Macbeth
Malae Artes

Here is another Italian band that plays a very fine and melodic gothic and, above all, captivating like few others, at least in their homeland. For Macbeth, it's time for the third chapter of their career, usually the most important for bands because it often represents a turning point and, above all, a confirmation.

For those who don't know them, I could say they are a cross between Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, and Beholder (but it would be too reductive to focus on strange pairings). A great quality of this band is certainly the use of two voices, one male and the other female. The album opens with the track "Nudas Veritas" which doesn't offer much, so it quickly fades away without leaving a trace. "Lifelong Hope" is the first track that welcomes us into this work, the guitar riffs are impressive, giving the song a certain cadenced power, and both singers are excellent, especially Andreas. "My Desdemona" is a damn simple and terribly melodic song that highlights the great melodic abilities of our Italian artists. "Miss Murderess", in my opinion, is very important for the listener because it is a brief summary of this work, which is: great melody, simple riffs, genuine drums, and important presence of electronic sounds, so much so that at the beginning it seems like a dance track. Beautiful. "How Can Heaven Love Me" is a cover of Sarah Brightman, a new-age singer I wasn't familiar with. The song is very spectacular, especially in the dark/pop singing and the sparkling choruses at certain moments. "Good Morning" is perhaps the weakest of the entire bunch despite a symphonic accompaniment that would have been useful in other parts of the CD, but it remains an isolated chapter. A pity. "Henceforth" is the darkest of all, and Andreas often sings in growl, abandoning for a while the melodic vein previously used, an interesting chapter more for ideas than execution. "Keep The Secret" is one of those songs whose reason you already understand while reading the tracklist at the time of purchase. Congratulations to Morena who, with the accompaniment of the keyboards, enchants and dazzles everyone with this magical ballad. "Down-Hearted" mainly revives Andreas' growl singing, showing the darker side of this band. The last song, "Dead And Gone" is the most elaborate and complicated of the work. Morena continues to perform excellently, and Andreas ends his performance with a "melodic" growl. The use of strings and particular symphonic effects is exceptional.

In short, a work that won't change the history of Italian metal but keeps these Macbeth shining brightly on their own. A work with many melodic moments that surely won't betray fans of the genre. Just a note, mentioning the third work as the acid test... well... let's call it a postponed acid test since there are many useful ideas for a very near future in this work...