Dawn Of A Dark Age – ‘La Tavola Osca’ (Antiq)

By Jonny Bakes

Now, I’ve seen some pretty unusual musical combinations in my time but I’m finding that the more time I spend delving into the depths of the ÜR album review submissions, the more strange combinations I seem to find! Maybe it’s because I spend half of my time scanning through to pick out those things that stand out as being outside the norm so that I don’t get caught in a rut of listening to the same things all the time? Regardless, this album definitely falls into this category as we have the not-so-classic combination of black metal and… wait for it… the clarinet.

That’s right, the instrument that was often a natural progression for the more advanced recorder students when you were in school. Not quite as instantly recognizable as a flute, but a sound that will be pretty familiar to everyone who went through school musical recitals (unless of course I had a unique school life). Naturally it’s not the first thing that I would have associated with black metal, but also not the first time we’ve seen black metal bands experiment with less typical instruments.

How did we end up with this? Well Dawn Of A Dark Age is the main project of the classical and jazz musician Vittorio Sabelli who was quite possibly the first person to bring the clarinet into black metal for a five album saga, ‘The Six Elements’. Now he’s back for a sixth album with this 41-minute consisting of just two tracks that combine blistering blast beats and the sombre clarinet tones into something pretty unique. Titled ‘La Tavola Osca’ (The Oscan Table), this is the first album of a new saga dedicated to the Samnites who were valiant warriors inhabiting ancient southern Italy.

Overall, it’s a very unusual mix of folk, classical, and even marching band elements which combine together under a heavy canopy of black metal to give something that is very difficult to put into words. Like a piece of classical music, each track goes through several distinct movements that cover a wide range of the musical spectrum. To name just a few, there’s a sombre clarinet solo, a harsh vocal solo with a backing of shamanic drumming, a bright choral solo and an absolutely blistering black metal section. With each track clocking in at around the 20-minute mark, they’re a bit of a commitment to listen to but I have found that it’s quite easy to get lost in the depths of the album. So much so that I thought I had only just finished the first track when I’d got to the end of the album.

In a way it’s more of storytelling than it is an album in the traditional sense. There’s nothing here that you would really consider releasing as a standalone track as I don’t think there’s a single movement that would give you a true impression of the album. Certainly, this album should be consumed in full without a break to allow yourself to get completely immersed in the music. For me, it was an unexpected success that I only discovered through my sheer curiosity of the combination of clarinet and black metal. If that’s something that has sparked your interest too, then I would encourage you to give it a blast! It’s something that pushes the boundaries of the expected to become a conceptual art piece as much as it is a black metal album.

I would recommend approaching it with an open mind and letting the music do the rest, otherwise you might just miss out on a unique experience.

‘La Tavola Osca’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.

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