Italy. An astonishing haven for all sorts of metal shenanigans found up and down the famous boot-shaped peninsula. The RMR crew found a full-blown panoply of metal delights, out of which Power and Symphonic Metal grab themselves an important chunk.
Around 15% of all Italian records covered since the zine’s inception wander about these two genres. Put differently, Power Metal has become one of the main staples of Italy’s cheesiest metal soundscapes. And RMR stepped right into it. Gunk or geekery? We might need some Artifex to pull ourselves out of this.
Ancient Bards‘ 2019 piece Origine didn’t quite sync with us. The record was just too flat and full of way too many stereotypes to break into one of our busiest seasons of this zine. In truth, after some six years or so, the RMR crew almost forgot about them. But then, Artifex‘s eye-catching fantasy album cover got our attention. So, here we’re back in cheese-laden storylines full of synth-heavy vibes and out-of-control choirs. Let Zeus’ darkly throated voice lead you into a land of mystique, evil spells, and valiant knights. But – did we not already visit here before? Quests and swordplay, as I remember.
And Artifex just confirmed it. The stereotypes remain this band’s main staple. A 42-piece choir and an untold number of guest contributors wallow deep in mystical fantasy lore to support the – and I quote – “…divine lead vocalist Sara Squadrani.” Divine, huh? Last time I checked, Ancient Bards hailed from Rimini, which is somewhat removed from the Vatican. But there’s more. The mean listener should expect “…a true collector’s item…” that will proceed “…arm in arm with the spiritual level of Arjen Lucassen’s legendary Ayreon project.” Wow. Apparently, to fend off the obnoxious stench of anything related to AI-generated music.
Sigh.
That’s quite a mission statement, by Jove and his celestial friends. Artifex here indeed contains a body of work with energy to spare. After the questionable and unsurprising intro cover, a choir-driven brand of fast-moving mix of Power and Symphonic Metal takes center stage. You’ll get some typical fare along the lines of Temperance and Moonlight Haze that will, however, never quite reach the lofty heights other bands of similar ilk climbed to lately. Squadrani‘s truly impressive pipes would indeed fit right into any of these Italian bands. And she can do the full monty, from soaring screams to soft crooning, without one note out of line. And all of that comes with well-placed growls and those queasy male choruses that suddenly appear from nowhere.
Artifex truly gorges with sprawling soundscapes and cathedral orchestrations, with a ton of variation to break up the pace some. Lest the act suddenly descend into the screamo, fast-paced Power Metal trap other bands already shipwrecked on. And the piece won’t offer pure PM only. Often, Ancient Bards aggressively peddle Disney-infected cinematic tropes that would sit well on any one of them planet-filled space movie concoctions. Such as the intro into The Vessel that made us look over our shoulders to check on Yoda. Or take Empty Echoes, which sounds like some intro into the next Avatar franchise piece.
On the downside, the record always contains too much of, well, everything. Good energy levels and advanced songwriting chops won’t mean you should stretch things out to no end. Artifex‘s tendency to circle the wagons all over again for ages turns a basically good record into a tedious listening effort. And that truly is a pity. Furthermore, the riffing and guitar-bound leads often seem to go missing in blatant favoritism of choir and keys. And that’s a deep hole other established Symphonic Metal bands already fell into. Even if the solos often erred on the juicy side. Such as the one saving the scrawny bacon of the bloodless Soulbound Symphony.
So, where does that leave us? Artifex could be a great movie score record. If only the band would have shown restraint once arranging the damned thing. The extensive 63-minute playtime acts as the piece’s very own enemy. Instead of cutting things down to a mean-paced Power Metal monster, the band opted to fill the empty spaces with stereotypes. Passages we already heard somewhere in a slightly different form. And that lets this record sink back into the gooey swamp it tried to emerge from. Trying to be on par with Ayeron is a difficult thing. And here we’re not quite there yet.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Limb Music | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 25 April 2025