Here we have the debut album from this Italian duo. It is comprised of Misanthrope (vocals & lyrics) and Valker (guitar, bass & music). They also recruited a session drummer by the name of Dark Shadow. The latter is a member of Streben, just like Valker.
The music on this release has been recorded in Cold Empire's home studio. This result in a somewhat raw, but still very good, sound production work mind you. From the Ashes of the Empire is a 38 minutes disc of raw black metal. Nothing new is being proposed here and a generic vibe is present. The compositions are simple, repetitive and last between five and six minutes. Even with their generic side, the tunes remain interesting. The pace is mostly in the furious style; the vocals have a wicked ghostly edge and the tremolo picking leads are bathing in distortion. Pretty usual and typical old school black metal as such, but the boys did it with soul and conviction, so this doesn't feel like a copycat act. You can also hear some keyboards or electronics in a couple places. The tracks manage to stay melodic and usually they are pleasant to listen. My overall favorite song is called: "Nocturnal Sea". It has a nice mixture of furiousness, melody and comes with juicy riffs. I should put in a good word for "Wasteland" and " Forest of Hate".
Perhaps not on my best of 2010 list, still a good kicking/melodious Italian piece of black metal.
Track listing:
1. Wasteland
2. Nocturnal Sea
3. Towards the Eternal Silence
4. Of Woods and Trees
5. Storms will rise
6. Forest of Hate
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