In case you missed the Gothenburg scene at the beginning of the nineties, DAEMUSINEM could make your day. Right from the start these Italians bring back in mind one of the most seminal bands of the melodic and technical Death Metal genre that are first era AT THE GATES. And indeed "Daemusinem Domine Empire" bears striking similarities with masterpieces like "The Red In The Sky Is Ours" and ‘With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness". Vocalist Gianni Abrardi even belts out some Tomas Lindberg mannerisms and as the AT THE GATES of old, DAEMUSINEM are totally at ease with complex song structures and mystical, melancholic and very dark lyrics. Far from being a mere clone, DAEMUSINEM refresh a somewhat obsolete style to give it a new brightness, a commendable deed if you ask me. I can’t point at any standout track really, as the whole album shows a lot of consistency, without any flaw. The music is delivered at very fast pace, with lot of breaks and rhythm changes. Note that the recording line-up is only a three-piece, and I would like to give a special mention to mastermind Patrick Zavanese who plays all the instruments (except drums) with obvious talent. Synths are used throughout the album, but only in an ornamental way, to set up haunted atmospheres, so don’t expect ambient nonsense but rather intense and highly melodic Death Metal with some light Black Metal overtones. Add to all this a splendid (as always) artwork by Kris Verwimp (my favorite artist for album covers) and I guess you get a winner here. Support DAEMUSINEM, they certainly deserve it, as this first offering promises a lot for the future. The Empire strikes back indeed! Check out for the band at www.coldbloodindustries.com