Band:	Tal'Set
Album:	La via del guerriero
Style:	Avantgarde metal
Release date:	April 2012
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Il vecchio alla stazione
02. La via del guerriero
03. Intento
04. Mescal
05. Punto d'unione
06. Gli Atlantidi di Tula
07. Follia controllata
08. Fermare il Mondo
09. Fuoco dal profondo
10. Al di là dell'aquila
11. L'ultima danza

Excuse me for a moment while I completely lift a description from the band's label, ATMF: "Tal'Set's music embodies the spiritual and magical knowledge handed on through the teachings of ancient Mesoamerican shamans. Tal'Set's debut album is inspired by the enlightening books of Carlos Castaneda, who walked the path to total freedom suggested by the Toltec Legacy. In opposition to modern man's values, Tal'Set's approach is centered on the personal development of the individual, who can aim at higher levels of transcendence only by impeccably battling his fears and destroying the bonds with mediocrity."

Call me jaded, but that just sounds fucking pretentious guys.

Looks are deceiving though. Just watch this* if you don't believe me. And thankfully the music on this release keeps you interested well beyond the "pretentious" factor. Come to think of it, it's actually rather easy to ignore that whole back story and focus solely on the music.

Essentially La via del guerriero is a mix of various extreme metal styles (black and death being the most obvious) and ethereal ambient "shamanic crescendos". Tal'Set have quite an incredible range, bouncing back and forth between Behemoth and Nile while their more melodic moments hint at some Aeternam worship - not that these Italians are likely aware of such a band existing. In fact, it's hard to imagine these guys are even aware other bands exist at all. There's a strong sense of unawareness here, as if the band members are completely oblivious to what goes on around them. But that's how the music evokes such strong feelings of individuality and assertiveness within the listener, which is really what eliminates the need for labeling this pretentious in the first place.

Performance-wise these Italians can't do any wrong. They play a tight set and the songs flow together smoothly, instilling in the listener the same sense of self-dependency the warrior's path ultimately culminates in. There are several breaks between each "metal" song for "non-metal" interludes, which include anything from occult-esque whispers and chants to eerie and empowering foreign instrumental sections. It's not "fluffy" black metal by any means, but the focus is certainly set on enlightening the listener through positive reinforcement as opposed to "opening the eyes of the blind" with Satanic imagery and practicing self-mutilation typified by the majority of the modern black metal scene.

It would seem black metal is yet again travelling in another direction, and Tal'Set are prepared to lead the journey into new territory.

* feminist trigger warning