Who says horns can’t be heavy? Italian trio Ottone Pessante make the case for this unusual form of metal on their fourth album of “heavy brass,” Scrolls of War, created entirely by (heavily effected) trumpet, trombone and drums courtesy of Paolo Raineri (trumpet), Francesco Bucci (trombone), Beppe Mondini (drums). There’s plenty of crunch and power, but due to the nature of the instruments used, requiring breaths to power them, there’s a pulsing aspect to most of the post-metal inspired tracks. It is pretty amazing the range of sounds the two horn players can bleat out of their instruments. The seven tracks are mostly instrumental but Italian vocalist Lili Refrain makes and appearance on “Battle of Qadesh” and Shane Embury adds synth on “Late Bronze Age Collapse.”
Scrolls of War is set for release on black vinyl and digitally via Aural Music on October 18. You can place your preorder here and here.
This is what the band had to say about its fourth full-length:
“We are very proud of Scrolls of War, the result of a long work lasting about two years which was possible thanks to the help of many people. We explored new sounds and dared a lot, always with the same desire to raise the bar. Despite the title, we would like to reiterate a simple concept: stop the war, everywhere, now! We especially want to thank the guests who embellished some tracks: Shane Embury and Lili Refrain. Their work has been stunning and fundamental!”
