Day: August 18, 2013

Here we are grappling with another work that was in serious danger of ending up in undeserved oblivion and that gets the chance to take advantage of the right visibility thanks to the interest an always very attentive label like My Kingdom Music. Amnio, the first full length by the Romans Raving Season, is an authentic kaleidoscope of decadent emotions, conveyed through a musical implant that, although it refers to the big names of gothic doom, does not appear at all derivative and above all is branded by an artistic integrity rarely found. The Capitoline band, in fact, is never tempted by commercial winks; the sound is, in fact, always aimed at evoking feelings now melancholic, when it is Judith’s crystalline voice that leads the dance, now of angry despair, as soon as Federica’s feral growl becomes the protagonist. Although perfectible, this is not the usual alternation between angelic and demonic vocals from the manual of gothic, as we often hear; each passage has its own logic and functionality aimed at the development of the sound and, when such conditions exist, the final result can only be entirely satisfying. The added value constituted by a perfect production, curated by the talented Federico Truzzi (Mechanical Swan) and finalized by the mastering of one of the tutelary deities of contemporary doom such as Greg Chandler (Esoteric), makes Amnio a work to be enjoyed from beginning to end by dedicating the necessary dedication to listening, otherwise it will be impossible to fully appreciate its many nuances. Wanting at all costs to find some similarity with respect to some known band, the first none that comes to mind are Draconian of Arcane Rain Fell, especially for the dramatic sense given to the compositions, but it must be said that Raving Season lean toward more rarefied atmospheres than the magnificent Swedes led by Johan Ericson. Some room for improvement (fortunately, I might add) is still there, dressing the role of the uncontactable: for example, one could further balance the use of the two voices, perhaps by having Judith push herself less toward lyrical extremes, since her normal intonation is already sufficiently evocative in itself, and avoid that, at times, the irruption of Federica’s growl goes to break too brutally the emotional tension that had been created up to that juncture. Almost marginal details, in the light of a work that deserves to enter by right among the obligatory listens of fans of the genre, who will have the privilege of enjoying over an hour of satisfying music, with peaks found in the central double act Restless Rain (Il Rumore Della Pioggia) – My Darkest Season (Pt. 2). Although Raving Season have been active for several years, after all, their story is only now beginning for real, and if this is the premise, let us still expect great things in the near future.

2013 – My Kingdom Music