Unethical Dogma tells us a same story with The Dark Curtain.
On this third EP, Giacomo Danesin (vocals), Davide Ballarin (guitar), Thomas Montefusco (guitar), Francesco De Rossi (bass), and Gianluca Vidotto (drums) have chosen the perspective of another character, that of the nun Jayne.
The band is assisted by singer Alice Favaro on vocals.
The EP begins with a touch of jazz in Ouverture, an introduction which, as its name suggests, develops a rather slow and subdued atmosphere complemented by Alice’s voice before darkening to join the complex, violent and disturbing rhythm of A Perfect Love Story, where she is accompanied by Giacomo. The duo together guides us towards a heavy sound that ignites and replaces the elaborate prog with explosive djent that regularly assaults us before moving on to The Black Water Massacre, which is immediately more theatrical with keyboards and other samples enriching the rhythm. Their guest also takes on a more important role, as do the Metalcore influences that give the riffs that jerky feel that makes you want to headbang before the band returns to its initially groovy and heady, then nightmarish touches that only end with the robotic voice. Another appears in the opening moments of Behind The Dark Curtain, but here again the rhythm imposes its law and its irregular pace, drawing on both technicality and massive sounds, ensuring an omnipresent and unstoppable violence that also veers into dissonance before fading away and letting Requiem offer noisy Electro tones to close the EP.
Although it is quite short, The Dark Curtain allows Unethical Dogma to charm us, trample us, and show us all its fury with well-crafted riffs under a fairly modern mix. I’ll need to hear a little more to form a real opinion, but the EP is promising.
80/100