From the Burning Mist

The Italian scene is one of those scenes that I appreciate a lot for the high-quality albums that it has offered, with special and unique style, and not only in the Metal genre. Regarding Black Metal, Italian musicians have mixed the Greek heavy sound which has its root deep into early Black Metal sound and the dark Heavy / Doom, with the occultism and the ritualistic magic, giving a very weird and at the same time unique result.

So, some time ago I received the latest work of Adragard, a four-member band from Italy, that it is entitled “From the Burning Mist”. The band is active since 1997 and after releasing two demos, one in 1997 and one in 1998, they became inactive until 2010 when they returned with their first full length album. In February of 2018 they release the album that they have sent me, which contains seven tracks of dark Black Metal.

The music that they present us with “From the Burning Mist”, has the characteristics that make the Italian bands unique, that is influences by the first generation of Black Metal, with a lot of Doom parts. The different element that Adragard have added, is a dark – depressing atmosphere which somehow reminded me of Nocturnal Depression, both concerning the atmosphere as also some riffs. For the biggest part of the album, the tempo is growing from slow pace to mid, some few faster parts are appearing in various moments, while there are quite a few rhythmic, of medium speed and of punk structure parts which reminded me a lot of Celtic Frost. The atmosphere that they create is dark, heavy and thick like fog and in various moments of the album is depressing and self-destructive.

Concerning the sound, the production in general is harsh and bassy, delivering a primitive and dark sound which matches the style of the music. The mixture is quite good as it lets the listener feel every instrument clearly but at the same time, the final result is very solid. The guitars have a very good performance level, although in some parts they tend to become dissonant. The bass can’t be heard clearly but it fills the sound satisfactorily. The drums’ performance is very massive, offering the stability, the energy and the passion needed. The vocals are that kind of vocals that I like. They have a harsh like demonic voice and a very passionate performance, with different approach depending on the part of the album and the feeling that they want to express.

“From the Burning Mist” album, is a remarkable and quite interesting release which achieves to maintain the quality level of the Italian scene, without doing anything so special or unique. The fans of the Italian scene, of the first generation of Black Metal or those of you who like heavy, slow and very dark Black Metal, give this album a chance. You won’t be disappointed.