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Band: All My Faith Lost...
Album title: Untitled
Release date: 9 March 2021
Label: Cyclic Law
Genre: Ethereal Wave, Darkwave, Neoclassical
Tracklist:
01. Violent Dreams II
02. We All Die Sometimes
03. Nymphs IV
04. The Ice Princess
05. Keeping Time
06. The Inconvenience Of Spirits
07. White Thread
08. Awakening The Moon
09. Flood
10. Cassandra
11. The Night Is Calm
The almost forgotten Italian cult neoclassical ethereal wave act All My Faith Lost... is finally back with a new album after 11 years since their last proper release, the EP Decade. In between, they re-released some old albums, made a cover/homage album to Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but since 2016 there was silence from their side. Now the delicacy strangely titled Untitled is out via the estimated French label Cyclic Law. The album, which was in the making since 2014, brings 11 songs with a playing time of 52 minutes. With each track, the band takes the listener into the world of art because each is taking inspiration from paintings of some of their favourite artists related to the Surrealism movement as João Ruas, Tara McPherson, Nicoletta Ceccoli and Ray Caesar.
The new album feels slightly different from what we were used to hearing on their last EP, but still, it offers that specific trademark sound of the Italian quartet. Untitled is a little less "gothic" but still an entirely acoustic musical piece of art with smooth and soothing atmospheric compositions that nicely blend neoclassical music, ethereal wave, darkwave, neo-folk and a little bit of goth. There are some new additional influences brought into their music, I guess thanks to new guitarist Angelo Roccagli. The two main members of the band, Viola Roccagli and Federico Salvador made a step forward regarding the main compositional and vocal aspects. Mainly the heavenly emotive vocals of Viola add a lot of depth to the music but as well the female/male duets do some favour and bring contrast to many songs. I was surprised to see the names of guest vocalists Marco I. Benevento (The Foreshadowing) and Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze) in the mystical "White Thread", and both of them proved to be very good also outside their usual style. While talking about guests I must also mention the cellist Alice Micol Moro, who on some songs added another level of melancholy to already deeply melancholic sound.
All My Faith Lost... are making reflective and deeply melancholic music that is at the same time warm, elegant and embracing. Sometimes the evocative song structures and captivating melodies make you drown in the sea of broken dreams bringing goosebumps all over your body. The overwhelming violin sound, acoustic guitar chords, thumping percussions, folkish flute, evocative synths and delicate piano touches, make this music alive more than you can imagine. Just listen to the dark epic masterpiece "We All Die Sometimes", to the magical sorrow inherited in "Awakening The Moon" or how gloomy everything can turn out in the emotional opener "Violent Dreams II". Fans of acts such as Dead Can Dance or This Mortal Coil will surely enjoy in "Nymphs IV" for example, and here and there those who loved Anathema's acoustic album Hindsight will also find something for themselves in this opus.
All My Faith Lost...' music is all about feelings and emotions, it's sometimes a bit too mellow, but certainly, it's inspiring when it touches different themes such as human estrangement from nature, death, sorrow, or even themes from Greek mythology ("Cassandra"), yet all of these come from paintings that suggested the stories. The fluctuating moods and gently melodic lines reign over the dark soundscapes that penetrate the mind slowly but intensively. It's the music that encapsulates the spirit with a gentle grandeur of mystical proportions, yet with a kind of romanticism and meditative contemplation.
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8/10
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