There appears to be a very healthy melodic death metal scene blossoming in Italy. Perhaps it has been there a while and I never really knew. Either way, ignorance is bliss, as I’m suddenly swimming in fantastic recent releases from the likes of Lahmia and Hell’s Guardian, with Meadows End also having an album not far off. Rome based five piece Black Therapy are also in the action, with their record Echoes of Dying Memories their third effort of the decade.
It’s interesting to see how Black Therapy’s sound has changed over the course of their three albums. Whilst their debut Symptoms of a Common Sickness was akin to the primitive, riff based melodeath of the early ‘90s, Echoes of Dying Memories is in the reserved style that uses the melodies as the focal point. The production and general atmosphere is not unlike the sort you’d hear on the likes of your average Omnium Gatherum or Mors Principium Est record, with a crystal clear mix and a warm, vibrant tone to the leads and harmonic interplay. The way many of these songs evolve can be traced back to one single melody, from which the rest of the music grows as this melodic thread slowly unravels. This ensures that, if nothing else, there is a sense of progression to every song as sections flow naturally from one to another.
Opener “Phoenix Rising” doesn’t live up to the spectacular billing its title may promise, but it is a suitable introduction that perfectly encapsulates much of what you’ll hear on the album. There’s a serenity to the melody as it sits atop triplet chugs, with new drummer Luca Marini ensuring things roll smoothly with his tasteful, sprightly fills. It’s not always easy to fit high octane drum work into mid paced songs, but he pulls it off with little fuss. Things never get too frenetic mind, and throughout the record, you always feel there’s a few more gears the band could push through, but they never opt to veer in that direction. The sole exception is the blasting rhythms in the bridge of “Burning Abyss”, a lively number that kicks things ups a notch after the sombre instrumental “The Winter of Your Suffering”. On occasion, they do sometimes lurch back in a slower direction, with the melancholic melodeath doom of the title track offering staccato riffs in amongst surges of speed, whilst the desolation of “Rejecting Me” tangles a lonely guitar motif with droning keys. “Scars” has a spring in its step that goes hand in hand with the positive lyrical theme, whereas closer “Ruins” mixes things up with some tasteful clean vocals; the bizarre, abrupt halt to the smouldering coda an underwhelming way of bringing the album to an end.
Echoes of Dying Memories is another good melodeath release in what has been a strong start to the year for the genre. Whilst I’d rate it slightly below the latest releases from the likes of Lahmia and Soilwork, there’s no doubting that fans who like a more pensive approach to the style will get a fair bit of mileage from this album.
Highlights: “Phoenix Rising”, “Rejecting Me”
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Echoes of Dying Memories is available on March 15th via Black Lion Records, and can be purchased here.
