Ephel Duath
The Painter's Palette

As many might have noticed, my reviews deal almost exclusively with Scandinavian, or at most American and British, bands. But are there any Italian metal bands worthy of international recognition?

First of all, I'd like to point out that we are full of extremely famous metal bands that absolutely don't deserve the fame they have. But as we know, these things go like that, and often the most talented ones remain stuck in a perennial underground where they linger for far too long. For example, Italy is the homeland of Rhapsody, who have made gaudiness, and the evident immaturity of their listeners, one of their strengths, becoming one of the most famous bands worldwide only because they stuff lyrics and artwork with swords, dragons, and similar nonsense. This is a shame because those who don't listen to metal tend to identify metalheads as enthusiasts of Tolkien, medieval novels, and various foolishness, needless to say then that certain bands also cause quite a bit of harm to those who couldn't care less about these nonsenses.

However, in Italy, there's a small label, Code 666, which has indeed a lot of courage (and evidently money as well). It's no coincidence that the first CD by Ephel Duath, when the band was still in its embryonic stage and consisted of only two members, was released under Code 666. Back then, it was described as very strange black metal, at times incomprehensible, in a single word, crazy - precisely the kind of release one would expect from the Imola label.
Time has passed since then, and what was fundamentally a one-man band has become a real group, gathering elements from the most diverse musical backgrounds, from crossover to jazz, including black metal.

The result is "The Painter's Palette," in my opinion, one of the best albums the metal scene has ever conceived. It intertwines the Katatonia of "Viva Emptiness" mainly because of Davide Tolomei's clean vocals, the nastiest crossover present in most of the distorted riffs and in Luciano Lorusso Gorge's screaming, and the fusion that sometimes recalls Cynic and sometimes Maudlin Of The Well.
Needless to say, the album is a masterpiece, but I also think it's worth highlighting the technical skill of the individual musicians, from Davide Tiso's genius on guitar to the devastating rhythm section of Piovesan (drums) and Fecchio (bass), with their evident jazz backgrounds. Then there's the stunning trumpet, entrusted to Maurizio Scomparin, which fits perfectly in both the more chaotic and the calmer, more relaxed moments.
A small side note for the instrumental "Praha," perhaps the jazziest piece on this album, truly chilling.

So what can I say? If you too have been caught in the vicious circle of bands like Aghora, Cynic, and Maudlin Of The Well, don't miss out on this wonderful masterpiece, because in Italy, fortunately, there aren't only Rhapsody.