THE BEAST

INTAGLIO - II - Reviewed By Hard Music Base ! Check it out here at this link: https://hardmusicbase.cz/index.php?stranka=recenze_vypis&id=88774&m=1

The Russian band INTAGLIO cannot be called doom metal only from the point of view that they do not play fast. And that those bands that don't play fast are labeled as doom metal maybe too much and for no reason. However, INTAGLIO can be described as one of the slowest playing bands of the genre. The individual tacts are in such a state of dismay, as if a hole of ugly, unsoulful emptiness were sticking out of them. How many times would even a child who cannot count to five manage to count to ten times before the next tone sounds. And INTAGLIO certainly have no particular desire to accelerate the cadence of motives. Here I would rather say that they go the other way. Even the foot of the funebrák might be afraid to take a step so slowly as not to accidentally forget the direction. But that slowness does not mean the splendidness of waking up dreams of emptiness and the general horror of falling into nowhere. Here the pit of eternity is open wide open. But when you fall into this trap, the laws of gravity cease to apply to you. You don't fall anywhere. You remain trapped in atmospheres of distinct emptiness, where the vacuum of thoughts is not central to deciphering the symbolism of the existence of light and darkness. And yet the darkness is the ultra-slow death metal coolness and the light is a kind of flare of noble splint, slightly touching gothic rock. In such an indeterminate state, only undisciplined fools would seek the fugitives of salvation. This isn't sadness about how your dog doesn't want to fetch any more, or your love for getting cold without even flaming up. Yes, this is cold and cold, oppressive, but at the same time uplifting. Here no one complains that the clay of your grave is full of coarse gravel. This might fit the original recordings of My Dying Bride, to which INTAGLIO are in a way close, and not just through the use of a string instrument. Let's say this Russian band reminds me of a certain romanticism from the demo of our Love History, which breathes the mystery of the occasional flute. The uniqueness of this ensemble is that it completely rejects the use of keys, which would perhaps fill the empty gaps between the individual tones of traditional instruments with their surfaces. But it's just as if it were about those gaps. We don't have to age just to have gaps in our memory, but the point is that we simply have gaps in our knowledge. Even the professionally proficient in certain topics will encounter a gap in which something from the world between worlds is reflected. Perhaps we stupidly fill those gaps with some demagoguery of belonging to our own ideas, instead of giving in to what we have and inventing the atomic bomb, instead of understanding the cause of the birth of an atom for the good of the cause. Then everyone will probably overlook the light of this album and take it as a depressing thing that is wise to stay away from. Still, I recommend this recording to all perceptive people. - Hard Music Base

Release Date: October 29, 2021

FFO: Evoken, My Dying Bride, Ahab

After many years of silence, Intaglio has released a new full-length album called “II”. The album can be described as a "doom opera" and will not only amaze old fans of the band but should also interest new listeners with the contributions Intaglio has made to the development of the style.

Check out the video!

A large form was used on "II", which is exceedingly rare in metal and rock music. Only live instruments were used in the recording, including classical ones such as cello and upright bass, and professional vocalists with voices varying from basso profundo to soprano have created a unique palette of sounds. The album is a conceptual work with compositions and lyrics united as a single large piece, and for the full experience should be listened to from beginning to end in order to completely immerse the listener into its atmosphere. 
"II" was recorded and mixed at Slow Burn Studio (When Nothing Remains, Woe Unto Me), was mastered by Mika Jussila (Shape Of Despair, Isole, Unholy, Moonspell) at the legendary Finnvox studio in Finland, and includes stunning cover art crafted by the Polish artist Mariusz Lewandowski (Bell Witch, Atramentus) and designed to highlight and complement the album's unique music. Both massive and sophisticated Intaglio’s creation is a brand new and exciting take on the doom-death genre.

Check them out on Spotify and add them to your playlists!

Credits:
Evander Sinque - Lead Vocals
Evgeny Semenov - Acoustic, Baritone, Electric Guitar, Bass, Korg MS-20
Alexey Batrakov - Double Bass, Bass
Nadia Avanesova - Cello
Roman “V” - Drums, Percussion
Tres Hunter - Bass Vocals
Andy Grig - Tenor Vocals
Reverend B. - Spoken Words, Baritone Vocals
Maria Balakina - Soprano Vocals, Chimes
Artur Shaura - Basso Profundo
Dmitry Litvintsev - Baritone Vocals
Anna Semenova - Spoken Words
Alexander Tretyakov - Additional Guitars
Aleksey Samoschenkov - Flute
Sergey Sevastyanov - Mouth Harp

Written & produced by Evgeny Semenov
Arrangements by Intaglio
Lyrics by Evander Sinque, Sergey Terentjev, Evgeny Semenov, Reverend B. & Jeremy Lewis
Artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski
Layout by Sergey Terentjev

Recorded at Slow Burn Studio during 2019-2021. Additional vocals recorded at Skylark Studios in 2020-2021.
Mixed by Evgeny Semenov at Slow Burn Studio in April-May 2021.
Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in May 2021.

Follow the band at these links:
https://intaglio.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClwNBIBuQglLOYKz9TWXCcA
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XvICCI5M8pj9Go9asCgeS
https://www.facebook.com/solitudeprod