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Reviews

The Black — Apocalypsis
(Black Widow BWR016, 1996, CD / LP)

by Peter Thelen, Published 1997-05-01

Apocalypsis Cover art

Black Widow is home to numerous bands like Malombra, Standarte, and Abiogenesi that work a very vintage early 70s progressive hard rock sound, a pre-synthesizer based style that utilizes plenty of Hammond, distorted guitars, and a raw production style. The Black is a four-piece led by guitarist / singer Mario "The Black" Di Donato, backed solidly by organ, bass, and drums. Apocalypsis is their second album, and their first to receive a CD release. While it's obvious that one of their influences is Black Sabbath, there are numerous other references that point to other more obscure British bands of the early 70s, as well as some 70s Italian classics. Dominating the sound is DiDonato's guitars — often dual-tracked, menacing and distorted — with a driving rhythmic attack behind every riff, while the bass and keys work both ends. Vocals are definitely low-fi, sung in Italian, and fitting the overall production to perfection. Long instrumental sections with ample room for blistering guitar solos adorn nearly every song, not to mention the organ fills and some great special effects, like the 'devil' voices near the end of "La Bestia Che Sale dalla Terra." Occasionally the execution gets a little bit sloppy, but that only adds to the 'vintage' effect, where a listener could be easily fooled into thinking this one was recorded in '69 or '70. There's a lot to like here, fans of the early 70s progressive hard rock should find this one quite enjoyable.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 12, 1996 releases

Related artist(s): The Black

 

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