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The Undergrave Experience - Macabre - Il Richiamo Delle Ombre review



Reviewer:
7.9

2 users:
7
Band: The Undergrave Experience
Album: Macabre - Il Richiamo Delle Ombre
Release date: November 2010


01. Mater Mortalis Tenebrarum
02. Zombie Graveyard Horizon (Ballata Mortale)

Italians in metal seem to have a propensity to go overboard. There is a certain band out there for whom the term "power metal" wasn't enough, so they hired famous actors to read spoken narratives and interludes and dubbed themselves the unfortunate title "Hollywood Metal." The Undergrave Experience are their evil twin, their vile doppelganger. Rhapsody in Hellfire, if you will.

Rather than go all "Quattro Formaggi" and dumping enough dairy into the mix to give lactose-intolerant listeners a fatal reaction, they opted for the more stripped down styling of horror movies. Specifically, classic Italian horror movies of years past... i.e. Dario Argento stuff.

Yes, I find it terribly amusing that two weeks and three reviews or so I made a remark about a band sounding as if they were trying to score a horror flick when I get an album that actually is an intentional marriage of a metal release and a horror movie score.

At their base, The Undergrave Experience are a typical funeral doom metal band. Y'all know what that means by now. Slooooooooow, heavily distorted riffs with accompanying drum beats so far between one another you can time them on a sun dial, melodic yet mournful leads, and subsonic growled vocals that sound more like something that should be playing in one of those "we like the cars, the cars that go boom" low-riding, drum-n-bass blaring trucks that set off all car alarms in the postal code with each beat rather than what should be coming through your puny, mortal speakers. Two songs, each nearly as long as a full grindcore release... and with 1/100000th the beats.

The horror movie marriage means lots of piano based interludes... they hammer a couple of the really low keys on the far left to set a somber mode, then a few higher notes on the far right side to creep you out. Toss in some synths. These passages go on long enough for half of the band to set down their instruments, go down a bottle of grappa, stagger back and resume playing.

And like their aforementioned counterparts, they even have spoken bits in this. Fortunately they eschewed aging, acting Britons (or worse, some dude with a Sylvester The Cat-esque speech impediment) to babble on about rocks and trees. Instead they have what basically sounds like some creepy prophecy, or even exorcism - the expelling demons sort, not the treadmill kind.

There are spots where perhaps the non-\m/ goes on for an aggravatingly long time, but then again, it is funeral doom and the time table for anything remotely bombastic or explosive is already slowed down to the speed of boredom. Either you dig it and endure it, or you just dump the tunes in your recycle bin.

I found it a bit of a grower, I liked it at first, and more so as I gave it repeated listens. Even then it has largely been background music. I listen while reading, typing away furiously at my pc, or while passing out after consuming enough grappa to put me in my undergrave.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 8
Production: 8





Written on 28.11.2011 by BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009.


Comments

Comments: 15   Visited by: 86 users
28.11.2011 - 20:00
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
I should've just stopped reading after the first paragraph. Funny review, and informative, but this is definitely not something I'd be interested in.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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28.11.2011 - 21:06
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Troy Killjoy on 28.11.2011 at 20:00

I should've just stopped reading after the first paragraph. Funny review, and informative, but this is definitely not something I'd be interested in.


I thought you liked funeral doom? Or am I mistaken?
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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28.11.2011 - 21:07
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Troy Killjoy on 28.11.2011 at 20:00

I should've just stopped reading after the first paragraph. Funny review, and informative, but this is definitely not something I'd be interested in.


Why? I found the first paragraph misleading because I thought it was going to be power metal or something. I'm interested in this funeral stuff with horror movies thing on it. Might sound nice.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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28.11.2011 - 21:10
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.11.2011 at 21:06
I thought you liked funeral doom? Or am I mistaken?

The piano interludes and spoken word parts mentioned don't immediately make me want to listen to this. I like funeral doom, but that doesn't mean I look into every release blindly.
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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28.11.2011 - 21:12
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Troy Killjoy on 28.11.2011 at 21:10
but that doesn't mean I look into every release blindly.


I dunno man, I think this might be interesting at the very least. Worth check it out just for that.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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28.11.2011 - 21:15
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Troy Killjoy on 28.11.2011 at 21:10

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.11.2011 at 21:06
I thought you liked funeral doom? Or am I mistaken?

The piano interludes and spoken word parts mentioned don't immediately make me want to listen to this. I like funeral doom, but that doesn't mean I look into every release blindly.


those interludes and such are restricted to a minimum and this release is actually quite good, although I rated it half a point lower. At least it's not soppy beautiful funeral doom which is currently flooding the market from Russia and such. This is no funeral doom for beginners unlike Shape Of Despair (though very nice), EA, Collosseum and such.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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28.11.2011 - 21:16
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by X-Ray Rod on 28.11.2011 at 21:12
I dunno man, I think this might be interesting at the very least. Worth check it out just for that.

Chances are I'll get around to it at some point, but I'm definitely in no rush to hear it.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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28.11.2011 - 21:20
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
But I am still fo the opinion the band should be shot for its totally stupid band name and album title. who in his right mind would call their album Macabre - Il Richiamo Delle Ombre: An Italian Horror Tragedy and a song Zombie Graveyard Horizon (Ballata Mortale)?
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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28.11.2011 - 21:47
Rating: 8
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
The interlude/spoken bits are done in creepy latin (i assume, not Italian, though not sure) and there still is music attached ...

i was initially going to score the album lower, but it grew on me a tad as i listened to it repeatedly while working out the review.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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28.11.2011 - 21:56
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by BitterCOld on 28.11.2011 at 21:47

The interlude/spoken bits are done in creepy latin (i assume, not Italian, though not sure) and there still is music attached ...


Latin and Italian is used there.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

Loading...
29.11.2011 - 00:06
Darkside Momo
Retired
I must say that I'm quite curious...
----
My Author's Blog (in French)


"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you"

"I've lost too many years now
I'm stealing back my soul
I am awake"
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29.11.2011 - 00:38
Merchant of Doom

Good stuff... I think the horror connotation is mentioned far too much... it's not the predominant aspect here. Definitely worth listening to it, although I found it a bit "dry" and lightweight on the long run. As far as I remember, the spoken words are in Italian (and I should know... ). Will give it a listen again tomorrow.
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29.11.2011 - 00:50
Rating: 8
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
The horror bit is mentioned with some weight as it is largely what differentiates the band from a slew of others. funeral doom is funeral doom... do i need to spend 400 words talking about that aspect of the music, then only a few on what makes them stand out?
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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29.11.2011 - 12:52
Merchant of Doom

I still think the horror theme in this is minimal... BTW, the lyrics are in English, Italian and Latin...
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01.12.2011 - 06:47
Slinky666
Account deleted
This album is not bad and I will give it my dollar.
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