Italian band Diespnea was originally created in 2014 as a solo project by Wolke, but in 2019 he was joined by Anxitudo, with them both credited with all instruments and vocals. Their 2020 debut album, ‘Pneuma’ saw them pursue atmospheric black metal, but their second album sees them sticking with black metal at the core but moving into a more avant garde and experimental approach which has been influenced by the likes of Dødheimsgard and Manes. The production (recording, mixing, and mastering) was entirely handled by the band, where they merged analogue recordings with unorthodox digital techniques.
The cover is somewhat unusual in that instead of a snowy landscape in black and white we are in a colourful desert with blue skies, and that is because the band felt more at home with the atmospheres, colours, and warm ruggedness of an imaginary South. I am not sure what impact that has had on the lyrics, which I believe are in Italian, but the delivery makes it difficult to ascertain what they are singing about anyway. Any band who is attempting to do something different should be admired and lauded, but the issue with this release is more about lack of focus. Yes, it is experimental, but there is also the feeling that at times they are throwing something at the wall and seeing what sticks – if the next album allows this to be revisited as something showing the band making a transition then possibly this will be seen to have more value, but currently one feels they are often missing the key directive.
Black Metal is a sub genre I listen to a great deal, and seeing Mayhem in concert was definitely a highlight of my gig going, but while there are elements in here which make me nod in admiration there are others were it is either too far away from what I expect or with not enough focus that I do wonder what is going on. They are now with a major label, so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the next release to come out.
Rating: 6/10