MEMORIES OF A LOST SOUL: 30 years of history, 5 albums released, the new "Songs From The Restless Oblivion" coming out on June 13th, the ability to renew its sound mixing melodic Black Metal, fierce Death Metal and dark Gothic atmospheres. Pioneers of the Italian Death/Black scene, MEMORIES OF A LOST SOUL go from the fury and aggression of Death Metal to the dark and malignant essence of Black Metal, from the Symphonic and Progressive elements of their arrangements to a macabre and horrifying Gothic Metal, all built on an extremely powerful and clear production, daughter of the Lost Soul Studio led by Buzz himself. If ROTTING CHRIST, DARK TRANQUILITY and CRADLE OF FILTH are part of your favorite bands, "Songs From The Restless Oblivion" will be a mandatory listening.

The album has 11 songs, and “The Dark Knight Descends” is first; an instrumental opener, leading to “Immortal Rites.” There is a symphonic lead-in, then the thick Melo-Death Black Metal amalgam drops. It’s energetic, and hasty, but not all together uncommon. “Through These Mortal Eyes” surges forward with some nifty lead breaks and more backing symphony, but there are some minor phasing issues. Some gentler tones enter, bring another dimension to the music, and it sounds a bit like INSOMNIUM to me. “Two Dividing Souls” has hastier and more ominous tones, and the sound shifts between a few different riffs and keys. Again, the gentler tones with violin provide a solemn edge to the music.

“The Clockwork Part 2” has both deeper and darker tones at the bottom end, as well as clean female vocals. The combination seems a bit odd at first, but it works. The middle section takes a more circuitous route, and I’m not sure if the band is trying too much. “Into This Maze of Torment” is indeed a torturous offering. The band is adventurous, I will give you that. There are several surprises along the way of this dark journey, and they refuse to stand still. The riffs are plenty hardened, and they keep that sound thick. “Shattered Like the Sun” encompasses all that the band has offered on the album so far…a dark, terrible aggression, somber tones that make tears in your eyes, and a hasty quality like you are forever chasing your tail. The lead guitar work is excellent as well.

“Prone to Revolting” has entering strings that just weep, and they draw you into the beast’s lair. It’s too late to escape once you realize that he is there, waiting. It dances in and around the fire, creating shadowy wraiths in the twilight. “Melancholy of the Endless Night” closes the album, and the sad strings lead to a light rain that begins to fall, and doesn’t let up for weeks.  Overall, I haven’t heard this many elements packed into a Metal band in some time. Some might call the effort overly-ambitious, and there are some phasing issues here and there, but it’s a solid album. There is enough diversity in sound to reel in some new fans, as well as enough tradition to keep the older fans satisfied.