Never say that you don’t get your money’s worth on Lazland. In the past week alone, you have had reviews of funk/soul, jazz/fusion, ambient instrumental, and a continental eclectic mix of trad prog, classic rock, and heavier prog. To this tonight can be added Italian Gothic Metal with From Darkness to Life by Noage, the project featuring a keyboardist very familiar to readers of this website (his solo debut, A New Beginning, shared “debut album of the year” in my 2023 awards), Massimo Pieretti; a vocalist with a tremendous set of pipes, Germana Noage who also provides the lyrics; Michele Raspanti on bass; Michele “El Diablo” Serra on guitars; and Daniele Zangara on drums (recently replaced by Andres Gualco).
Gothic metal is, in fact, a little bit of a simplistic description, as, of course, are so many labels when applied to bands. There is in here, in addition to crunching riffs, some deeply melodious music and clever progressive sensibilities. Fans of music from Dream Theater through to Nightwish, via Queensryche will find much to like here.
So, nine tracks which commence with a Darklife Prelude, Pieretti providing for some wonderfully cryptic keys accompanied by the dark life character calling on the victim to stop screaming, as “your blood tastes better in silence”. When you hear this, it is obvious that you are not getting a love album tiptoeing through the daisy fields, but a visit to the darker side of human nature full of nightmares and inner fears.
So, this segues into Monsters, which I have embedded below as your first listen. The keys soar, the guitars riff, the rhythm section crashes out the heart of the song, whilst Noage introduces herself with deathly chants before the vocals proper begin. The song races along in a track I believe is a bit more subtle than simple monsters, but an examination of something darker within when you take a close look at yourself in the mirror, the obverse of the lighter human nature within all of us. It is a cracking track, full of energy featuring the first of many killer guitar solos by Serra and a nice melodic burst following this before the core riffs reassert themselves.
Playground of the Dead follows. We get here the first real evidence of the progressive music which underpins the band, the soundscapes created by Pieretti and Serra at the beginning orchestral and these overlay the entire track, even when the heavier elements take precedence. The piano piece four minutes in is gorgeous, accompanied by a melodic bass guitar segment. Germana provides a huge range in her vocals, a track which I think deserves wide airplay. The video is below.
Build Your Heart has a great jazzy introduction which very much brings us back down for a musical breather after the pounding riffs which preceded it, with Germana demonstrating her range. I love the classic rock-tinged short guitar solo. This is a touching track, and well mixed with the vocal harmonies. Zangara has a bit of percussive fun at the end.
From Darkness to Life comes crashing in with drums and some hard riffs, overlaid by Pieretti’s synth and piano work. As the track progresses, it develops into something more operatic, with passages which will appeal to those who appreciate recent theatrical works such as Imaginaerium. The guitar riffs three minutes in lead a very tight band instrumental passage in another song I believe has a distinct personal element, perhaps coming out the other side of grief or breakup, darkness to (light) life.
Silent Breath is another theatrical piece, and it never lets up, a cracking rock track with classic riffs underpinned by a solid rhythm section. Single length and a track which you would hope would gain some traction on commercial rock stations such as Planet Rock frequented by the likes of Halen, Cooper, et al. It is embedded below.
Never Too Late features as a guest Kate Nord, who so impressed on Pieretti’s solo album, and her voice here combines with the main protagonist so well. This is my favourite track on the LP, full of mystery, Gypsy wonderings, theatrical opera, bleeding with emotion, and featuring a guitar solo which will rank amongst this website’s favourites in 2024. It is embedded below and is worth the entrance price on its own.
The penultimate track is Superhero and features guitarist Francesco Mattei from fellow Italian Prog Metal outfit, Noveria. Soaring, symphonic, with heavy pulsing riffs and some fine vocals addressing the subject with no little passion and feeling. The instrumental passage just over three minutes in is pure class, a gorgeous mix of symphonic and heavy rock. Terrific stuff.
We close with (parental advisory note, kids) Fuck this World. Quite frankly, given the almost endless slew of dark news and cataclysmic potential we see and hear daily, fuck them, fuck them all, is a statement I concur with absolutely. It is five minutes of hard, angry rock, with some stunning panoramic keyboard work over the action. Let it out by listening to the embedded track. Rollocking and very good.
The album is released by the Revalve Records label, and you can listen to it, and part with your hard earned, at https://revalverecords.bandcamp.com/album/from-darkness-to-life It’s a very good album which is recommended.