Coti Zelati and Richard Meiz, enhancing the band’s energy and punch and, therefore, inspiring everyone to raise their horns and sing all songs along with Cristina and Andrea. Lacuna Coil are a must-see band of the current scene, and I can’t wait to see them again in the near future. Needless to say, next time they deserve their own headlining tour, so we can enjoy a lot more of their hypnotizing creations.

Setlist
Intro
Layers of Time
Reckless
Hosting the Shadow
Gravity
Our Truth
Blood, Tears, Dust
I Wish You Were Dead
Oxygen
Never Dawn

Band members
Cristina Scabbia – vocals
Andrea Ferro – vocals
Daniele Salomone – guitars
Marco Coti Zelati – bass, keyboards
Richard Meiz – drums

It was already past 8pm when Sweden’s own Melodic Groove Metal/Metalcore/Alternative Rock titans IN FLAMES began their incendiary performance at History (pun intended), already melting our faces with one of their most electrifying songs ever, Cloud Connected. Frontman Anders Fridén and his henchmen, including the fantastic axeman Chris Broderick, showed no mercy for our souls, delivering hit after hit, with the newer songs from their 2023 album Foregone (also available on Spotify), like In the Dark and Meet Your Maker, blending perfectly with their classics and, consequently, igniting some insane circle pits that were nicely acknowledged by Anders. Not only that, he was also on fire with his dark Swedish humor, making an even stronger connection with the crowd. For instance, he noticed one fan was singing ALL songs perfectly at the barrier, so he said he should not screw up any song otherwise that fan would catch his error. The ending with I Am Above and My Sweet Shadow was epic, and I must say their concert this Monday night might have been their best in the city to date. In Flames certainly love Toronto, and we love them back, which means it won’t take long for the band to kick our asses again with another unrelenting concert in the near future.

Setlist
Cloud Connected
Take This Life
Deliver Us
In the Dark
Voices
Coerced Coexistence
Bullet Ride
Trigger
Meet Your Maker
State of Slow Decay
The Mirror’s Truth
I Am Above
My Sweet Shadow

Band members
Anders Fridén – vocals
Björn Gelotte – guitars
Chris Broderick – guitars
Liam Wilson – bass
Tanner Wayne – drums

MACHINE HEAD

Finally, after an avalanche of first-class heavy music from different parts of the world, the main attraction of the night, Oakland, California’s own Groove/Thrash Metal brigade MACHINE HEAD kicked off their electrifying concert to finish destroying anyone who dared to face some wild mosh pits during the execution of their hard hitting tunes. Robb Flynn, Reece Scruggs, Jared MacEachern and Matt Alston were unstoppable onstage, kindly asking every single fan to keep their phones in their pockets and simply have an amazing time with them, banging their heads, slamming into the pit, having a beer and raising their fists in the air. Blending classics the likes of Locust and Bulldozer with several songs form their new opus Unatoned (also spelled UNATØNED, and of course available on Spotify), released this past Friday April 25, such as ØUTSIDER and BØNESCRAPER, the band put on a phenomenal concert that made a boring Monday night feel like a metallic party on a Saturday.

They’ve been on the road since 1991, but their passion for heavy music is so strong it felt like they were just newcomers full of energy and ready to kick our asses. The circle pit action was intense, Robb kept throwing beer to the fans and having a lot of fun interacting with everyone, including a little kid at the back of the balcony section (showing he’s a guy that pays attention to EVERYONE who attends a Machine Head concert), and the background screen, lighting and smoke added an extra touch of insanity to their show. In the end, after they played the classic Halo, they stayed a little longer throwing countless guitar picks and drumsticks to the crowd, who was brave enough to stay at the venue until the very end, already past 11pm on a Monday night. I guess even if they had stayed there until 2 or 3am the fans would have also been there to support them, because this is how superb heavy music is done. Played live, played loud, and with a beautiful connection between the artist and their fans. Thank you, Machine Head, and rest assured whenever you return to Toronto, we’ll all be there for you.

