Forget Me Not

Dark Lunacy are still a fairly unknown band. They hardly get to tour outside of Italy yet, even though they accompanied Dark Tranquillity already. And oh, what a shame that is. Because whereas their debut, "Devoid", was still rather experimental and the band clearly needed to find its niche, the potantial was there in all its glory already. And it is with this second album that they have not only shown that they have mastered their unique style, but even evolved it and have thus turned into one of the best bands on Italian soil.

Dark Lunacy plays a style of melodic death metal that sometimes hints to Sweden (Mind the vocals and the song Through The Non-Time) and sometimes sounds nothing alike it. It is melodic death metal, alright, but the string quartet and pianos that have been so wonderfully mixed into the songs give it a sound unlike any other band, without getting too bizarre.

The album starts off with The Dirge, a short intro that sets the mood for the opener, Lunacyrcus. As you could guess, that style is of a twisted circus-type. While it starts off a bit messy, as soon as you catch up with the rythm and mysterious violins on the background it all falls into place. This song has an odd feeling to it, as it is both beautiful and twisted.

Fragile Caress comes afterwards, and my oh my oh my what an AWESOME song. The intro is soft and beautiful, violins and a piano working together like they were meant to be, but in a sudden burst of anger the guitars, powerful drums and vocals kick in. The violins keep setting the mood, and it's incredible how well they work with the harsh vocals and fast drums. This is one of my favorite songs off the album, as the melody constantly changes throughout the song without ever getting messy.
This is also the first song where the female vocals kick in, and they are once again an excellent example of how to do it right. Without sounding too overdone they are beautiful, the more because of the contrast with the male vocals.

Through the Non-Time is the most Single-sensitive song of the album, because it is faster and shorter than most of the other songs, and the unique Dark Lunacy-style isn't as emphatic. However, the good use of the guitars and the return of the violins at the chorus make it one hell of a song still. The chorus is even one of the best I know, fast and epic without falling into chaos.

Defaced has an odd intro: it sounds like a violin from an old record, but suddenly the 21st century production kicks back in and the song starts off. This is one of the lesser parts of the album, but it is still a good song.

But heaven awaits! Serenity is one of the best, if not THE best song on the album. The intro is slow at first, wondrous piano chords, then for a moment speeding up with heavy guitar riffs, then slowing back down again. You hear a hoarse, half-whispering singing, and OH MY GOD so beautifully taken over by a calm violin. After the second whispered part, BOOM! EVERYTHING kicks in, guitars, grunts, drums, it's like a huge 10-second blastbeat galloping right over you. A longer fast part is followed by a bridge with a layered female choir behind a slowly building tension of guitars and drums. Everything in this song just ROCKS.

My Dying Pathway is a bit like Fragile Caress again: though not excelling in anything, the whole of instruments is an awesome song with great structure.

Fiamm is a longy, with 8:22 second to longest on the album, and this one has one melody as a steady backbone, and the female vocals get back on track again at the 2:40 mark, while the steady drums keep up a fast pace. The violins and guitars exchange places sometimes, and there's some lovely surprises inside as well.

Lacryma is a break from the madness, and a plunge into a sad psycho woman's mind... or so it seems. This is one for the female vocals alone, and it mainly consists of a bass and a single guitar. Beautiful short break, with the only imperfection that it has been placed rather late in the album.

Then back to the real songs... BOoom BAMBAMBAMBAM! Die to Reborn just kicks in at full speed, and what a way to prepare for the final track. This is fast, heavy and beautiful, a rare combination, but a good one. The bridge consists of a solo, but with vocals over, until the piano picks it up again and finishes the bridge after a long, melodical part. The chorus is a great grunt-along: "ALL I NEED IS DIE TO REBORN!"

The final song is a little odd, but tasty nonetheless. How did they manage not to have any of these songs suck? I don't know, but they did it. The melodies sometimes put you on the wrong leg here, and there's some clean male vocals as well. A fitting end to this excellent album.

The last song has a tail: one of the best outros ever. In the rain, you sometimes hear some of the melodies from the album, resounding from somewhere far away. Rain does play a big part in this album, as it is used in The Dirge, Lunacyrcus, Fragile Caress and here.

The production on this album is excellent: everything sounds clean and in good proportions to the other instruments.

The overall feeling of this album is one of awe and awesomness. Buy it NOW. You won't regret it.