Did I ever tell you how much I hate intros that have nothing to do with the first track? Oh, I did? Sorry. I won't go on, then. Ahem.
So, Deadly Carnage. Second full length from these Italians. They have a sound which the PR quite reasonably suggests might lie in the land of what could have happened if Satyricon had taken a different path after Rebel Extravaganza. So then we're in the land of a modern black metal sound with touches of death and pseudo industrial pounding and gas masks are we? Think a not as harsh Aborym with a more melodic approach and atmospheric interludes. At least the first track 'Guilt Of Discipline' is just that and pretty standard fare too; a bit of a BM semi-industrial pummelling to get you warmed up but not much else if I'm honest. It's the second song 'Parallels' that is much more interesting. Starting with a gentle acoustic guitar and into an almost Isis like undulating electric melody, cranking up the pressure with some growled vocals until it breaks into a weird, disturbed howling rant that is wonderfully twisted like some modern day BM take on the Edgar Broughton Band (just Binggoogle it, it's rather old). Rather tasty.
Epitaph I and II veer back towards a more standard rolling black metal raking with some nice melody surfing the rhythmic riffing to pull it out of the pack and a little touch of dark Mediterranean atmosphere here and there adds more depth. It snakes along rather nicely, in fact.
Growth And New Gods is a bit of a step back, though, I'm afraid. Apart from the excellent proggy closing passage which once more steps close to a nice spectral middle ground between Isis and Opeth, I find it simply good if standard black metal. OK but nothing to distinguish it from hundreds of others vying for your attention..
However the last track, ' Ceneri' is a lush, quiet song where the vocals are allowed to reach into a wonderful clean tone and falls to a soft whisper. Wrapped in keyboards and with that voice as a wreath upon its shoulders, the crackling guitar like the static as you peer out across a blasted wasteland, this is a fine exit. It leaves you with the impression of a thoughtful, interesting band who when they give in to the pull of the prog have a lot to offer.
Not a bad offering and intriguing in parts. Here’s hoping they continue to grow.
http://www.myspace.com/deadlycarnage
Gizmo
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