Ponte del Diavolo - Fire Blades From the Tomb (2024)^{Release ID: 50410}

Following a trio of EP's, none of which I have heard yet to be honest, Fire Blades from the Tomb marks the debut full-length from Turin gothic metallers, Ponte del Diavolo (which translates as The Devil's Bridge). I must admit I have been blindsided somewhat by this, as I have been continually slipping it to the bottom of my "to-listen" pile, for no reason other than I knew nothing about the band But that was a major miscalculation on my behalf because this is a really interesting listen and reminds me a little of Belgium's Messa in that the band seem to be trying to break out from genre conformity and produce something less predictable, yet still completely listenable. They aren't quite as genre-bending or progressive as Messa, however, with the majority of the tracks here on Fire Blades From the Tomb being assembled from recognisable gothic and black metal components. The gothic elements are the most prevalent, particularly the vocals provided by Erba del Diavolo (real name Elena Camusso) who's vocal style is very reminiscent of The Banshees' Siouxsie Sioux (who is a particular favourite of mine) and the, for want of a better word, "twangy" quality to the guitar sound. It is the black metal elements that make themselves initially known, however, with opener "Demone" launching out of the blocks with a pummellng blastbeat, tremolo riff and a decidedly punky feel. The track then alternates between these punky black metal and lumbering doom-laden slower sections with Erba's soaring vocals tying it all together.

Fire Blades From the Tomb sees the band displaying a nice variation in their songwriting, though, as second track, "Covenant", has a decidedly more post-punk gothic feeling to it with Erba turning in a great performance from demented-sounding shouts to ethereal croons, the track even ends with an always weird-sounding theremin providing a 1950's sci-fi retro feel. Next up "Red as the Sex of She Who Lives in Death" is a brooding doomy gothic piece with Erba providing a powerful and strong vocal that is many miles away from the ethereal and washed-out vocal style often assosciated with female singers in gothic metal, the track's sinister atmosphere reinforced by the clarinet of guest musician Vittorio Sabelli (Dawn of a Dark Age) who actually features on three of the album's seven tracks. If further proof of the band's determination to expand their songwriting is needed, "La Razza" begins with an intro that sounds decidedly like classic space rock before exploding into blastbeat and tremolo riffing territory for a slab of blackened gothica.

I don't intend to do a track-by-track analysis, but merely cover the first four tracks in order to illustrate the variations in the material on offer here. Each of the tracks is sufficiently interesting, well-written and performed to stand on their own, but the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts, with the occult atmosphere building up over the course of the album, whether through brooding ruminations, ritualistic exhortations, haunting lamentations or outright vitriolic outbursts of violence. Fire Blades From the Tomb is well-written, expertly performed and quite ambitious in scope. It's ability to weave together a variety of styles into a coherent whole and maintain a consistent atmosphere is admirable and mark Ponte del Diavolo as a band to keep a close eye on in the future. As if that wasn't enough reson to check this out, in Erba del Diavolo they have a bona fide gothic metal star and a vocalist with a talent and versatility that elevates the music around her to another level. If you love dark, brooding, occult metal then I couldn't recommend this higher.

A successful discovery from this month’s The Fallen playlist, Ponte del Diavolo grabbed my attention with the strong and commanding intro to the featured track, Covenant.  With their dark wave style, female vocals and their Messa-esque tones I was intrigued more or less from the off.  Hailing from Italy and seemingly some sort of supergroup (albeit from three bands I have never heard of), the band like to incorporate elements of black metal into their sound as well.  Whilst Covenant is most definitely the strongest track on their seven track, Season of Mist debut release, there is still a lot to enjoy overall for the patient listener.

First off, the instruments that are used go beyond simple drum, guitar, bass and vocals.  Synthesisers, a theremin and a clarinet all make an appearance on different tracks and each inclusion adds dimension to the album.  There is mention on the internet that the band deploys two bassists but as far as I can see this was only on their debut EP Mystery of Mystery back in 2020 so there’s definitely only one bassist present for Fire Blades From the Tomb.  There is also a cool post-punk vibe to the record as well and Elba del Diavolo’s voice lends itself perfectly to this style of music.  Those black elements are sparse yet effective when they are engaged and the album is underpinned in the main by a solid group performance of occult doom metal.

It is not without flaws as a record however.  The Nick Cave cover is done well, but I have no time for anything Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have ever done so it is an unfortunate choice in terms of my review.  Whilst most tracks have memorability, there are elements of filler where this memorability is for the wrong reasons.  Repetitive lyrics and clumsy arrangements can plague the likes of Nocturnal Veil for example and I cannot honestly remember anything about Zero other than some guest male vocals.  This is still a strong debut though and one that will get the band further notoriety I am sure with SoM behind them now.  Definitely one to watch.