THE DARK PRESENCE

Nice symphonic slice of Italian icy folk metal. More symphonic than folk. More folk than metal. David Del Fabro composed the entire Dark Presence. Fabro's singular vision bubbles through a smooth production, a piano dynamo, and devilish guitars. Lyrics reveal a tragic hero questioning his accent into a religious icon.

Beatrice Demori's breathy sultry vocals salt and diversify the instrumentation. Michele Guaitoli's vocals vacillate between menacing and narrative. The Dark Presence is definitely a night album under a dry Mediterranean sky, wettened with honeyed keyboards, howling winds, and intermittent thunderstorms... dramatic in intensity. Impressive debut. Totally worth several listens.

I'm awarding The Dark Presence three stars for the same reason I keep bestowing three stars on Neal Morse albums. The singularity of Fabro's vision saturates the album. The velvet, honeyed production dulls jagged chainsaw guitar solos, drowning the sonic landscape...if you know what I mean. I encourage lovers of romantic, dramatic neo, symphonic prog to indulge. Many will find more to love than I.