Dark Lunacy
Forget Me Not

The first album by this band from Parma is akin to a comet passing by: hard to catch (only for enthusiasts) yet of infinite beauty.

After three years, Dark Lunacy return with this album which, let's say it upfront, is slightly inferior to its predecessor and, consequently, leaves a bit of a bitter taste.
In "Forget Me Not," the guitar melodies take on a significant role, almost complementing the string quartet, and the piano (played by the guitarist himself) weaves excellent soundscapes, abandoning its previous role as mere background. Everything else remains unchanged, and on one hand, this reassures me because it would have been a terrible shame if even a small part of their sound had been lost. But on the other hand, the feeling is that something has dimmed, something that used to let you sink into their vortex of sounds and words (oh yes, perhaps there's real magic in "Devoid"!).

But in the end, it is pointless to issue harsh criticisms of this album because "Forget Me Not" is still capable of eliciting great emotions, and unlike "Devoid," the songs are all interconnected through a kind of concept revolving around memory; this gives the album greater cohesiveness (something not possible with the first record, as it included some tracks written years earlier and released on various EPs).

This album opens and closes with the sound of rain, which probably symbolizes the flow of memories in one's mind, like water running down a window during a storm. And in the flow of these memories, some remain indelibly etched in the listener's mind: such as the impossibility of communicating one's love in "Defaced," the heartrending desperation of a little match girl in "Fiamm," or the requiem for lost souls in "Lunacyrcus." Moreover, it's hard not to notice that, while in Dark Lunacy's early works, hope appeared more like a chimera and not a real way out, in "Forget Me Not," it is much more tangible and within reach, especially in tracks like "Serenità" and "Fragile Caress."

In conclusion, "Forget Me Not" is a very valid, passionate album rich in pathos; albeit, it represents a step back compared to "Devoid." For those who want to understand in detail the music Dark Lunacy makes, I recommend reading my review of "Devoid" (sorry for the self-promotion, but at least someone might comment on it!;))