November 28, 2024November 27, 2024Chris
Well, THIS was a left-turn I don’t think anyone saw coming. Anyone who checked out 2020’s Hypnagogic Hallucinations from Italy’s Bedsore were aware of the subtle shades of prog and psychedelia coloring the band’s death metal, but that’s all they were: shades. It was more than enough to not only get me to pick up the vinyl, but add them to my favorite albums of 2020. And here we are four years later with Dreaming The Strife For Love, and those shades of prog and psychedelia have completely washed over the death metal. Not enough to make it unrecognizable, but enough that we have to question how to classify Bedsore moving forward. What’s NOT a question is the quality: for this particular prog-nerd it’s a stunning late year release that in the few weeks I’ve been listening has me struggling to find out exactly where it needs to sit on this year’s list.
The change between albums might best be captured in the use of “progressive” versus “prog.” Listening back to tracks on Hypnagogic Hallucinations like the two-part “The Gate” and the frenzied riffage on “Deathgazer” shows Bedsore firmly grasping the guardrails of progressive metal: tight, intricate riffs that play with syncopated rhythms, keyboards added for color and mood. Not to mention the gargantuan “At The Mountains Of Madness.” Conversely, Dreaming The Strife For Love opens with the six and a half minute instrumental “Minerva’s Obelisque” and the central focus slithers between ominous organs straight out of 1973, a light deft touch on the drums, and the guitars that merely accent the pace of the song. And this is all before we get to the female voice intoning wordless melodies mixed with brass accompaniment (yes, there is sax, Martha my dear). If Bedsore wanted to make a statement with this new album, they certainly did it with “Minerva’s Obelisque.”
From there it just gets better and better. Single “Scars Of Light” carries some of the intricacy and drive (and stellar keyboard work) that typifies another massive band that recently released an album that brought back some of their earlier ferocity. But Bedsore are very much carving out their own identity, and if anything I can hear much more of a vintage 70s vibe in the guitar and synth work than in that other band. Jacopo Gianmaria Pepe really pushes his guitar work to new and exciting places, and there’s no mistaking his rasping scream for anyone else – it takes on black metal properties in certain moments. The entire band is simply afire here: I’ve made comments before about my distaste for fretless bass in extreme metal (mainly because it’s overused as a crutch than really reinforcing the song itself) but bassist Giulio Rimoli does it exactly right, supporting the songs, laying the low-frequency bedrock and rocking the bass pedal for that extra layer of warmth on the bottom.
It all comes together beautifully on the album’s centerpiece “A Colossus, An Elephant, A Winged Horse; The Dragon Rendezvous” whose title might be the proggiest thing on Dreaming The Strife For Love. But if you want some serious keyboards in your prog, you get it courtesy of Stefano Allegrettiwho just might be the MVP here. Switching from mellotron to organ to synthesizers and keyboards, his work is always a highlight but never overshadows the mammoth track, and he’s perfectly complemented by Davide Itrion drums. Allegretti and Itri connect wonderfully again on the opening of “Realm of Eleuterillide” which manages to get even more furious in its death metal prog stew. The production is deep and loud; while there’s a good amount of space to let the instruments shine (particularly here with the great guest horn work), when the more metal moments come together it’s a sonic cacophony that blends everything together that’s almost but not quite a wash. It’s put together really well – there’s no “brick walling” to be had here.
With the brief and almost pop-inflected “Fanfare For A Heartfelt Love” and the epic closer of “Fountain Of Venus” (which just goes full-bore on the prog) it’s hard to find fault with anything on Dreaming The Strife For Love. Bedsore have taken a turn I don’t think anyone was expecting and knocked it out of the park. I love an album I keep discovering small nuances and moments in after multiple listens, and I expect that trend to continue here, because I’m very, very reluctant to take this thing off my turntable anytime soon.
— Chris
Dreaming the Strife For Love will be available November 29 on 20 Buck Spin. For more information on Bedsore, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.
