IN AEVUM AGERE – The Shadow Tower

In Aevum Agere is an obscure Power/Doom Metal band from Napoli, Italy. The Shadow Tower is the band’s first full length album. In Aevum Agere is lead by Bruno Masulli who performs bass, guitar, and vocals. Masulli is also the guitarist and vocalist of an additionally obscure Thrash Metal band called Annihilatormancer. However, in all of this unknown obscurity comes forth a very talented array of musicianship. There is nothing blasé about what these guys are doing; it’s dynamic, gifted, and certainly commendable.

The basic formula of In Aevum Agere is fairly simple; classic Doom and Power Metal. Somewhere along the lines of Candlemass meets Iced Earth. The riffs are heavy, the vocals are deep, and the melodies are dramatic. Bruno Masulli does a great job of using this hybrid to his advantage. His guitar style utilizes a very loud, forceful and intensified quality. The characteristics surrounding the vocals strongly resemble the most recent Candlemass singer, Robert Lowe with a rich and enigmatic style, also filled with melodramatic fervor.

Every track on The Shadow Tower begins with a unique overpowering guitar riff. All of the compositions are also highly developed and segue through various themes. Each track is roughly around five or six minutes in length, which provides plenty of time for each song to cultivate into a good structure.

One of the elements that separate The Shadow Tower from just another Doom Metal album is the passion of the songwriting and the multitude of Thrash-like guitar riffs that lend excitement throughout the record. One of the best examples of this can be heard on the track “Leave Me Alone” which for all intents and purposes could be considered a textbook Doom Metal song. It contains gloomy riffs and a depressive chorus line. However, the intuitive listener will be able to pick out the intensity in the vocals, and when the theme changes direction in the middle section of the song to a Power Metal frenzy, the track takes on a whole new meaning and inevitably takes on a life of its own.

The talent of Bruno Masulli is completely overwhelming. He performs like a seasoned veteran and it is clear he takes pride in his work. The clean and tight production of The Shadow Tower also plays a key role in its success. It is not produced like a random debut album; there is an immense amount of professionalism with the production value. The bass and drums are very well pronounced, but certainly clear and balanced enough to make a monster sound.

The Shadow Tower is an incredible treat to anyone looking for some great, obscure new music. This is certainly one of the better albums of 2012, and even with a band name as hard to pronounce as it is to spell, this one is really worth the listen.