I am going to make a bold statement. Those who don’t fancy Myrkur1 and her metal machinations won’t appreciate Dawn of a Dark Age. The RMR reviewers just came across a band so out-of-the-box that the famous crate already disappeared in the haze somewhere. An outfit that has put the term ‘pig-headed’ to shame – and then added a few layers to the meaning of genre fusion.
Case in point, the critiques about the band’s past works I was able to find range from overflowing exuberance to – mainly – darkly ominous mutterings about abject noise pollution. In other words, the band around Vittorio Sabelli really managed to get under the skin of many an avid and genre-loving metalhead. And for cause, the band’s offering is so far off the beaten path. A statement not without its irony. This new record literally speaks of herds of sheep being driven about the Italian countryside. Sheepy shenanigans out in the Southern wild? Hide the lupare, ancient daemons are about.
Now, Transumanza adds yet another layer of special musings to an already varied discography of very special songwriting. The record sports a more traditional tracklist away from the last couple of albums that contained two giant songs each. And that is a good thing. Writing epic tracks takes a lot of skill, lest you start wearing out your listeners. And in truth, that may not have been Dawn of a Dark Age‘s forte in the past.
The record starts with Sabelli‘s cranky vox setting the stage. An ominous description of a tradition that means to drive large herds of farm animals up and down the mountains. And already some acoustic guitar licks appear that, together with the haunted clarinet, both adding some sort of a portentous air to the record. A theme that will find a few recalls throughout the piece.
And soon after, the full spectrum of DoaDA‘s offering becomes apparent. Alessandra Santovito‘s often angelic vocals suddenly get displaced by vile scratchy Black Metal. Check out the transition between Preghiera Pagana (dell’Abbandono) and Il Gran Tratturo Magno. Bursts of Dark Folk make way for jazzy conversations of the clarinet with other folk instruments – ancient and modern. To the point that we suddenly found ourselves again in the soundtrack of the daemonic movie ‘The Ninth Gate’ (Transumante).2 In other words, classical instruments can be used to drum up a sense of dread.
And then, all of that funky jazz disintegrates into spots of relaxed groove and excursions into some sort of prog. Also, Transumanza uses similar techniques and instrumentation that Kanseil employed in their description of the Germanic customs of the Veneto. The harsh parts of Extreme Metal often reminded me of early Rotting Christ and other masters of pvre Black Metal. The frequent recalls of a recurring theme – the acoustic lick in Cantico Tra Cielo E Mare and La Scasata for instance – add the necessary spice into an already sufficiently potent production. That said, the abrupt changes from one style to another may come across as disruptive and somewhat helter-skelter.
And all this often slightly unhinged concoction made some strange sense to yours truly. I sat with the local contadini amid their fields at local events that no tourist ever visits – or is indeed invited to. And I listened to their stories – old and new. This record perfectly encompasses this sentiment of an almost primeval understanding of lore and history handed down through the millennia. From an ever-mystical landscape where the old demons and wilde beasts are never far away.
But let’s put a tent around that devious circus. It takes a special kind of chutzpa to write a piece so off the beaten track that you absolutely will encounter some strange sheep and even stranger shepherds. Transumanza perfectly gets you the vibes of an age-old activity full of tradition. A sound and feel of the archaic, secretive wisdom and ancient malevolence that dwells in the equally old Italian countryside.
Ed’s note: Need more sturdy Italian fare? Try Hesperia for a change.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: My Kingdom Music | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 8 December 2023