Setlist
Diary of a Madman (Ozzy Osbourne song)
In Comes the Flood
Imperium
Ten Ton Hammer
CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
Now We Die
Catharsis
NØT LØNG FØR THIS WØRLD
ØUTSIDER
Locust
BØNESCRAPER
Declaration
Bulldozer
From This Day
Davidian

Encore:
Halo

Band members
Robb Flynn – vocals, guitars
Reece Scruggs – guitars
Jared MacEachern – bass, backing vocals
Matt Alston – drums, percussion

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Album Review – Lacuna Coil / Sleepless Empire (2025)

Behold this dark and cinematic portrait of our crumbling society by one of the most important bands in the history of Alternative Rock and Metal.

If you know Italian Alternative/Gothic Rock/Metal band Lacuna Coil, then you’re already aware that every album entry in their storied career is more than just a sound. Each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and a place. With Sleepless Empire, that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given Lacuna Coil such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music. Recorded at SPVN Studio, produced by the band’s own Marco Coti Zelati, mixed by Stefano Santi, mastered by Marco D’Agostino, and displaying a dark, sinister artwork by Roberto Toderico, the new opus by vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist Marco Coti Zelati, and drummer Richard Meiz will take you on an obscure, thrilling and vibrant musical journey, proving once again why the band has become a staple in the Alternative Rock and Metal scene worldwide.

The album starts in an atmospheric way with The Siege, quickly exploding into the band’s trademark fusion of Alternative Metal with gothic and dark sounds, and with Cristina and Andrea already kicking some ass as the band’s unparalleled vocal duo. Oxygen then offers an onrush of their wicked lyrics (“Stop wasting my time / Fight / When I look for confrontation / You hesitate, run away / Isolation like prison / Inner self to escape / Inhale / Ready to dive”) amidst metallic and very exciting sounds, and the guitars and bass by Marco sound absolutely groovy and sharp in Scarecrow, sounding beyond perfect for their live performances. Gravity feels even more modern than its predecessors, with Richard pounding his drums while the music remains eerie and electrifying, followed by I Wish You Were Dead, a good song but maybe too pop if compared to what the band is capable of. And featuring the iconic vocalist Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, who brings his share of heaviness and hatred to the band’s striking Alternative Metal, we have Hosting The Shadow, which will most probably be played live during their upcoming tour due to its endless energy.

In Nomine Patris follows the same pattern as some of the most recent Lacuna Coil albums, with a strong ambience working as the background for Cristina and Andrea to stun us all with their fiery vocals; whereas in the title-track Sleepless Empire we’re hit hard in our faces by the thunderous, metallic bass by Marco, providing his bandmates with exactly what they need to blast another ode to darkness in the form of Alternative and Gothic Metal. The guitar lines by Marco are then quickly joined by the fierce yet melodic beats by Richard in the reverberating Sleep Paralysis, perfect for Cristina to shine with her stylish vocals; and featuring guest vocals by Ash Costello of New Years Day and The Haxans we’re treated to In The Mean Time, perhaps the heaviest of all songs thanks to the hammering drums by Richard, with Cristina’s soaring vocals also bringing tons of stamina to the music. Finally, the band brings to our avid ears Never Dawn, one last blast of alternative and modern sounds, feeling heavy and vibrant until the very end.

“Our sound is dark because it reflects the society we’re living in – it’s a portrait of our times,” commented Andrea. “We’re from a unique generation that remembers the analog world but lives in the digital one, we’re the first generation that’s lived through both so we’ve been witnesses the change to our society and that’s the Sleepless Empire. Everyone is always on their phone, always scrolling, always doing something – morning to night, it just never stops.” Ironically, all that digital darkness described by Andrea can be better discussed with the band on their Facebook and Instagram, where you can also stay updated with their tour dates, and you can also find more of their amazing music on YouTube and on Spotify and, above all that, put your dirty hands on their new album by clicking HERE. Lacuna Coil will always be one of those bands with an endless source of creativity due to exactly what Andrea explained, as they always draw inspiration from the darkest side of human nature, which means they’ll fortunately keep offering us high quality albums like Sleepless Empire in the foreseeable future because, as you know, we humans are definitely dark beings.

