The first thing that jumps to the eye when talking about Capilla Ardiente is definitely the fact that their line-up is half common to the current Procession line-up (not to mention that drummer Francisco Aguirre was part of it until Destroyer Of The Faith). If one of these is Felipe Plaza Kutzbach, one of the most characteristic voices that emerged in the doom field in recent times, it is inevitable that this work can be considered at first nothing more than a simple appendix to this band. But if, in fact, the stentorian tone of the Chilean musician (now based in Sweden), would seem to indicate that direction, to make a difference intervenes a sound imbued with an epic overflowing, able to characterize Capilla Ardente in all and for all as an autonomous entity, all, then, is supported by the fact that, while in Procession the work of composition is the prerogative of Felipe, here the burden falls on his usual partner in crime, bassist Claudio Botarro Neira. In fact, the two bands were born more or less at the same time, even if the circumstances and the various intertwining that characterize the life of each group have meant that the explosion of one (Procession), with the publication of two great albums, has ended up putting in stand-by the other (Capilla Ardiente) that only today, after the release of an ep in 2009, finally arrives at the first full length. Bravery, Truth And The Endless Darkness, also published in the vinyl version, is the demonstration, if ever there was a need, that Felipe and Claudio are currently the musicians who best shape the material of which the traditional doom is composed. To understand that this statement is not far-fetched just listen to Nothing Here For Me, one of the most intense and engaging songs heard in recent years: when Felipe sings, in an unforgettable chorus, “… this sword will protect me into darkness …“, you really feel like following him without delay in this journey into darkness. If, absurdly, placing a song of this magnitude in the opening runs the risk of overshadowing the remaining episodes of the album, one can’t help but notice, however, how much they too shine as splendid proofs of epic doom and immeasurable evocative power. The beauty of this album and the confirmation of the value of the musicians involved pushes me to make a side remark: in the past I took the liberty to talk about the Chilean doom scene, referring to the many bands of value that the South American country exhibits in this stylistic field, even more in relation to the continental reality, but Botarro Neira, in a statement, pointed out that, in fact, this scene does not exist. I take note, although it is a refrain already heard several times even in our latitudes, and after all no one better than him can give us a clear picture of the situation but, frankly, all this makes little difference: when the level of individual bands reaches such peaks of quality, the fact that this depends on the musical ferment of a city or a nation, or only springs from the peculiarities of a small circle of musicians, after all, is just a detail.

2014 – High Roller Records 2015 – Canometal Records