Band:	Movimento D'Avanguardia Ermetico
Album:	Torri Del Silenzio
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	September 23, 2015
A review by:	Windrider

01. La Caduta
02. Risonanza Originaria Del Tremendo
03. La Cresta Verso Grauhaupt
04. Sorge La Stele E L'Enigma
05. Torri Del Silenzio

People that have read other reviews of mine won't be surprised to know that today's band plays an atmospheric style of black metal, combined with some post metal attitude. Movimento D'Avanguardia Ermetico - a name worth memorizing. Or not? I can say for myself that their music stays longer in my head than their band name. But yes, they're not the first to chose a difficult name. As it might suggest, this band is from Italy and they have been around for a solid decade now, most of the time unnoticed by the majority of non-Italian metalheads. However, with their new album Torri Del Silenzio, it is about time for them to have their music appreciated by a broader fan base.

The first and most important question for unknown bands is always: whom do they sound like? Names like ColdWorld, Thränenkind and Der Weg Einer Freiheit come to my mind, sometimes paired with doom influence and repetitive song structures like in Darkthrone or even Moonsorrow. But as always, there rarely are cover bands in metal and therefore these Italians, too, have their own approach to black metal. Right after the intro track "La Caduta" which features some clean spoken vocals, the stage is set within the first seconds of "Risonanza Originaria Del Tremendo", as atmospheric and blast beat driven riffs come up.

A huge plus surely are the vocals throughout the whole album. They first got me like "wow!" and still continue to amaze me for their clearness and the accurate accentuation. While Italian is normally a soft and nicely flowing language, vocalist R.I. makes it sound like he masters a blend of Finnish and Arabic. At slower parts also a deep voice is shown like in funeral doom bands, which is a nice feature but I rather enjoy his black metal style that is more unique. The drums serve as a solid rhythmic foundation as they drive the songs along with a very natural and warm sound. Riffs are best described by the bands mentioned above and are always on the edge from atmospheric to melodic. Acoustic strumming and some minor synthesized parts make for a good mixture which doesn't become boring even after multiple listens.

This is again an album highly recommended for almost sleeping in bed with eyes closed, and that is of course not a negative feature but a compliment. It will not fit everyone's taste as some might guess from the comparisons to other bands, but people who know how to appreciate this particular style will definitely have a good listen and won't regret the purchase.