In the beginning of the 90's, when the Second Wave of Black Metal started to show its talons to the world, the contribution of BURZUM to the musical genre was the introduction of keyboards to create dark ambiences in the middle of the grimness of the music. EMPEROR helped to expand the limits, and many others came to build what we can call Atmospheric Black Metal, where slow tempos and melancholic melodies supports the funereal feeling. And one good name in the middle of many that follow this path is the Italian one-man band AMATASTER that is reissuing their first work, the EP "Frammenti".

It's an aggressive and melancholic form of Black Metal, with funereal slow tempos (but there are fast moments in the same way from SWOBM) and with a bitter taste filling the songs. The band shows a very good energy and personality on "Frammenti", what points to a good future, even being now an excellent work, with a simple and efficient technical work in each instrument. The sound quality on this EP is very good, because it bounded together the raw instrumental tunes (essential for Black Metal bands that works near the roots of the genre), but the production was guided by the vision that anyone that listen to "Frammenti" must understand what is being played and what the band stands for. It could be better but is fine in the way it is.

On the four songs of the EP (a bonus that wasn't presented on the digital version) are all very good, making the experience of hearing it a good time. "L'anima è in Fiamme" is darkened and morbid, bearing a melancholic beauty created by the contrast of the guitars with the keyboards parts, and these are the same elements of the funereal "Perché?" as well (although some faster moments can be heard on this one). On "Dono Delle Ombre", the shrieked vocals are doing a fine work in the depressive instrumental parts (in the beginning there's a clean moment to create the right ambience for the song). And "A. T. the Heart" (the bonus track from the physical copies) has slow tempos, but even with somber melodies, it sounds a bit nastier than the previous songs.

For a young band that is barely one year old, AMASTASTER made a fine work, and their future really is promising. For now, hear "Frammenti" and let yourself be drowned by the band's musical enchantments.