Fate Unburied never went away.
Signed to Time To Kill Records, Riccardo Babbolin (guitar/vocals), Giorgio Piva (drums, Grinder), Francesco Garatti (guitar, Grinder), and Davide Piccolo (bass, Grinder) have finally announced the release of their second album, Neraspeme.
Hope. immediately sets a somewhat heavy, somewhat unsettling atmosphere, and Clara Wright’s voice which speaks directly to the listener contributes to this, but as soon as she really lets loose, you can’t help but brace yourself for the onslaught of Expecting Nothing and its energetic yet meticulously crafted prog-death-inspired bursts that hit hard right away. Intensity is unsurprisingly interspersed with softer, dissonant touches, but the track quickly gives way to Drain, which also kicks off at full speed, offering a far more brutal approach, especially when unexpected hardcore influences reignite the energy, driving a thick, catchy groove. Not Allowed takes over, maintaining that energetic yet infectious vibe the band builds through well-executed bursts of rage, but once again, the track is quickly followed by The Descent, which returns to its technical flourishes and rather surprising influences, even for those familiar with Progressive Death Metal, revealing different facets one after another. The musicians seem a bit more restrained on Deep Rest, a fairly upbeat track that’s relatively long compared to the others, one that delights with its shifts in rhythm and alternating vocals, before moving on to the more frenzied Seed, Feed, Keep, which allows the band to express all of its musical schizophrenia in a single song, given just how unpredictable it is. The influences come and go, each one distinct from the next, but the musicians seem to relish these rapid-fire variations, and the aggression returns on Seeking Perfect Harmony, which – contrary to its name – pounds away relentlessly between calmer, yet still dissonant, choruses. Another standout is Garden, a track that’s also fairly short but pulls no punches, immediately unleashing its full power as it surges forward until a final, gentler passage, followed by A Pragmatic Way Out, which takes its time to unfold its jagged, complex foundations to build genuine bursts of technical prowess. The album is already drawing to a close with the nebulous Nowhere, After All, which leaves plenty of room for experimentation on every instrument – especially bass which takes center stage on this instrumental track – as well as with The Gift, the twelfth and final composition, which returns to a slightly softer but above all intoxicating approach thanks to its numerous harmonics and clean vocals, bringing this chapter to a close.
Fate Unburied boasts an impressive range of influences, from Death to Progressive Metal, even venturing into more in-your-face styles, making Neraspeme one of the richest but consequently one of the least accessible albums of the year. Don’t let that discourage you, dare to embark on this adventure!
75/100
