Irae Melanox

If any album could sound completely as though its creator heard a few snatches of metal riffing once and then totally isolated themselves from all further possible influences, Irae Melanox would be it. It's certainly a metal album - a power metal album, even, something basically unheard of in Italy in the 80s - but what are its influences? Who does it sound like? Besides the obvious Dark Quarterer, who plays a somewhat similar, classically-influenced and overly dramatic style of heavy metal, the answer is...no one? This one is really quite the head-scratcher for me. If anything, it sounds like some kind of classical symphony transcribed to metal instruments - certainly that moreso than any stylistic elements borrowed from Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, or even other power metal bands like Queensryche, Fates Warning, or Crimson Glory.

So beyond being utterly distinct and, frankly, bizarre in its lack of outside influence, what does it actually *sound* like? Well, as far as I can think of, Irae Melanox probably features the most prominent bass work of any power metal album I've ever heard. The bass quite often harmonizes with the guitars during the solos - sometimes three distinct melodies from the two lead guitars and the bass simultaneously, weaving a strange miasma of mystique and wonder. In fact, many of the frenetic, swirling riff patterns give the listener a sense of delving deeper into some kind of ancient catacombs or caves, awaiting the hidden secrets and treasure stored there. The oddball production does a great job of reinforcing this, with the muted, paper-thin guitar tone suggesting the music is emerging from murky depths, an atmosphere perfectly accentuated by the artwork on the album cover. The first few times listening to the album, the production is totally off-putting and may be a barrier to entry for those used to clear, polished productions, but once you're used to the album you'll be unable to imagine it being produced any other way.

Rising above all this is vocalist Vittorio Ballerio, whose piercing, keening shrieks echo into this murky abyss, sometimes dolorously recanting past tragedies, at other times more ominous, warning of dangers and horrors to come, and occasionally breaking into a more tender, wistful croon (usually over acoustic guitar passages). This, plus sporadic keyboard touches from Ballerio,comes together to create a powerful soundscape unlike any other. Its sad, gloomy atmosphere seems better suited to doom metal or perhaps even black metal, but the music is quite far removed from anything approaching those styles; the pace ranges from medium to fast unlike most doom metal, and while the frantic riffing is occasionally evocative of a black metal style, the overall mood the album creates is one of adventure and determination more than grief or pain or hate, though those are themes often explored within the lyrics.

However, let me qualify - while I feel adventure and determination are the strongest parts of the mood created by this album, its total spectrum of tones and motifs throughout the album are so varied that it's impossible to pin it down to one or even two or three themes when looking at it in its entirety. Much like a classical symphony with multiple pieces, it explores highs and lows and everything in between over the course of its 48-minute run. Ultinmately, it's so dense that it comes off feeling even longer than that, yet at no point am I ever bored or waiting for it to get on to the next song; its multitude of musical ideas and melodies leaves me utterly mesmerized, even after having heard the album 50+ times. More than 30 years after its release, it still stands as a monolith of inimitable mastery. It has never been imitated, successfully or unsuccessfully (not counting the demo released under the name Anathema, which featured most of the band members from Adramelch and was likely a collection of unused ideas from the Irae Melanox sessions), and almost certainly never will be. Irae Melanox is a force unto itself, and if you're a fan of any kind of traditonal metal, be it power metal, classic heavy metal, or even doom metal, this is an absolutely essential listen. Much like Cirith Ungol's King of the Dead, I feel this is an album that weeds out the less serious, more casual metal fans, as both have elements that are off-putting enough to the average listener to turn many away; yet both contain a wealth of unique ideas and sounds one won't find anywhere else. If you want to be a serious metal listener and haven't yet heard this album, it will be the challenging, yet supremely rewarding experience you seek!

Before power metal got associated with happy major leads, firework-like riffs and sing along choruses, there were actually bands aiming for a darker sound. Arch era Fates Warning is an obvious example; especially The Spectre Within, where themes such as death and religion are very evident and you have one heavy riff popping up after the other. Adramelch seems to follow a similar path on this album; it’s not quite as heavy as the early Fates Warning stuff, but still rather dark and ancient sounding.

