KAHRMALIA were formed by Gabriel Cavazzini in 2020. The Italian multi-instrumentalist composes and arranges a mixture of alternative and Gothic Metal. KAHRMALIA is his solo project. The debut album "Misanthropic Euphoria Essentia" has a length of almost 41 minutes, and it is an independent release.

The album starts with "Catharsis", which is an introductory instrumental driven by the guitars, nicely building up tension. With "With My Demons", the album kick-starts and it is very much a Gothic Metal song with traditional Gothic guitar riffing and sound. It is a dark song, but does not overemphasize on melancholy, it is rather a mixture of Gothic, and progressive elements, occasionally enriched with a few Death Metal vibes. The vocals are clean and range around the medium end of the vocal range. "Getting The Truth" starts with powerful and aggressive guitar riffing and compared to the preceding "With My Demons", it is quite a change in sound and more tailored towards Alt Metal during the verse parts with progressive parts in it. There are female guest vocals included, who bring in the Gothic vibes during the chorus sections. "Getting The Truth" is, in terms of the sound, a great song, but sounds a bit unfinished with the female vocals fading out at the end.

"Misteria" has all ingredients of the Gothic song: the guitar riffing, the monotone basslines, the deeper lying vocals, and the melancholy. However, it combines elements of different genres throughout the track, in particular by adding a few oriental melodies and a lead guitar solo that is technically very comprehensive but does not fit to the Gothic vibes at all. In so far, "Misteria" is a song of contrasts. "Alone" starts with orchestral arrangements transitioning into a ballad driven by the piano, the clean male vocals and angelic female vocals of Ivy Marie. The piano melodies are being replaced by powerful guitar riffs, as the track goes on and the guitars alongside the female vocals drive the song forward. Highlight is the lead guitar solo, which reminds me on the early era of LACUNA COIL. "Alone" is one of the best album songs, especially due to the contribution of Ivy Marie. It is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below.

"Someone Is Next To You" is one of the songs with more complexity in sound. The riffing is Alt Metal inspired with a few Nu Metal vibes, while the vocals carry on with the Gothic vibes. "Someone Is Next To You" is not an easy-to-listen track because of the many different elements included and switches in tempo and rhythm. "I will Flow" is a track at a measured tempo with ballad-esque vibes. It is a song with dark melodies and with a lot of melancholy in it. The middle part includes some keyboard arrangements, although the focus of the track is on the guitar riffing. Highlight is the contributing lead guitar solo. While "I will Flow" already included some features of a ballad, "Behind" is one and it is driven largely by symphonic arrangements with the strings and the piano. In between, there are heavy guitar riffs included. It takes a while for "Behind" to fly, but the final part of the track has certainly its moments. The album finishes with the A-ha cover song "Here I Stand And Face The Rain".

"Misanthropic Euphoria Essentia" is an album that leaves me with mixed feelings. KAHRMALIA deliver an interesting mixture of different Metal genres, all build around a clear Gothic Metal conception. The album surely has its moments, but has also its ups and downs. In particular, the second half of the album cannot keep up with some of the better songs of the first part. Highlight of the album is "Alone" and this is largely down to the guest contribution of vocalist Ivy Marie, who gives the song a different dimension. The album is well produced. KAHRMALIA enter the Gothic Metal scene with a few promising songs of the debut album, and it will be interesting to see what the future brings for KAHRMALIA.