VELVET THUNDER

The Italian gothic/progressive metal band False Memories has served up another dark, doom laden and brooding rock delight with album number three following on from the rather special The Last Night Of Fall which came out in 2021.

The band was formed by guitarist Francesco Savino (Demons Down, T3NORS) in 2015 with the independently released debut, Chimerical, coming out in 2018 which featured the then singer Valentina Pucci who was later replaced by the mercurial Rossella Moscatello. The debut was subsequently rereleased with bonus tracks featuring the new singer by way of an introduction to the new version of the band. Both singers have somewhat similar vocal styles and ranges but Moscatello has now formed a most fruitful songwriting partnership with Savino so I’m surmising that the band was looking for a much more active and participative singer to front them.

The band has been tweaked a little since The Last Night Of Fall so now lines-up with vocalist Rossella Moscatello and twin guitarists in Francesco Savino and Moreno Palmisano plus bassist Davide Tavecchia and drummer Emanuele Cossu making this quite probably the strongest and most versatile version of the group to date. It is perhaps understandable given that they are operating in the progressive/goth genre that they have a sound and delivery that comes across as a huge, sprawling combination of Nightwish, Delain, Evanescence, The Gathering, Within Temptation as well as elements of All About Eve but they have taken all of the elements of these bands and fused them into their own hybrid style that has its own majestic power. The links with these famous bands is further strengthened by the fact that the former Nightwish and now The Dark Element singer Anette Olzon performs a duet with Moscatello on the opening track The Storm Inside and what a team they make!

These two albums bookend a couple of fine EPs that the band put out in 2021 and 2022 which includes the impressive live covers affair, Echoes Of A Reflection, that features songs from Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, The Gathering, and All About Eve which gives you a pretty accurate impression of what they are about and where they are coming from, check it out as it contains some great versions of what are all fine songs.

If you are partial to Gothic rock then this is a real delight with plenty of dark, brooding and cataclysmic guitars and another simply stunning performance from Rossella Moscatello who is simply a star in waiting with her awesome power and range. The music is given a harder edge by the occasional deep, dark and gritty growled vocals which are totally in keeping with the heavier route that False Memories is taking and more power to them.

Not an album for your maiden aunt but I doubt that there is a metalhead in the country that will not appreciate this intoxicating release.