Marea rises.
Created by Italian musician M.B. (vocals/guitar/bass/keyboards), the project calls on drummer Alessandro Mori (Entirety, Hanormale, Total Death, ex-Devoid of Thought) to give birth to The Silence of Rust, its debut album, released by Masked Dead Records.
The icy Riptide Tune kicks the album off with a few dissonant tones that join up with a heavy and quite slow rhythm from which emerge the first misty screams, turning into real tortured howls. The melancholic harmonics tangle and calm down, leading into Sidereal, where saturation returns to add to the throbbing waves and gripping vocal parts before the hurricane forms, letting the sound get carried away. A more jerky passage opens the doors to the final, then Chiaroscuro offers us a moment’s respite with its airy restful tones before disappearing for the darkness to awaken on Irreversible, the next composition. Leads cloud our minds while riffs and growls develop freely, draping us in their oppressive embrace before the atmosphere relaxes again with the first notes of Rain Colours. Even saturation seems rather reassuring, and a few Heavy influences creep into the solo before that long silence, leading to an intoxicating melody and then the long, thick The Silence Of Rust, which slowly progresses to drown us under its reverie before letting the instrumental erupt and reveal more aggressive, cutting tones, closing this album in permanent duality.
The beauty of Marea lies in its various contrasts between tranquility and violence, letting The Silence of Rust wander wherever the musician wishes, while still mesmerizing us. Close your eyes and let yourself be lulled.
90/100