Year: 2020
Time: 40:42
Label: Αgonia Records
The Italian band FORGOTTEN TOMB is one of the most influential bands of the Depressive Black Metal genre, with albums such as the “Springtime depression” of 2003 and the “Love’s Burial Ground” of 2004. The band had several changes in its lineup, with the only original member that remains being Ferdinando “Herr Morbid” Marchisio, and their DSBM sound turned into a Blackened Doom Metal sound. So, over the years the Italians, apart from members, they also lost their musical identity and we came to 2020 and their tenth full length record entitled “Nihilistic Estrangement”.
The album starts disturbingly bad with the first song “Active Shooter,” and I am trying to find out if I am playing the wrong album, as the song could perfectly fit in CARCASS’s “Swansong” album. So, as I am listening to the song, bad thoughts start to come to my mind about what I’m going to hear in the next songs, but I decide to be patient and have a positive mood. But every positive mood that I may have for “Nihilistic Estrangement” is immediately destroyed with the next song, “Iris’ House Pt. I”, in which ALICE IN CHAINS emerge from the speakers and try to play Dark/Doom Metal.
“Nihilistic Estrangement” remaining four songs did not offer something special because of their confused musical identity and the very low musical quality. A pointless uninspired Dark/Doom Metal experimental effort, some DANZIG and sludge influences and, of course, no sign of Black Metal and FORGOTTEN TOMB’s DEPRESSIVE roots (the only depressive was my mood as I was listening to the album). But because I do not want to be unfair with them, I must mention that there is a Black Metal song in the album and that is “RBMK”, the last song of “Nihilistic Estrangement” and at the same time, the best song.
In “Nihilistic Estrangement” FORGOTTEN TOMB are giving me the impression that they are searching for their musical identity through mediocre songs, as they trying to play and walk on musical paths they are not familiar with. As album’s final song proves, when they try to go back to their Black Metal roots, they sound quite pleasant, but unfortunately, we cannot say the same about their Dark/Doom Metal moments.
Rating: 5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: FORGOTTEN TOMB – Facebook Page
