Nero Di Marte: Derivae

Italy’s progressive deathsters find new glory in the gloom

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Not quite the follow-up to 2013’s celebrated debut that fans might expect, Derivae

L’Eclisse is a deep catacomb of sorrowful echoes, within which spiralling guitars entwine with drums of such energy and subtle dynamism that they prove the highlight of the record. Marco Bolognini’s outstanding performance behind the kit is the beating heart amid Derivae’s obfuscating mire. His fondness for offbeat, savage flurries of toms pays off on penultimate track Il Diluvio, powering through amorphous squalls and penetrating stabs of guitar in glorious cascades of ordered chaos. Quickly equalling if not surpassing their peers by successfully infusing their labyrinthine technicality with a dramatic, tortured soul, this is a band developing a unique voice with astonishing pace. They should be sought out, if you can find them amid the murk.

Via Prosthetic