On disc: Forgotten Tomb

 
 Under Saturn Retrograde
 
- Mike Thompson -
 
 


 
 And Don't Deliver Us From Evil
 
- Lars Bjørn -
 
 

And Don't Deliver Us From Evil

(Agonia Records - 2012)



 
 

 

With energy and style will Forgotten Tomb deliver their 6th full-length album to their fans, and give them a little message: And Don't Deliver Us From Evil. Ferdinando Marchisio has tried something in his musical career in black metal, and with the new 7 songs on the album Forgotten Tomb will make sure that they are not forgotten so easily. Their music is black and humoristic with both power and aggression, not to forget a competent drive in the rhythm. The experienced Italians are raw in their attitude, melodic and persistent when it comes to the sublime songwriting. Deprived has this irresistible drive and energy that suits them so good, just to prove that not all black metal has to be ultra black. Cold Summer is a competent black song with a raw and heavy atmosphere that will make a hit with their fans. That Forgotten Tomb has a humoristic attitude shows on the song Let's Torture Each Other, here the listener gets a full dose melodic and funny side of black metal. Love Me Like You'd Love The Death is more powerful and controlled with the humoristic ideas intact in this alternative black metal blaster. Adrift is very moody metal and has an intelligent flow during the song that also hits the fans where they like it. Nullifying Tomorrow ends the small album with a melodic and aggressive guitar frenzy energy still within the ranks of true black metal. Forgotten Tomb do exactly what they want, and nobody could ask them to change a bit, then it would not the same.

 
 










Lars Bjørn


  
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Under Saturn Retrograde

(Agonia Records - 2011)



 
 

 

Forgotten Tomb is an Italian band that play a genre-defying form of depressive black metal. Under Saturn Retrograde is the fifth full-length from the band. What you will find on this disc is an eclectic mix of some melodic black metal with a heavy dose of goth rock and some doom influences.



Now this is not a bad thing. I'm hardly a fan of depressive black metal and so discovering this band was not typical of the sub-genre was a happy moment for me. The album is still full of melancholy feelings and these are brought out in some lovely melodic passages, such as that in Under Saturn Retrograde Part II. Classic doom elements and groovy riffs, such as those in Shutter, add some heaviness and 'headbangingness' to the album and brings to mind early Black Sabbath classics such as War Pigs. In Joyless Forgotten Tomb present an extreme form of Sisters Of Mercy style goth rock. Hell, there's even a cover of The Stooges' 1969 classic I Wanna Be Your Dog just to spice things up some more! This strange mix actually works quite well and when combined with the harsh vocals of Herr Morbid you have an album that should have a fairly wide cross-genre appeal.



I enjoyed this album far more than I thought I would. I found it engaging on the whole and would probably describe it as thinking-man's metal, if such a condescending term didn't make me feel nauseous. I found the album got better as it progressed and, although I wouldn't call it a classic or a must-buy album it is certainly worth giving a try.

 
 










Mike Thompson


  
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