Etrusgrave-Aita's Sentence

Minotauro Records
2016

Etrusgrave (Etruscan + Grave) is a four-piece traditional/epic heavy metal band that hails from Piombino, Italy and is lead by Tiziano "Hammerhead" Sbaragli (Angel Martyr, ex-Harvest). Formed in 2001 by one-time Dark Quarterer guitarist, Fulberto Serena, and bass player Luigi Paoletti (ex-Watt 2000), Etrusgrave has two demos and three full-length albums to it's name. The group's latest full-length recording was just issued a few months back and just like it's predecessor(s) this well-crafted & expertly-performed album is as close to an A+ offering as one can get! With a run-time of nearly fifty minutes(!) the highly-melodic/slightly-progressive "Aita's Sentence" comes almost six years after the release of Etrusgrave's last studio album, "Tophet", and it marks the first appearance of new drummer Stefano Giuggioli. Starting things off on a strong note we have the seven minute plus "Anxiety" which is a surprising accessible number despite it's long-length. As with several other tracks on "Aita's Sentence", "Anxiety" shows off Etrusgrave's rewarding ability to craft epic songs that are as thought-provoking as they are relaxing. That is one skill-set that not ever epic metal band can claim to possess, but then again not every band has someone as talented as guitarist Fulberto Serena to fall back on! Serving as the center piece to the musical arrangement that is Etrusgrave's third album, "Aita's Sentence", Fulberto Serena can perform magical routines with his personal guitar thus making this Italian band a definite recommendation! More or less rooted in the hard & heavy sounds of the late seventies/early eighties, Etrusgrave has a vintage charm about it that should primarily appeal to fans of proto-metal. Well, that and fans of the retro classic metal movement that (thankfully) shows no signs of slowing down!