Dawn of a Dark Age - 2023 - Transumanza [mini-review]

(43:44; My Kingdom Music)

Italian band Dawn of a Dark Age are out with the album "Transumanza", and I suspect progressive metal is the best designation for the landscapes explored on this production. It is an extreme variety of the form we get here, albeit one that also looks back in time to incorporate some very different elements. The more intense passages here are toned down a bit in the disruptive department, although we get hectic rhythms, a quick pace and distorted lead vocals here as expected. The songs will just about as often have more of a traditional heavy metal expression however, only retaining the distorted vocals as the extreme feature for those parts. But it is the liberal inclusion of ancient folk music passages and what I'd describe as reed-driven chamber music interludes that is the distinct progressive element here. With classical acoustic guitar and female vocals that provide singing in what I'd describe as more of a classical inspired delivery that adds a very different dimension to these landscapes, with some of these elements also used in the metal oriented parts of this production. At times with perhaps a little bit of a jazz flow too, although my impression is that folk music and classical music are more important elements than the jazz metal the PR blurb use to describe the music on this album. Hence if you enjoy extreme metal, ancient folk music and a few different variations of classical music, possibly with a bit of jazz too, mixed together in some striking and distinct sounding constructions, then this is an album that should be worth your listening time.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, December 2023

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/dawnofadarkage/
http://mykingdommusic.net/