Best moments of the album: Oxygen, Scarecrow and In The Mean Time.

Worst moments of the album: I Wish You Were Dead.

Released in 2025 Century Media Records

Track listing
1.The Siege 4:25
2. Oxygen 3:46
3. Scarecrow 4:49
4. Gravity 4:04
5. I Wish You Were Dead 2:52
6. Hosting The Shadow 4:19
7. In Nomine Patris 4:54
8. Sleepless Empire 4:02
9. Sleep Paralysis 5:20
10. In The Mean Time 3:33
11. Never Dawn 4:50

Band members
Cristina Scabbia – vocals
Andrea Ferro – vocals
Marco Coti Zelati – guitars, bass, keyboards
Richard Meiz – drums

Guest musicians
Randy Blythe – vocals on “Hosting The Shadow”
Ash Costello – vocals on “In The Mean Time”

Interview – Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli (Genus Ordinis Dei)

Join us in this awesome interview with Genus Ordinis Dei guitarist and producer Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli where he discusses about the band’s new opus Glare of Deliverance, the series of videos from the album, and what’s next for those talented Italian metallers.

Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli (Genus Ordinis Dei)

The Headbanging Moose: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about the music by Genus Ordinis Dei. Can you please start by introducing yourself to our readers? Who are the guys from Genus Ordinis Dei, and what are your goals with the band?

Tommy: Hi, I’m Tommy and I’m the guitarist and producer of Genus Ordinis Dei. We’re 4 metalheads: Me, Nick (Guitars and Vocals), Steven (Bass) and Richard (Drums). The band was formed in 2008 in Crema, our hometown. We were just a bunch of long-time friends who shared the passion for metal music and we decided to start to play together. We were 20 years old and none of us ever played in a real band before Genus Ordinis Dei (and I personally still never played in other bands). Richard came later in 2012 after changing two other drummers. Our goal is simple: become the most important Italian metal band ever.

THM: Now let’s begin talking about your 2020 album Glare of Deliverance. It’s known that the album 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. Can you explain in more detail this concept behind the album? How did you guys come up with such distinct theme?

Tommy: The idea of the story was born years ago too, actually, I still remember us writing down on a notebook the plot of the chapters while hanging out in a pub in our hometown. Then, almost two years ago, we thought it was good enough and we decided it was time to try to make it real. Glare Of Deliverance tells the story of Eleanor in 10 episodes with 10 videos and 10 songs, describing all the steps that bring Eleanor in the grasp of the Holy Inquisition. More in detail, the Hunters of the Holy Inquisition chase after her interrupting a mysterious ritual. The ritual involves a powerful item, a black stone that she calls “The Heart Of Stone”. The stone goes lost during the chase and she is captured and brought to the citadel where the Inquisitor awaits. She’s examined, tortured and finally judged guilty of witchcraft by the Bishop who gives her the possibility to abjure and be forgiven. But the night before the abjuration, a mysterious entity, The Fallen, appears in her dreams and foresees her fate. The story will continue in the next episode 🙂

THM: Also, each one of the ten songs from the album are combined in sequence like a short film or television series to tell that story. How difficult was it to put together those ten songs in the correct order without having any major breaks or interruptions to the flow of the storyline?

Tommy: It’s been tough! We had to deal with the construction of the video series of this story, a totally new thing for us (and also for the fans) that led us to face a lot of difficulties and uncertainty moments, especially in the middle of this pandemic. We enjoyed it and we’re so proud of the final result, both visually and musically speaking. It took a lot of time, considering that we had to create a crowdfunding campaign that fortunately went well. We wanted to create something that mixes a concept album with a tv series, and I think we did pretty well.

THM: Can you tell us how hard was it to produce the album yourself instead of hiring an external person or company to do it? What are some things you wish you could have done in a different way?

