Italian Metal

Amalekim – Shir Hashirim [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom on December 23, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 40 comments

“You may be wondering what on earth I am doing willingly touching a black metal album, let alone complimenting one. Well, you know what they say: never let them know your next move. Mysterious Polish-Italian collective Amalekim garnered praise in these hallowed halls with their 2023 release Avodah Zarah, our own Thus Spoke calling it a highlight during a weaker year for the genre. Naturally, I disliked the album, which tends to be a good sign for the average black metal fan. I was nevertheless surprised to see Shir Hashirim released to little fanfare or label promotion after such a positive reception 18 months prior.” Pole vaulting.

Bianca – Bianca [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Kenstrosity on November 25, 2025 in Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 49 comments

“Italian semi-super group Bianca, comprised of members from Patristic and Hideous Divinity, stole my attention when their debut self-titled LP dropped at the tail end of October. Stricken by its beauty and flattened by its sheer heft, Bianca impressed me so much that for a good two weeks, it was all I wanted to talk about.” October crushes.

Strigiform – Aconite Review

By Samguineous Maximus on November 19, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, 63 comments

“Sometimes, you catch a glint from deep within the festering promo heap and you know exactly what kind of beast you’re about to prod. Strigiform’s debut, Aconite, radiates the unmistakable stench of “I, Voidhanger-core”—that wonderfully cursed strain of aural decimation that critics slobber over while normal metalheads back away slowly, usually on smaller wierdo labels like I, Voidhanger or Transcending Obscurity. Think along the lines of AMG darlings from this year like Hexrot, Patristic and Ritual Ascension.” Voidbanger.

Christiano Filippini’s Flames of Heaven – Symphony of the Universe Review

By Twelve on November 17, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 18 comments

“Choosing new music to review is an interesting process. Once you pick a thing, you’re pretty much locked into it. So I try to forecast: what will I be okay with listening to over and over again for the next week or two? Having just reviewed Lykke, I was very much in the mood for something more upbeat, and I didn’t have to read far past the band name Christiano Filippini’s Flames of Heaven to know Symphony of the Universe fit the bill. Indeed, when I requested the files for review, Dolphin Whisperer, overheard the request. “Is that Italian power metal?” he asked. “It sounds like Italian power metal.” “I didn’t check,” I answered. “But yes.” We were right.” Most don’t expect the Italian inquisition.

Novembre – Words of Indigo Review

By Owlswald on November 6, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 39 comments

“Melancholic is the word that best describes the atmospheric sound of Italy’s Novembre. Existing in the dark corners of doom and death metal since their origins as Catacomb in 1990, the group—spearheaded by brothers Carmelo and Giuseppe Orlando—adopted the name Novembre in 1993, spending over three decades fusing their emotive sound of metal aggression and classical composure. Despite being largely underrated, their output includes the acclaimed cornerstone, Novembrine Waltz (2001), and the progressively leaning Materia (2006) and The Blue (2007).” Novembre-coming fire.

Elettra Storm – Evertale Review

By ClarkKent on October 26, 2025 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Power Metal, 15 comments

“Italy has a well-established power metal scene, particularly the ostentatious Rhapsody of Fire and the dazzling Frozen Crown. Looking to make a foothold in this scene is Elettra Storm with the release of their sophomore album, Evertale. While it may look like a strange word for those not fluent in Italian, Elettra comes from the Greek mythological figure, Electra/Elektra. It also serves as a root word for electricity, which helps explain both the odd-sounding band name and the storm surrounding the head of the woman on the cover. This quintet isn’t looking to reinvent the cheese wheel; they just want to write some catchy songs and give their lead singer, Crystal Emiliani, a chance to show off her pipes. Do they have that spark to set the power metal world on fire?” Tales of cheese and wonders.

Void of Sleep – The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare Review

By Saunders on October 18, 2025 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 6 comments

“Italy’s progressive sludge toilers Void of Sleep unleashed an impressive debut courtesy of 2012’s gripping Tales Between Reality and Madness, dropped a less impressive sophomore album in 2015’s New World Order, before returning to form on the darker progressive explorations of 2020’s Metaphora. Perhaps not helped by a sluggishly sporadic pattern of recorded material, Void of Sleep’s bright talents remain hidden in obscurity, ensuring a low profile. Which is a damn shame, as their albums offer plenty, especially the debut and Metaphora. Out of the blue, Void of Sleep re-emerge for the first time in over five years, locked and loaded with their wordily titled fourth album, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare.” I, void sleeper.

Harvest — For the Souls We Have Lost Review

By Creeping Ivy on October 14, 2025 in Reviews, Death Doom, Doom Metal, 16 comments

“Since nostalgia drives the creation and consumption of so much contemporary metal, metalheads might be interested in its etymology. A borrowing from post-classical Latin that combines the ancient Greek νόστος (‘return home’) and ‑αλγία (‘pain’), ‘nostalgia’ meant something like a pathologized homesickness when it came into English usage in the eighteenth century. So if you’re nostalgic for, say, the gothic doom metal of the 1990s, then 90s gothic doom is your musical home, your longing for this home rises to the level of a physical ailment, and Harvest may have the cure. A new Italian quintet, Harvest describes itself as an earnest tribute to bands like My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Katatonia.” Peaceville to the world.

Warcoe – Upon Tall Thrones Review

By Spicie Forrest on September 29, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 12 comments

“Certain decades and locations have a unique and instantly recognizable sound, like 90s hip hop, Florida death metal, 70s rock, etc. But such subgenres—at least for metal—are no longer regionally or temporally exclusive. There are American bands that play Swedeath and 2010s bands that play 80s thrash. In this postmodern era, iconic sounds of time and place are constantly worshipped, reimagined, and repurposed by new bands for a contemporary global audience. Warcoe is one such band. When I first heard the vintage doomsters, I thought them from the 70s or 80s, but they formed in Pesaro, Italy in 2021.” Out of time and place.

Blutsauger – Nocturnal Blood Tyrants

By Alekhines Gun on August 29, 2025 in Reviews, 48 comments

“Raw black metal is a tricky proposition. There’s an extremely thin line to walk between production choices designed to add mood and atmosphere to compositions via a wall of auditory fog and production choices that sound like someone threw their equipment down….wait, haven’t we done this already? We sure have, and boy oh boy have we landed on the opposite side of the coin. While Italy is most known for its symphonic (Fleshgod Apocolypse) and tech death (Hour of Penance) scenes, its black metal collective is also alive and well, doing their own thing in their dark corner of the world. Today’s offering is the debut release by duo Blutsauger (German for “Bloodsucker”), coming hot off the heels of sole demo Path of the Bleeding Dead.” MidsommerBlut.