For a band that has reached the qualitative peak of its career, the difficult moment comes when you have to follow up the good things done previously, with the aim of further improving or, alternatively, to maintain a standard at least similar. For The Foreshadowing the mission seemed even more complex, since the absolute value of a record like Second World had extended its fame beyond national borders, leading them to undertake an American tour in the company of heavy names such as Marduk and Moonspell. Although the very first approach with Seven Heads Ten Horns left me more than one perplexity, the perception of the contents of the album has gradually risen, listening after listening, until inexorably reveal its true nature, that of worthy successor of a milestone as Second World. The Foreshadowing confirm their value by coming out victorious from this difficult test, even if the particular style exhibited is no longer a surprise, having been consolidated over the years; the band from Rome in this case has opted for a perceptible softening of the sound, aiming at the development of choruses with a great impact, those that imprint themselves subtly in the memory and you find yourself singing almost unconsciously: a choice that offers excellent results even if a pinch of the energy exhibited in previous works is sacrificed. After all, this band possesses that peculiarity typical of champions, that is the exhibition of a recognizable stylistic figure, not only for Marco Benevento’s vocal timbre, but also for an innate melodic taste that brings them to be, wanting to force the hand in the comparisons, an ideal meeting point between Paradise Lost, Moonspell and Depeche Mode. Is it a risk? No, because a stunningly beautiful song like Until We Fail would have found a natural place in that masterpiece entitled Songs of Faith and Devotion; no, because the doom background drawn from the masters of Halifax blends admirably, in songs like Two Horizons and Lost Soldiers, with the gothic melancholy of the Lusitanians. The songs mentioned above are those that stand out in a tracklist devoid of gaps, before the final Nimrod, a track of almost a quarter of an hour consisting of four movements (The Eerie Tower, Homily, Collapse and Hymn To Pain) winds in a magnificent emotional crescendo, finding its sublimation in a dramatic and exciting final. Seven Heads Ten Horns is focused, from a lyrical point of view, on the decline of European civilization, outlining a parallelism with that of ancient Babylon, with a metaphorical collapse of the tower placed as a funereal epilogue of a work treated in all respects, including the graphics, thanks to yet another visionary artwork created by the frontman of Septicflesh, Seth Siro Anton. The Foreshadowing consolidate the recent fame acquired with another impeccable record and, frankly, in light of the status achieved and the level expressed, we hope for them well other stages than those offered in a small Italy from the narrow musical culture.

2016 – Cyclone Empire