Italy, as I have said before, is at the heart of the Death Metal scene at the moment. However, the type of Death Metal which comes out of this country is, more often than not, of the Technical variety. CREPUSCOLO, who formed in 1995, stand out like sore thumbs, then, as they specialise in some of the best Old School Death Metal, mainly in the Swedish style. Although the band is twenty years old, this is their first album, and it's a brilliant album on which to start their recording career.

Right from the start, this album is brilliant. "Black Winter Storm" literally bursts into life after a short opening sound bite of funereal rain. It's a really great track, driven by the ferocious drumming and powerful vocals. The second song, "Granite Old School", has, ideally enough, the perfect title to describe its sound; it has a very Old School sound and is as heavy as a rock. Next comes the best song on the album, "Brewing Blood", which is much slower and doomier than the first two songs, with some great guitar riffs which, to me, sounds like something that PARADISE LOST might have written if they had maintained their Death Metal roots. The title track is a decent, mid paced song with some good drumming and bass work.

There aren't too many songs on this record, which are what would be described as "filler". The worst tracks I can pick out are "Diabolic Revenge", "No Reason" and "I Saw You Dying", but to be fair, they are average at best, and aren't necessarily bad songs; they are merely bad when placed next to some of the work displayed on this album. Songs like "No Mercy For The Sinner" and "Essence of Pain" are great examples of the best this band has to offer. The first is a violent sounding, punk infused slab of Death Metal, which is really great. The other maintains some level of Old School sound, but goes for a more melodic, accessible approach, which works equally well. "The Lyricist" is the real stand out track on here; it opens and closes with some really great sounding acoustic guitar work, which is a sharp contrast to the extremely heavy guitars and bass, which makes up the bulk of the track. The guitar tone is harsh, just as Old School Death Metal guitar work should be. The final track on this album is a very good one, with some really thick, dirty sounding riffs, and it is the best song to use for closing this brilliant album.

When it is done right, Death Metal with an Old School sound can be really fantastic. And this is one of those albums, and one of those bands, which get this sound and style spot on. I personally can't wait to hear what this band has got coming next. This is highly recommended.<