Arrant Saudade is yet another project involving Riccardo Veronese, one of the main protagonists of the London doom scene. Aphonic Threnody, Dea Marica and Gallow God are bands that we have already treated on these pages, all united by the presence of the guitarist with clear Italian origins. The first of these, one of the best current expressions of continental death doom, includes in its line-up also the Chilean Juan Escobar (Astorvoltaires, but especially vocalist of the magnificent and unfortunately no longer active Mar De Grises), which also here accompanies Veronese taking care of all the instruments except the guitar, along with the French vocalist Hangsvart, lone protagonist of interesting projects such as Abysmal Growls Of Despair and Plagueprayer. This stimulating mix of schools and styles, while still limited to doom, offers a decidedly intriguing fruit even if not as delicious as it would have been expected. In the work, in fact, is partially lacking that continuous line of pain and oppression that the same Veronese had managed so well to evoke in the last works of Aphonic Threnody: a magnificent track like the long Drifting Reality not always finds its counterpart in the course of an album that has more than one interlocutory passage. Perhaps it is my thought as a fan of the genre to be too schematic, but the song just mentioned contains all the ideal coordinates of what should arise from the funeral death doom: a melodic line, painful and suffocating at the same time, broken only by a pitiless growl and sudden glimpses of flickering light represented by the melancholic strokes of the lead guitar (by guest Josh Moran of the valid Vacant Eyes). Definitely better in its second half (excellent also the conclusive No Dream Left In Me), The Peace Of Solitude takes a little too much to take off but it must be said that, when this happens, the palate of connoisseurs is definitely satisfied. Product still above average, the first step of Arrant Saudade is a good viaticum for the continuation and development of this project.

2015 – GS Productions