So we have an Italian black metal that was put together in 1996, there were five members in the original lineup, as we have G. PRINCIPE C. on vocals, two guitarists who are BRUNO VILLANI accompanied by FRANCESCO GALANO, on bass guitar we have FRANCESO PALUMBO and finally on drums is ROSARIO MEMOLI. After their formation in 1996, they released a demo titled ANGEL'S TWILIGHT ODES in the following year in 1997 and then an EP came in 2000 as the millennium was marked by this EP release titled ETRA. However it is not clear as to whether the band are currently active and I guess we won't know until there is another release or an official statement by them on their social media.

What we can be certain of is that this band were once described and seen as 'the ultimate inner refuge of our soul, in which the torment is sweetly soothed and enshrouded by a lunar aura, shining in her darkness, alive in her non existence, but mystically ethereal'. So this is what the band are all about and now that their demo release has now been reissued this year in March, it is something to be optimistic about as ANGEL'S TWILIGHT ODES begins with "Antra" as we hear lovely guitar quietly playing a melody. The narrator is speaking in Italian as the guitar continues to play beautifully, not the introduction I expected but we can now move onto the next track which is "My Velvet Dusk".

The second track blares out a loud electrifying guitar line as a starting point for vocals to scream out its jealous rage, drums also come into the playing field as they play at an average set tempo that has its leaps in rhythm. Vocals are just spitting blood and they are competing against the guitars or drums to take the lead, even we hear backing vocals also in there silent as they go for a short time then allow lead vocals back in. Guitar is in a continuous pattern and then slows down as drums also bring the tempo down a small bit, with creative fills as guitar has its own solo parts then goes back to the dark and monotonous tone it had before.

"The Wait..." kicks in with cymbal hits and black metal guitar with that mellow tone it has had now from before, drums focus but prolong each hit or cymbal, as we hear a more psychedelic or progressive sound this time around. Guitar holds or sustains more on every note it plays in the intro of this track, vocals do what they must however they are not as dominant as the previous track so far at least. Drums pick up the pace with slightly faster beats, but electric guitar gets another opportunity to play alone, as the narrator speaks over this segment. We can hear bass guitar as well, before we go back to the full band unison, which becomes more deadly as the track goes on with heavier and faster rhythms on all instruments.

A soundscape of very interesting sound effects with electric guitar and bass guitar is here and really blends well together, with cymbal hits as well. Rain as it turns out pouring down as the tempo is slower again then back to the band uniting as one for a different time structure to end the track. "Benighted Embrace" comes in after we heard more rain sound effects from the previous track, now a howling whisper stirs in the darkness, with mellow guitar playing. This is also the longest track as it clocks in at ten minutes however it starts off positively as the band has done so far. The atmosphere is a lot calmer, not really as intense, but drums do provide the faster backbeats, but guitars and vocals remain idle as they continue on the same pathway.

A transition comes as drums begin to bring the tension up as guitars run on the same rhythm, vocals also scream and shout like there is nothing getting in their way of saying what they want to say. Drums pulsate for a short time then go back to the original pattern they were playing before and all other instruments do well to accompany drums then another chance for the faster tempo as the contrast is well portrayed here. A very interesting way to end this track as we head for the next one, the fifth and final track as it happens. "Dhyana" with a wonderful piano passage of brightness with synth sounds coming also, as they linger on and echo so much as the track is halfway, so much colorization but then it quietens down.

But then more of the same, as the piano comes back in louder as it did before in the first half of the track, this is the final say, as there are no vocals or guitars nor drums. It is such a positive and intriguing way to finish this album release, I certainly enjoyed it more than I thought, I could hear everything from dynamics to the separation of each instrument and the variety of the first and last track to make this release really stand out from the other tracks. I have to give these guys a lot of credit and they do deserve it also so I sincerely hope they come back with another release as it is unclear as I said as to whether they have stopped playing or go on hiatus.