Hands Of Orlac are all about horror movies, mostly Italian ones, and I’m not, so you might think we wouldn’t get on. Then again, this is the band that moved from Italy to Sweden just because they wanted to record their debut album there, and I can get behind that having lived abroad for 8 years, even if my move definitely did not help me to be closer to the music scene. The most likely link that Hands Of Orlac would have made in Sweden was with the burgeoning “retro doom” movement, which had plenty of local representatives after Witchcraft started up. Also in that retro rock/psych/doom field, Blood Ceremony are most often cited as the closest comparison to Hands, which surely has something to do with both acts having a female singer who plays flute. You won’t be led wrong with that comparison, although it’s worth noting that Figli del Crepuscolo extends its 6 main songs to a 7 minute average, so they really aren’t messing around when it comes to prog and psych notions, many of which can be traced back to older acts from their native country, for instance Black Hole who they covered on the debut.
Considering that this was already recorded in 2014, I think Hands pretty much take an ideal path in terms of their mix of styles, selecting a lot of satisfying elements both from the point of view of doom metal fans (my angle), retro fiends (I could take it or leave it), and Hammer Horror movie buffs (where I’m entirely ignorant). The long and dragging riffs assuredly bring a doomy quality to proceedings, which matches the themes very well, but they also possess a kind of suppleness that allows the quintet to play tricks in terms of structuring, changes of pace, lead melody and soloing, plus a few jam-like moments where planning seems less important than experiential innovation. As such, this is doom metal but not heavy doom, sounding appropriately rickety and natural until a few more crushing injections, not to mention guitar workouts like that near the tail of ‘A Ghost Story’, where Hands begin to encroach on old Iron Maiden territory. Besides, the passages with the flute tend to emphasize the creepiness of the slow riffing in a similar manner to the sinuous vocals (for obvious reasons, vocals and flute never occur at once), so atmosphere comes from many different sources.
As I see it, Figli del Crepuscolo hits a sweet spot precisely because the band needn’t choose between musical ambition and atmospheric tension. On this album, everyone is pretty much a lead player (the bass gets less focus though isn’t ignored) and they take turns to shape the experience, either through simple and stark application of their talents - as with the flute leads and some of the riffs - or busier behaviour that turns the intensity up a few degrees, generally the prerogative of the drumming and lead guitar. Due to the degree of involvement in each song, it’s not terribly straightforward to name different types of effect with reference to titles, since every cut contains a variety of features. The introduction of the album is a bit more concrete however, what with the instrumental title track playing around with those creepy ‘70s European horror synths, then ‘Last Fatal Drop’ kicking in as not only slightly the briefest but probably also the most energetic of the main songs, reminding me of Portrait at times. I think I’ve made it clear already, but just to restate: I spot no weak link among the songs.
Therefore, regardless of the seeming disagreements between Hands Of Orlac’s chosen style and my preferences, Figli del Crepuscolo goes beyond my expectations and proves diverting and exciting for its duration. It’s unfortunately rare that I can say this: we’re talking about an album where all aspects seem to have been considered, from the songwriting to the lyrics to the performances to the sonic choices, and it shows in the refinement of the overall product. In this particular niche of doom metal, Figli del Crepuscolo just about has it all.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=IefZD5cLePA&t=1178s
