Dismal
Via Entis
Aural Music
Spellbinding, all-encompassing, theatrical dark music masters Dismal are anything but Dismal. Hmm. Bet they’ve never heard that one before… They are sometimes jaunty, sometimes thoughtful, even sometimes super creepy – have a listen to the eerily simple piano intro to ‘Return To The Emerald Forest’ and chilling spoken start of ‘The Alchemist At The King’s Court’. You probably don’t need to be told which musical direction these Italian gothica masters are moving in. That’s right – full on fantasy. ‘Via Entis’ is like a fairytale book in song form. The seven compositions conjure up images from a world of dreams from the moment you read their names on the playlist. It’s early in the year to start making wild accusations, but surely ‘Via Entis’ is going to be one of the most unique releases of 2023.
Review by Jo Wright