Emperor of Hell - Canto XXXIV

An Italian band finding inspiration from Dante’s Inferno, In Aevum Agere might not be the first of their kind, yet their power doom style is extremely well-fitted for the subject matter, just as epic doom metallers Crypt Sermon have found with their biblical themes. This third album remains largely the work of Bruno Masulli, whose keenness to indulge a love for old Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus, as well as an apparent interest in Chuck Schuldiner’s lead guitar playing, continues to drive the project. As a result, the 8 songs (and a brief spoken word introduction) that he has cooked up with drummer Claudio Del Monaco do not lack flashy bursts of shredding nor powerful percussive presence alongside often sluggish tempos. As demanded in this genre, strong melodic vocals soar above the grittier rhythms, while the leads shimmer and flash like fish in the murky depths.

While absolutely setting the right parameters for maximum drama and including some very pleasant melody lines in cuts like ‘Allegorical Images (Universal Destiny)’, In Aevum Agere don’t quite manage to string memorable movements together in every song. Few of the transitions highlight crucial moments in the songs, making choruses and verses rather indistinguishable, though the atmosphere that thus settles over Emperor of Hell - Canto XXIV proves moodier and thicker as a result. The 2 longest numbers earlier in the listen - the title track and ‘The City of Dis’ - maintain their momentum most, as well as surprising while the band’s tricks are freshest, then ‘In Phlegethon’ proves a nice instrumental breather to show off the lead guitar in isolation. Though albums in this style will always be compared to the genre greats, these Italians bring a fresh element to epic doom and the risks taken make this one to pay attention to.


Originally written for Metalegion #11 - www.metalegion.com