Bleak Vision is the self-titled debut from this unsigned Italian five piece, and it features so many influences from so many bands that I happen to love - I can’t really help but like it.
This 4 track EP mixes varying styles, ranging from gothic metal inspired atmosphere, to folk tinged and melodic death metal, right through to more classic heavy metal roots. (Iron **Cough** Maiden).
Opener “Immortal” starts off sounding very much like something from latter day “Tristania”, but soon blends well into a folky death-metal foray not unlike “Suidakra”, and is also replete with splendid amounts of driving bassline that might make Steve Harris double-take.
The second song “When all is Dark” throws even more of a curve ball – starting off like black metal era “Moonspell”, occasionally branching into keyboard lines that wouldn’t sound out of place on a “Dream Theater” or “Nightwish” release, before finishing off with an uplifting heavy metal solo line. Third track “Diabolical Earthquake” (my EP highlight) is a virtuoso display of death metal screams, thundering basslines, classical keyboards and hearty folk metal guitar melodies.
This blending of styles works well for the most part, and if anything makes it extremely hard to pigeonhole the band into any one category. Vocal styles range from a sort of “Moonspell” styled vampire voice for the occasional “gothic” spoken word section, to the more widely used death metal vocals which sit somewhere between the screams of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) and Arkadius (Suidakra) – and quite frankly that’s all fine by me. For some bands such a mish-mash of styles would simply not gel, but on this occasion it works, and very well too.
Obviously this is their first CD so the sound is fairly raw, but still of a very high quality. Hopefully over time, and with further releases, this band will develop more of their own style, and create their own distinctive sound to be remembered by. I certainly look forward to their next release with interest.
Standout Tracks: Immortal, Diabolical Earthquake.