‘’Fearful Visions’’ starts off with a choir singing over a mysterious keyboard line, as if you find yourself stuck in a gothic cathedral. Vittorio Ballerio isn’t much of a Geoff Tate-clone (as one might expect of these kind of 80’s power metal albums) but instead sounds much more desperate and pessimistic that I could easily forgive him for his accent – I used to think he mentioned a forbidden city later in the song, but once I looked up the lyrics I found out he was actually singing about the life of peasants! Nonetheless this song a great opener and represents Irae Melanox well; there’s high flying riffs appearing in all sort of directions and that climax at the end has to be one of the best I can think of. Personally I love it when bands have good riffs and also know how to take you on a journey. In Adramelech’s case I picture myself experiencing gloomy medieval times where famine, pestilence and death are all too present.

Of course the production plays a huge role in making Irae Melanox sound so ancient. It’s terribly low-fi; noisy guitars sound as if they haven’t been used in ages while the drums sound extremely cheap. Bass has its own distinct role sometimes and unlike the guitars it actually sounds rather thick. I’d argue the production is more of a double-edged sword here; a very professional sound where everything would be cleaned up and audible wouldn’t do the album justice but there are times where I wish the guitars were louder.

As far as song writing goes, Adramelech deliver the goods though – they get a little wild without losing their sense of direction. From the cries to the divine of ‘’Zephirus’’ to the gloomy ending of ’’Decay (Saver Comes)’’ where the vocals wail over a depressing lead melody until the track fades out, not unlike Fates Warning’s Epitaph, each track has something to offer. Interestingly enough ‘’Was Called Empire’’ does hint what power metal would (or perhaps could) have become with over time, with its glorious chorus, ‘’stoic’’ vocals (meaning they don’t sound as miserable as on other tracks) and an Iron Maiden-on-speed main riff.

Overall, Irae Melanox should appeal more to fans of US than European power metal – fans of early progressive metal should probably get some value out of this, too. It’s definitely not a perfect album, but it certainly has its charm.

Adramelch is a power/progressive metal band from Italy. I was told that this album would sound like early Fates Waning but that's very far from the truth. Yes, there are some considerable similarities between the two but Adramelch has a very unique style and I don't think there is a band out there that could really fit the profile. Anyway the thing that really attracted me towards this album was the fact that they were Italian. I couldn't remember the last time I had heard an Italian band and I sincerely think I had never heard one before. Ok, maybe I have heard one or two but I can't even remember their names and these guys are surely better than any of those.

As I've said before, Adramelch features a very unique style in this kind of music. It differs from regular power metal and, with it's progressive half, gains a more mature, more NWOBHM kind of sound. A band like that would most likely take some time to click with you but, in my case, it was love at first riff. That first riff being the opening riff to "Fearful Visions". That track is an absolute masterpiece. The riffing is flawless, the bass is strong, the drums fit like a glove and the vocals are absolutely insane. This is pretty much as close to perfection as it gets.

And fear not! That track is not a fluke! The opening bass line to "Zephirus" just tells you that this song is going to be as good as the last. Well, at least it has a catchier chorus. And that is where the power metal half of this album gets evident, the choruses are catchy as hell. Don't be surprised if you find yourself screaming "Zephiiiiiiiiruuuuuuuus!" in public places. Don't worry, it's worth it.

By the way I wouldn't go as far as saying this album has a power metal "half", it's more like a power metal quarter because this album is, in it's majority, progressive but the power metal influences come as a great plus to the mix.

Once "Lamento" kicks in you'll think to yourself "Oh great, another bland acoustic instrumental." but that couldn't be more wrong. "Lamento" manages to capture a rare medieval atmosphere. And they make a more realistic medieval atmosphere, one in which you are not expecting that a track about Dragons and Elves will suddenly pop out. Well the album's title does translate to "The black night of wrath" so there you have your fantasy.

The moment where "Irae Melanox" shines the most is the way it flows from "Lamento" to "Decay". While the first is a melancholic acoustic instrumental the latter is a happy and energetic power metal sing-along and the two connect perfectly. After that "Was Called Empire" brings the energy up a notch and reassures the fact that this album kicks overall ass.

