Gothica
The Cliff of Suicide

The Gothica, an Italian duo comprised of Alessandra Santovito and Roberto del Vecchio, is dedicated to a form of ethereal dark music characterized by some "ethnic" insertions and dark and glacial shades. In 2003, they released the album "The Cliff of Suicide." The title track was inspired by a real place: the cliff of suicide, beneath which lie the submerged ruins of an ancient Mediterranean city and which has been the backdrop for desperate deeds in the past. The CD also includes a video of the song (presented here in a version with more electronic elements than the original), filmed at the aforementioned location during a suggestive sunset wherein a captivating Alessandra accompanies with her enchanting and deep singing the images of the cliff that becomes a metaphor for the sublime, with its relentless waves (which introduce the notes of the song), its vast fields of wheat and poppies, and its rocks plummeting into the sea, the last vision for those who could not find solace in the wonder of those sunsets. It is precisely the quest for the sublime that seems to guide this work, with inspirations clearly drawn from Romantic and Gothic literature, evident in both the lyrics of the individual songs and the artwork. Indeed, there are references to the novel "The Monk" (in the namesake track) by Matthew Gregory Lewis, a masterpiece of late eighteenth-century English Gothic literature, Christina Rossetti and Calderon de La Barca, but also to Shakespeare.

The song structures are very diverse and are built on an excellent foundation of keyboards, supplemented by classical elements like violins and flutes and sporadically some percussion. Alessandra's voice is the highlight of the work, highly expressive, often reaching operatic peaks as in "La Vida es Sueño." Roberto also gives a good performance, singing on only two tracks ("Cosmic Harmony" and "The Land Beyond", which, thanks to his deep voice, are among the most introspective episodes of the album). The album opens with a dreamy and romantic intro sung in Italian: "Nel buio," which abruptly stops at the moment of greatest tension to make way for the sound of waves that introduces "The Cliff of Suicide," the best episode of the disc for its strong emotional impact and the contrast created between the chorus and the rest of the song. The third track, "Deep Lakes of the Soul," is devoid of lyrics and along with another episode, "Harmattan," presents some references to bands such as the more ethnic Ataraxia and Dead Can Dance.

It's difficult to find a negative aspect in this album where one perceives a class that is not lacking but that surely would have deserved a higher rating if the songs had been more intricate and complex, aiming to build a work that undoubtedly could have been unforgettable. Nonetheless, this remains a good release for Gothica, demonstrating that even the Italian dark scene has something to offer and increasing anticipation for future works from the duo.