Tommy: After all I have to say that it’s been easier than ever. Having the complete control of any single detail at any step of the production is much better than telling someone else what to do and hoping to share the same vision. Obviously you need the right amount of experience and skill to do it yourself and achieve a professional result. We can’t be happier than this!

THM: How has been the whole experience of shooting a special video for each one of the songs from Glare of Deliverance? How are you guys managing all production, costume designing, extras and so on? And which member of the band has the strongest film-making vein, taking the lead in this bold endeavor?

Tommy: Nick is definitely the video guy of the band. Even if we shot a lot of videos during these years, this was a totally new experience for us. We spent months planning the production of audio and video before shooting the first episode. Creating the storyboards, hiring pro artists to draw the concept and create the costumes and the masks, finding the main actress, finding the locations, hiring the videomaker and planning all the logistics and budget took almost a year, considering that we funded everything with a crowdfunding campaign. We were almost beginners about this and finishing this crazy puzzle on our own makes us extremely proud.

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

THM: I want to personally ask about the closing song, the 16-minute aria Fire. How special is that song for you and the rest of the band, I mean, did you feel something different while writing and recording this specific song compared to the others, and can we expect to see you guys playing it live one day?

Tommy: If we’ll have enough time on the setlist we’re gonna play the whole album live. In particular Fire is a special song because the first 9 minutes contain all the main riffs and melodies of the previous 9 songs (revisited, rearranged), a sort of moment of reflection of the journey that took to the final act. It also explodes in a choral epic hook that we personally love. We had a great time recording the choir (in another studio, a bigger one :)), another new experience for us. We feel we’ve grown so much after making this album.

THM: As you guys are based in Italy, one of the countries that have suffered the most with COVID-19, how has this never-ending pandemic been impacting your work with Genus Ordinis Dei and your life in general? How are the other bands from your local scene surviving these years with no live concerts?

Tommy: We always wanted to stay positive and keep developing this idea despite all this crazy situation. Also, we knew that people still need music and entertainment, even if the whole damn world is turning upside down. We decided from the beginning that we’d have never stopped working and that Glare Of Deliverance would be released, a way or another. Every band is trying to do their best to keep creating new content but I understand that it’s a tough challenge.

THM: Can you tell us a little about your biggest idols in music, arts and life in general? And how has their music influenced you and the band in the writing process of Glare of Deliverance?

Tommy: Then there’s a lot of bands that inspired me through this journey but I can’t forget how it started: Blind Guardian, Kamelot, Manowar and Iron Maiden are my all-time favourite guys and they’ll ever be. In this exact moment, the most impressive band to me is Gojira, from the songs to the image to the performances: top band right now. They’re so inspiring. In general I love concept albums and artists that try to focus on creating epic and evocative atmospheres.

Genus Ordinis Dei

THM: Do you think the Italian underground scene is stronger than ever, or do you see it decaying somehow? And what are some bands from your region other than Genus Ordinis Dei that you would recommend to our readers?

Tommy: Italy is not famous for metal bands in general. I’m not into the underground scene so much but for what I’ve seen in the last years, it’s not so interesting. Excluding big bands like Lacuna Coil and Fleshgod Apocalypse, what I would recommend right now are DGM and Nightland. Check them out.

THM: What does the future hold for Genus Ordinis Dei? Can we expect to see more of your epic and atmospheric music in a not-so-distant future?

Tommy: Now we’re focused on the last video episode releases, Dream on March 22nd and the other 3 in the following months. There’s still so much to do before saying “ok, Glare Of Deliverance is done, let’s pass to next one” but I confess that I’m already collecting new melodies and riffs, and we started writing the next storyboard 🙂 But still, we have tons of new stuff regarding Glare Of Deliverance and a couple of great news to spread. We’re preparing for the next live shows, creating a new show from scratch.

THM: Thank you very much for the interview! Any final considerations or comments you would like to share with our readers?

Tommy: If you want something new, something that no one ever did before, follow the first Metal Music Series: Glare Of Deliverance.

Thank you guys for the interview.

Stay safe and stay metal!

Hail!

Links
Genus Ordinis Dei Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify

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

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