Funereum - Re-Velatio (1996)

Genre: Melodic Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1996

1. Great Silver Eye
2. Re-Velatio
3. Moonless Night
4. Black Silence
5. Of an Endless Farewell
6. Time Will Cure Me
7. Dreaming of Eternal Sadness

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Italy seems to do that whole melody thing quite well and Funereum are no exception. Here we have a moody and darkly melodic piece of gloomy doom/death. The first song starts out with the rhythmic chime of a bell followed by spastic guitars exploding into melodic keyboards. Right off the bat you know you can expect something a bit different from the norm.

As melody ensues, female vocals burst through the foggy production complemented by violins and just when you though it couldn't get any more varied, the usual harsh male vocals change to clean! Not entirely sure what to make of these, but they're used sparingly.

All of that in the first song!

The rest of the demo follows suit, hinting at an urgent sense of impending doom. Ominous synths permeate the atmosphere as much as cheery keyboards add light to the darkness. And I haven't even touched upon the guitars! Quality riffs meld wonderfully with the other instruments showing just how beautiful something called death metal can be.

The back half of this demo emphasizes the doom n' gloom with some catchy rhythms and more female vocal showcasing. Hell, "Of An Endless Farewell" is 100% woman! Some truly unique metal and quite a refreshment from trudging through the veil of darkness surrounding traditional doom/death metal. Recommended.

Maelstrom (Ita) - Sospiria, Lacrima: Tenebra (1996)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1996

1. ...And Sorrow
2. Useless Tears
3. Abyss of Hypocrisy
4. In My Last Letter

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Wow. Now this is a demo. I didn't expect this sort of quality to come out of Italy, especially of such a unique style. This is Doom/Death with heavy emphasis on a more sorrowful doom. Almost droning with its entrancing melodies and depressive soundscapes, I'm drifting along in a sea of melancholy. And then the soft female vocals burst out from the doom n' gloom, but slowly settling back in as the male harsh rasping vocals slide in. High amount of distortion, this only adds to the doom, creating confusion (but not chaos).

Probably the most redeeming feature of this astounding demo is the brilliant acoustic style. Scattered about every song lie beautiful acoustic interludes, often accompanied by pianos. Very original, especially in Death Metal, and they complement the female vocals oh so well. Adding to the atmosphere are the pounding, echoing drums, reverberating all throughout, almost sounding like the demo was recorded in some vast open expanse.

I don't know who Maelstrom were, or why they split so soon, but this is most certainly a hidden gem in every sense of the word. Recommended.

Godcrucifier - Jerusalem (1994)

Genre: Melodic Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1994

1. In the Mist
2. Useless Tears
3. Genesis
4. Jerusalem

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Godcrucifier’s breakthrough release, Jerusalem! The perfect blend of doom, death, and sorrowful melody, all contained in a rough, scratchy atmosphere, ready to blow you away. The first band I thought of when listening to this was Cauteror, which probably doesn’t mean much to you all, since it’s about as obscure as this band. Oh well! Herein you’ll find alternating switches between rocking Doom/Death and bizarre, melodic interlude passages. On the first song “In the Mist” there is even some tape manipulation and it sounds as if the tape is rewinding; obviously included to help further the atmosphere and strangeness found within! Overall a great song, look out for parts like at 4:20, which just sound like the atmosphere itself is collapsing all over the place! Neat stuff, to say the least.

The rest of the demo follows suit, the two promo songs have been cleaned up and appear sharper here, with the riffs clearer and more hard-hitting. The vocal performance on all of these songs consists of a heavy male vocalist, growling menacingly in tune with the music—the kind of “creeping” vocals, where it sounds like the guy is gonna getcha! Also mixed in are some clean vocals, if not just serving the purpose to shake things up a bit.

“Jerusalem” is one hell of a track to finish it all off, and features one of the best introduction minutes I’ve ever heard in a song, slowing creeping into a withering whisper and infectious acoustic guitar..ing. The transition into the metal part of the song is seamless, and keeps the whispers, while layering the acoustic on top of the electric guitars. Really cool effect, and the subpar production actually helps with the throbbing, depressive doom of some of the main riffing parts. A liberating song, and you’ll sure as hell feel it when listening!

Overall a fantastic demo, and a great effort from these heathen bastards. It’s amazing how a band with such a blunt name can make such beautiful music. Recommended!

Godcrucifier - Promo 1993 (1993)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Melodic Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1993

1. Useless Tears
2. Genesis

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What we have here is very riff-centric Doom/Death Metal. It has a certain grooving beat to it, often repetitive in nature, with sprouts of melody flowing throughout in the forms of guitar solos, energetic riffs, or soothing keyboard interludes. It can get rather hypnotic at times, plodding slowly into the depths of doom… doing so in style!

