Pulvis Et Umbra, a thrash/death metal act from Cremona Italy, have actually been around for quite some time now. Twelve years to be exact. Since May of 2013 Pulvis Et Umbra have actually been a one man project of founding member Damy Mojitodka's. On the latest album, "Implosion of Pain", Damy wrote and performed all the instrumental and vocal parts himself.
"Implosion of Pain" is as dramatic and atmospheric as it is aggressive. Although I myself am not a connoisseur of Death metal, I did find that there were many interesting musical moments on this release. The opening track, "Lift Off" is primarily an intro for the second track, "Lost Moon". I found it unusual because it is a sound collage of audio samples and effects set to electronica. Not a single guitar note, and certainly not metal! Then "Lost Moon" kicks in with a pounding ferocity and some very cool little musical parts interjected throughout. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the vocal delivery here. I like to think that I'm pretty open minded to all styles of vocals. But I found that the wavering cadence of both the distorted and (barely audible) spoken vocal track were detracting from rather than complimenting the music.
However, the vocals are a much better fit in "End of Emptiness" because of they match the staccato of the rhythm. But then they almost ruin the title track "Implosion of Pain" which is a shame because musically it's such an intense tune. Damy does bring in a death growl into "Soul Vertigo" which is much more compatible with this style of music. There's no questioning his mastery over the instruments, and his unconventional approach to songwriting is refreshing. It's almost post-metal, and the best moments occur where he leaves more empty space between the notes and chords. A lot of what I hear on the album reminds me so much of early Voivod.
There's a lot of creativity happening on "Implosion of Pain" and that makes it an interesting album. There no shortage of talent here, I would simply suggest that he focus the same attention to the vocals as he does the music. A little diversity and clarity in that department would certainly perfect the sound of Pulvis Et Umbra!
Richard Leggatt, HMS
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