['selvɘ] - "DOMA" (Overdrive Records/Shove Records, 2018)

Band: ['selvɘ]
Title: DOMA
Genre: Post-black metal
Time: 25 min
Year: 14th February 2018
Rating: 76/100













Behind the absurd moniker of ['selvɘ] - that can be transcripted with the more senseful "selva" (Italian for "wood") -, there is an Italian trio from Lodi (Piedmont) that was born at the end of 2013. Their sound belongs surely to the vast black metal spectrum and, throughout the years, they have shared the stages with great bands like Full of Hell, Shining and Celeste. Despite all these references, I realized that they have got no profile on Metal-Archives, and this is strange, also because they released two full-lenght albums so far. Some months ago Selva are back with a 25-minute EP called "DOMA", in all-Italian release by Overdrive Rec in collaboration with Shove Rec (other labels have co-operated with them for the CD release as well for the vinyl and tape versions).


Mastered by Jack Shirley (the historic producer of the post-black metal heroes Deafheaven), "DOMA", I repeat, lasts 25 minutes but this lenght is divided into only 2 very long songs titled "Silen" and "Joy". These are monuments devoted to a sound that surely will makes happy the fans of the same Deafheaven and Wolves in the Throne Room, so we're talking about a black metal with many post-rock influences, also called post-black metal. Now, you know I'm not so keen on post-black metal since I am very linked to the most traditional forms (someone calls them "TRVE"!) of this genre, but I have to say that "DOMA" surprised me a fukken lot! In a positive way, I mean!

In fact, Selva managed perfectly to realize an EP characterized, firstly, by a very harsh and raw production somehow close to the early Darkthrone and similar pure black metal acts. Secondly, the songs are full of furious and chaotic blasting outbursts, as mostly exemplified by the opening tracks "Silen", that's surely my favorite one. So, here there is a good amount of violence reinforced by plenty of suffering screams.

But we aren't talking about a clone of Marduk! This means that here the violence is never blind but brings the listeners to experience an emotional journey in which despairing melodies, many atmospheric moments and excellent climaxes are really important. In this sense, the second and closing song "Joy" is the most atmospheric one, especially during its last 5 instrumental minutes. At the end, this approach that see an alternation between blasting moments and more reflexive passages with plenty of melodies and post-rock influences reminds me a lot another Italian band like Seventh Genocide from Rome.

Speaking about some flaws about the EP, maybe the vocals are too distant and too much in the background if compared with the guitars. And I don't really like, indeed, the last 5 minutes of "Joy", in which the band obsessively repeat more or less the same things until a predictable fading end. But, anyway, these flaws don't ruin this emotional journey called "DOMA", also because that masterpiece of "Silen" is more than enough to make memorable this EP marked by the "post-black/screamo" (as these three guys dub their music) of ['selvɘ].

P.S.:

as I note everytime that I receive the physical copies of the albums reviewed on these pages, you have to know that I received "DOMA" in physical CD format from the Italian agency True Bypass Promotion, that, indeed, promotes the bands of Overdrive Records.

Tracklist:

1 - Silen
2 - Joy

Line-up:

Alessandro Andriolo - vocals/guitars
Andrea Pezzi - vocals/bass
Tommaso Rey - drums

Guests:

Francesco Anelli - samples ("Silen")

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/selvapbs/
BandCamp: https://selvapbs.bandcamp.com/
Overdrive Records: https://www.over-drive.it/?v=78533df0a516
Shove Records: https://it-it.facebook.com/Shove-108297015901355/
True Bypass Promotion: https://www.facebook.com/TrueBypassPromo/