The depth of music coming out of Italy inspired by the Seventies never ceases to amaze me. They have had such an impact within progressive rock that they have their own sub-genre, RPI, and hearing an album in that style immediately tells us where they are from as there is no other country quite like it. However, that is not the only genre where they not only look back in time but also recreate the sounds in the present day, and here we have doom merchants Arcana 13 who have been as influenced by Black Widow as they have by Black Sabbath. This is doom which could have been produced fifty years ago, with no hint whatsoever that they are Italian, and if this was presented as a long-lost classic then none would disagree. The line-up of Filippo Petrini (bass), Luigi Taroni (drums), Simone Bertozzi (guitars, vocals) and Andrea Burdisso (guitars, vocals) sound as if they have come fully fledged out of the factories of the midlands, creating the doom heaviness we expect.
If that is not enough, they have also imbued a certain sense of commerciality within, although there is one song where they play it straight, possibly one of the most well-known Italian numbers of all time, Goblin’s “Suspiria”. The film by Dario Argento is rightfully recognised as a classic, and I was fortunate some years ago to attend a screening with Goblin playing the soundtrack live beneath the screen, which was quite some experience. Here they have just the right amount of stress and strain, capturing the mood very well indeed. This never comes across as a debut album, and although we have only had an EP since this 2016 release, I certainly hope there is more to come as this is a very enjoyable release indeed.
Rating: 8/10
