One must ponder into curiosity asking themselves what does Gothic death metal from Italy sound like. The answer would be Italian six-piece, Ghost of Mary. The violin of Joele Micelli creates a classical soundscape with growls from the throat of Daniele Rini on track opener Shades, giving a gothic vibe from the get-go. Rini not only growls but gives an introduction to a promising clean vocals delivery. Delving into Gothic themes, lyrically concentrating on life and death. Being a concept album on a story created by Rini about an ancient tree where souls slip away under the full moon. Empty bodies take the form of stones in the riverbank. One dead soul shares a mysterious oracle of pain, being the ‘ghost of Mary’, where the afterlife is known as the ‘oblivaeon.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfZhd0WoQ5E]
The guitar duo of Mauro Nicoli and Gabrielle Muja come at full force on standout track Last Guardians. The Italian stallions leave heavy hitting riffs that gallop in sync to the pounding bass and pummeling drums of Nicola Lezzi and Damiano Rielli, respectively. The use of the piano adds a nice touch and the catchy chorus sparks some light in the darkness. The infectious guitar solos pave the way to next track Nothing, picking up the pace with Rielli at break-neck speed. Never short of edgy riffs and melodic bliss Ghost of Mary prove to be a group of talented musicians. Spoken word and symphonic sounds create brief breathing room before for more head banging.
Title-track, Obivaeon is an instrumental piece with acoustic guitar, violin, and piano which welcomes more clean vocals and catchy chorus on next track Black Star. Growls return on Something to know with passion reached on highest levels through Rini’s voice, which makes a strong impact on the music created here. The End its the Beginning is a strong way to wind down the album with flawless musicianship on display. A piano version of The Ancient Abyss closes the album, something entirely different to the previous track of the same name. Tagged as gothic death metal, Ghost of Mary blend genres of all spectrums of metal, creating the perfect cocktail of epic metal.