This is just a promo, mind you, so the production isn’t so hot, the instrumentation and vocals are often a bit muffled, but this is some quality stuff in the end. These two tracks were later rerecorded on their much better Jerusalem demo in 1994! Look out for it!

Ars Onirica - Utopia: A Winternight's Traveller (2004)

Genre: Melodic Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 2004

1. Grey
2. Married in Death
3. Dellamorte Dellamore
4. Wounds

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Dunno where I stumbled across Ars Onirica; perhaps it was because I noticed one of their songs, "Dellamorte Dellamore" shared the same title as one of my favorite movies, but regardless, this really isn't a bad bit of modern metal!

Emphasis on the melody, the first song "Grey" opens with an acoustic intro, setting up the majestic atmosphere that's to follow. Calm and calculated metal with a few great vocal melodies, both harsh and clean, Ars Onirica delivers a breath of fresh air into Italy's metal scene with this release. It's a pity they split up, since this listener feels that they were well on their way.

Not entirely chill, this demo has its angry moments, but for the most part, Utopia keeps up a serene atmosphere. Those clean vocals might catch you off guard, but as long as you come into this demo not expecting anything like what's already on this blog, you'll find it very much enjoyable.

Eroded - Eroded (2009)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 2009

1. Inceptive Point of Vengeance
2. Sunless Jubilation
3. The Harmful Order
4. Vertex On Siege Divine
5. Reduced To One
6. Symmetric Killing Synthesis
7. Arise Through Katalepsy
8. The Ultraidol Sycophants
9. Unbounded Soulless Scene

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Credits to Grimmkvlt for the upload!

Formerly known as "Forgotten Creed", Eroded released two demos before compiling them both into this self-titled compilation released this year. Excellent production, yet it still retains that old school Swedish Death Metal quality we all know and love. The production is very clean and full and the riffs are as gravely as ever. Basically, this album can do no wrong. Everything about it is well-thought out and large amounts of attention were given to each and every song, despite them being demos. Watch out, these Italians are quickly rising the ranks of Death Metal!

Arkana - Demoni (1996)

Genre: Dark/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1996

1. Presagio
2. Il Ritorno
3. Errtu
4. Demogorgon
5. Sangue Maledetto
6. Uomo e Bestia
7. Nuova Profezia

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Don't recognize the name? I'm not surprised; these guys are fucking obscure. Absolutely nothing is known about them, even the year they released this demo is disputed. Was it 1996 or 1998? I doubt anybody will ever know for sure. It's also interesting to note that a few websites list this demo as having four tracks, yet the copy I have distinctly has five. Huh. Oh well, this is definitely one for the ol' collection!

Mostly Dark Metal, still not quite sure what that is, but this isn't quite Death Metal. Everything about the instrumentation and vocals scream DM, but the way it's composed makes it seem a little different. The vocals are far back in the mix and sorta blend in and aren't your typical death grunt; more along the lines of a rasp. The entire demo just sounds dark in itself. We have spooky riffs and eerie organ music peeking out from the darkness and the slow to mid-paced melodies and drums help to define the brooding, doomy sound. Very cool. Recommended because it's just so cool.

Thanks, entity!

Electrocution - Inside the Unreal (1993)

Genre: (Technical) Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1993

1. Premature Burial
2. Rising of Infection
3. They Died without Crosses
4. Growing Into the Flesh (Bleed to Death)
5. Body's Decay
6. Ghost of the Past
7. Under the Wings Only Remains
8. Back to the Leprosy Death
9. Behind the Truth
10. Bells to the End

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Metal Archives Rating: 98% (1 review)
Last.fm

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An underrated classic and the only full-length from this monster of a band. Yes, it's sad and all that they only managed to pop out one LP, but it's for the better, considering the direction they were headed. Instead, we're left with this one goldmine of a Death Metal release. Everything about this album is perfect. Incredibly aggressive, this shit is right up in your face, taking quick jabs for the entire 37 minutes. Borderline thrash, the sheer speed and caustic riffs cut right through you like a hot knife through butter (hooray for over-used cliches!). The musicianship is top notch, and even though most of the songs are relatively short at under four minutes a piece, the structure is mind-boggling. Most bands with similar song lengths only know how to riff a few times, pull out a chorus and then riff some more. Not Electrocution. They mix in a wide variety of double kicks, riffs like lightning, and solos that spiral out of control into total chaos. This is brilliance in the most brilliant form. Inside the Unreal gets my crunchy five stars. Recommended.