Of course, like all great albums, "Irae Melanox" must have the mandatory mind-blowing closing track. And they do not falter here. "Dreams Of A Jester" has everything that made this album great and a ending that never fails to startle me...God I'm such a pussy...Well anyway, "Irae Melanox" is a hidden gem and a landmark in metal music that every metalhead should have in his collection

Adramelch is one of those bizarro bands that basically springs ex nihilo, sounding little like anyone else (Manilla Road and Dark Quarterer would also fit this category). Adramelch play power/prog that not only brings to mind the dark medieval scenes of the lyrics, but frankly sounds like it was actually recorded back then as well. The mix is serviceable with all instruments clearly audible, but the guitar tone sounds like no other; it has this sort of papery, fluttery, halfway-to-acoustic quality to it that despite being weak as hell, totally adds to the atmosphere. In my opinion, Irae Melanox could be a textbook example of "so bad it's good" metal production, and I can't imagine it any other way (and if you think the remaster I'm reviewing sounds bad, try the original!). This only makes it harder to pick out influences as it sounds so strange, but despite the weak guitar tone I can still discern some percussive, musclebound speed/thrash; listen to that riff exchange in "Zephirus". Undoubtedly there's also the requisite Judas Priest and NWOBHM influence, and maybe also a bit of USPM by way of white collar bands such as Queensryche, Crimson Glory, or Fates Warning made it across the pond; however, these influences are so well integrated that I can't pick them out for sure.

Adramelch employ a lot of leadwork, dual-guitar and otherwise, but in a style rather closer to USPM or NWOBHM than the flashy, candy-coated Helloween style that floats over the top of weak riffs, or the self-indulgent prog variety; often the leads are used as the riffs themselves underneath verses, and are an essential part of the songwriting rather than bits to look talented during. Also, the bass is much more important than usual; it frequently pops up for a conspicuous fill or part in the main melody, and in volume as well as composition is almost as much of a lead instrument as the guitars. Finally we come to the voice of Vittorio Ballerio; he's easily one of the most recognizable singers in metal, and quite skilled, too. He's got this great big hollow, yet nasal voice, as if he were singing through a toucan's nose or something. Regardless, it's resonant and he displays an impressive range of emotions; once you get used to it, it's quite pleasing. He usually stays in his native tenor, but really busts out some high notes here and there. I couldn't imagine Irae Melanox with anyone else. Finally, attention must be given to the song structures, as here is really where the progressive element comes in; they're very non-linear, and while I wouldn't call anything on this album terribly technical, the phrases in general tend to be quite long and more complex than usual.

While their riffs are strong and their melodies gripping, the real strength of Adramelch lies in the mood and atmosphere. So many bands strive with their music to describe medieval times and its crusades and knights and castles and bla bla bla, but Adramelch actually bring them to life and throw you right in the middle. Take a look at the dark, melancholy painting on the cover, with the castle dimly discernible in the distance; THAT is what the album sounds like, but from a distinctly personal human perspective instead of the misanthropy or epic triumph black metal tends to favor when dealing with similar medieval themes. For those still skeptical, the band's rendition of a 15th century instrumental ("Lamento") fits in perfectly as an interlude without even making the listener blink. Without a single weak song, Irae Melanox stands as a masterpiece of metal and a fine example of what independence from trends or styles can accomplish.

Progressive in more ways than one, and powerful despite weak production.

Adramelch is a progressive metal band from Italy; however, the progressive metal in this album is more in the sense of Fates Warning – The Spectre Within or Awaken the Guardian. The band gets the progressive-ness from the odd time signatures, ala King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, etc, but they break into more heavy metal riffs instead of the weird off the wall or soothing atmospheric passages.

The albums starts over quite slowly with a intro type track which leads into a riff that has a weird time signature, then eventually flows into some crushing heavy metal riffs, yet keeping those time signatures abnormal. The song progresses into more of an epic heavy metal riffs with vocals that are so emotive, that it feels like the vocalist will rip his vocals chords; his vocals are simply perfect for this style of music. These ideas continue throughout the album without being tedious. The interlays of bass harmonies and absolutely stunning dual guitar work in this album make up some truly epic choruses and riffs- Zephirus is an absolute brilliant example of this. This feeling of a progressive build up with odd time signatures are used to absolute perfection, each slight build up to more of a heavy metal feeling fits so perfectly. The band really knows how to build up and one cannot help but pump your fist as the chorus come on.

There isn’t really a concept to this album, which I usually like in an epic heavy metal album, but there is a constant medieval theme of rising up against the king. The theme of the album is quite easily felt because of the epic-ness of the album, which in return makes the general atmosphere of the album.

The one downfall of this album is the guitar tone; it’s a bit weak and at times it fails to pick up some of the riffs. This is a minor complaint because the songwriting does not lack through the album. I do highly recommend an intense listen on headphones or a very nice system because the production can water down some of the riffs; however, when the riffs finally hit, you will be crushed!