I've decided that you should all check out Arcana Opera, an underground metal band from Italy.
Why? because they're damn awesome, that's why! At worst, I'll just have made a post on a forum. At best, I'll have spread on the other side of the ocean their music : )
Which kind of music? well, I know the songs inside out and even I have a hard time describing them. Their site qualifies their music as having gothic and dark influences, with sparkles of folk throughout, but don't think about Therion or Nightwish or Eluveitie, no... think of a total different animal, surely dark in tones and lyrics but with a unique atmosphere, outside of the cliches of power or folk metal.
The lyrics are in italian and are extremely cared for, they're not an afterthought but a dominant part of the song, and they probably look hard to decipher even for a mothertongue, ha! the music has many facets as well so it's best that I let some music do the talking.
So, if you want one of the most straightforward and catchy tunes, sung entirely in latin and with an addictive chorus, check their namesake song Arcana Opera, especially if you like Rhapsody:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCM0rE6utkwIf you want to hear some "progressive" stuff, as in "long song with time changes", definitively go for their opus Caffè Marco Polo, a trip to the far east and back through mellower movements and fast passages with aggressive vocals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNbV15NzL2UIf you want a more delicate piece, one that could almost recall some Awake / Train of Thought Dream Theater vibe (save for the layered vocals) because of the interlude of the piano intro / outro and heavy charge of music in between, go for the dark story of Tamara e il Serpente:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie1LqtKBjdQAnd if you want another anthem, heavy and fast with a massively gorgeous chorus, go for Quetzacoatl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39mW8IgBHrAAh damn, I'll just go for another song, heavy but melodic, with a long intro that would not be out of place on the earlier Symphony X albums, a song against violence on women, Il Letto Rosso:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_aHR4gOBjI (The actual song starts after a minute or so of the weird intro)
For the rest, the full albums are on YouTube and Spotify.
The first album is named after the singer, the mastermind, so it goes by Alexander Wyrd (the singer) - Arcana Opera (the album title); the second album was a more collaborative effort, and so Arcana Opera became the name of the band, with the album aptly called De Noir. First one is very dark and gothic, with a lot of slow movements, the second is slightly heavier and also with very occasional and to the point use of harsh vocals (no growl).
https://open.spotify.com/album/5XjkZKmNewPlV5QZBAUnpg (Alexander Wyrd's Arcana Opera)
https://open.spotify.com/album/3Ac0F0U6d8kg28n5k5VNiu (Arcana Opera - De Noir)
So, I don't know if I was able to make a proper introduction for a band very difficult to describe, but if you're intrigued, give a chance to this dark, esoteric and hidden gem coming from north east Italy!
Topic: Arcana Opera. Dark awesomeness from Italy. (Read 506 times)