There is Avant Garde and then there is true Avant Garde where conventions, genres and preconceived notions do not apply. Italian Vittorio Sabelli is an accomplished jazz musician, and his clarinet work is prominent in his music. Dawn of a Dark Age is also pure Iconoclast Black Metal with its fury untempered, Transumanza is the eighth release in a varied journey that is as experimental as it is extreme.
Transumanza is not so much an album as it is a journey through the homelands with elements of folk and tradition combined with the modern fury of Black Metal and its bleak aggression. From the surprisingly mood ridden opening and the clarinet of ‘’ La scasata’’ where less is more it is calm and atmospheric. Compare it to the utter chaos of ‘’Il Gran Tratturo Magno’’ with its mania and jazz-infused piano (some of the time changes are incredible) it itself is tempered by the subtle beauty of the female led ‘’Cantico Tra Cielo E Mare’’ and its rich memorable vocal lines and instantly memorable acoustic melodies. Emanuele Prandoni’s vocals particularly shine throughout and make a great counterpoint to the harshness within ‘’ Preghiera pagana (dell’abbandono)’’ is the briefest of acoustic respites, whilst ‘’ Transumante’’ offers the more jazz-infused timing to an extreme black metal framework, the tremolo is frantic along with the percussion, with multiple timings and vocals happening all at once. It demands to be heard for the complex arrangement and at ten minutes it contains nearly every element and instrument at Vittorio’s formidable disposal.
Exciting, confusing, confounding, and incredible. At times you can feel the soft wind of a warm summer’s evening and yet the cold loneliness and darkness of midnight where the unmentionable inhabit. Wildly experimental Transumanza is an album that needs to be heard to be experienced and is a valuable addition to a prolific artist’s canon.
Dawn of a Dark Age: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: My Kingdom Music
Category: Album
Country: Italy
Reviewed by Sparky
