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Lento

Icons

Written by: DR on 14/07/2011 20:36:49

Referred to as 'Italian monsters of slowness' by their label, from Rome, Italy, quintet Lento are presenting us with their second album, "Icon". And, indeed, the always-interesting label Denovali have not only given us another trademark unique record to sink our ears in to, but they've also managed to hit their band's description spot-on.

"Icon" is as monstrous as it is slow. It fits within the confines of sludgy post-metal, but along with a desire to be really heavy while at the same time still being slow, there remains an airiness to it, and Lento have this ability to do, and deft judgement of when to, cease the epic walls of dirty sound and give prominence to open soundscapes, allowing their songs to breathe. Moreover, it never feels forced, even the when walls are suddenly stopped to make way for more atmospheric tendencies.

Low-key opener "Then" slowly drags on into thunderous four-minute "Hymn", consisting of desperate down-tuned soundscapes married with mazy guitar-work. Experimental "Limb" alternates frantic, almost crazy guitars with their own feedback and sonically spacious drumming. Although songs like those share characteristics with metal, I wouldn't label them as outright post-metal or something akin to that - they provide one side of the duality "Icon" contains. Ambitious efforts like those are only allowed to be ambitious because of songs such as "Hymen" and the brutally heavy title-track, which keep "Icon" rooted in a familiar territory, meaning that listeners can recognise something in those to hold their attention throughout a spin of the album, while over repeated listens the more experimental efforts, including "Throne" and closer "Admission", will truly begin to reward the listener.

Perhaps unusually for a release like this, the songs in "Icon" have been removed of the fat and condensed to around four-minutes long; the albums entire runtime is only thirty-seven-minutes. "Icon" manages to be both huge and heavy in sound without necessarily sticking to any kind of template of epic, ten-plus minute song-structures. I've found plenty to appreciate in "Icons", but someone who regularly listens to metal may find even more than me.

Download: Hymen, Icon, Hymn
For The Fans of: Omega Massif, Cult of Luna, Sleep, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Listen: Stream it below

Release Date 15.04.2011
Denovali Records