This Side of The Grave Blackstone

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, the fantastic metal quartet formed by members of Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum, love to explore unseen lands and dive into the adventures of worldwide heroic characters. Sharing their stories with a dedicated fanbase, they now announce their debut album, Metamorphosis, out May 12, 2023 via Napalm Records. With this album, the unit around Ad Infinitum vocal queen Melissa Bonny and Feuerschwanz guitar virtuoso Hans Platz dip their soundscapes into mystical worlds, reinterpreting famous soundtrack themes and writing their own songs dedicated to their favorite characters.

A doomy stoner metal Pink Floyd tribute project spearheaded by Austin, Texas-based Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt, the aptly named Doom Side of the Moon began in early 2017 as a salute to the 50th anniversary of the legendary English psych/classic rock outfit. Comprising Shutt, fellow Sword-mates bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago Vela III, vocalist Alex Marrero (Brownout, Brown Sabbath), saxophonist Jason Frey (Black Joe Lewis, Hard Proof), and keyboardist Joe Cornetti (Croy & the Boys), the band released its eponymous debut, a complete reworking of Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 classic Dark Side of the Moon, in August 2017.

The major debut on Decca DVD of Danielle de Niese. Returning to the opera house where she sang her sensational Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, Danielle performs the title role in Monteverdi's great opera of lust and power, in Robert Carsen's new, modern-dress staging. De Niese is perfectly cast as the beautiful and seductive Poppea who ruthlessly grabs power as Nero's lover but, in this production, is doomed from the moment of her coronation. De Niese's performance is vocally and dramatically powerful, perfectly complemented by Alice Coote as Nero. The two are supported by an outstanding cast, together with period-performance stars Emmanuelle Haïm conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Carsen creates an intelligent and visually-strong production, focusing on the personal side of the story. At times the action is violent and shocking, but this is juxtaposed with episodes of lightness and humour.

This band again deals multiple influences, which in the end makes the sound hard to define. It sounds dark and into bombast arrangements, sometimes reminding me of the mysterious and somewhat ritual style of The Virgin Prunes, but then also more into psychedelic treatments. The vocals of Marthynna remain pretty intriguing and only accentuating the occult side of the sound.