ALBUM REVIEW: Ardityon - Ardityon

ARDITYON (Italy)
"Ardityon"
(Independent)
Release date: August 5th 2019
Genre: Heavy metal, power metal
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Italy is a country that is well known for its love for power metal, and they very often provide music that is dramatic and theatrical. The Italians have their opera, Germany have the speed, the Swedish have their fondness of harmonies and melody, and Finland and Norway have already produced a vast number of bands that incorporate elements of folk music into their metal.

ARDITYON is a band that fits well into such a category. Drummer Denis Novello founded it as a project during the summer of 2018, after his previous band was discontinued after a short time. He soon found other musicians that shared the same passion for music, and very quickly established ARDITYON as the band we are being presented today.

The band name is a tribute to the "Arditi"; a special force in the Royal Italian Army during the first World War. They were the very first of the shock troops and a great concern for opposing armies. They were known for suddenly jumping into their enemies' trenches, stab them with their daggers and subsequently weaken their defense. Naturally the "Arditi" and their bravery became an important part of Italy's efforts during the war, which are still being revered to this day.

It is this chapter in Italy's history that is ARDITYON's fascination, and the major subject for the lyrical content on their eponymous debut.

As stated earlier, ARDITYON's metal is of the melodic and very powerful kind. They have all the basic ingredients such as massive guitars, sharp leads and harmonies and a singer who sings with brute force. Production wise it is a very thick sounding album, but it never loses any clarity for this sake.

Our first introduction to the band's music is the intro "Avanguardia di Morte", with an eerie sounding choir singing the vocal parts. The theatrical and dramatic aspects mentioned in the beginning of this review are immediately grabbing hold while said choir sends chills down this listener's spine.

The title track and the band's eponymous composition is the first main track, and a wall of guitars appears in the shape of a riff that is made to crush. There are a lot of low frequencies in the guitar tone that helps the riffs gain that extra little punch, and as already mentioned it helps create a thicker overall sound. Singer De Zordo Valeriano has a strong, aggressive and sharp voice like those of Ralf Scheepers and Biff Byford, and the rest of the band sound like if the modern day Helloween played early Primal Fear material.

"Our Music" is an Edguy'esque power metal hymn, and "Archons Attack" could easily have been written by Kai Hansen. "Guilty of Homicide" opens with a melody that brings me back to 1984 and Judas Priest's "Rock Hard, Ride Free", but eventually turns into a bit of a darker track than what we have experienced so far from ARDYTION.

"Pain of the World" is a ballad that deviates from the dominating lyrical content on the album and adresses a more contemporary matter. Global warming is something most of us should have heard about by now, and ARDITYON make a relevant statement in the shape of a nice, emotional ballad.

The remaining four tracks all steadily follow the same path as the first half of the album, making ARDITYON's firstborn a thoroughly powerful, heavy, massive and at times even slightly progressive album. The drums are the most prominent element in that context, and Denis Novello has a clear and bright, almost clinically tight drum sound that allows every little detail to get noticed.

A strong debut from this fairly new Italian group. Having existed only since mid-2018 these guys have used their time together well, because they already are proven to be a powerful and well-oiled machinery.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tracklist:
1. Intro: "Avanguardia di Morte"
2. Ardityon
3. Our Music
4. Archons Attack
5. Guilty of Homicide
6. Pain of the World
7. Ancient Enemy
8. Zombie Apocalypse
9. Glory Day
10. Daily Holocaust

ADRITYON:
Denis Novello - drums
Albert "Marshall" Biason - lead and rhythm guitars
De Zordo Valeriano - lead and backing vocals
Diego Bordin - bass
Andrea Colusso - Rhythm guitars and keyboards