Opera IX
The Black Opera
[Avantgarde]


This album is interesting in that Opera IX has carefully weathered a happy medium in both their production and execution of " The Black Opera". I can only barely remember what their last album sounded like, but I can say with certainty that they have matured since then. This release features a cohesion that creates a nearly hypnotic effect upon listening. Cadaveria's vocals shift between a mournful wail and her well-known Black Metal shriek throughout, and the guitars and keyboards interact with a mournfully melodic approach reminiscent of the later releases of Anathema, with the exception of a cover of "Bela Lugosi's Dead", which to me sounds like Death SS more than anything. The songs have their share of crunch, and the pace is kept steady and engaging. Overall Opera IX is true to form in their Italian nationality with the foreboding gloom that in their music that oft times hearkens to the soundtracks of Dario Argento films. The thing that makes the "The Black Opera" and Opera IX themselves interesting is that ideas are drawn from a mixed bag to arrive at the final product. This isn't Black Metal, and it's not really Doom either. It's definitely metal, but it seems that for better or for worse, Opera IX may need to coin themselves as "Italian Horror Metal" to get the idea across. In the meantime, this is an enjoyable, if somewhat low-impact release that should appeal to anyone looking for something a little different in the metal catalog.


© 2000 w.s. diabolus