Two years after the release of his debut album The Silence of Rust, which I really enjoyed, the atmospheric black/doom metal one-man band Marea is back this year with a second album entitled A Caress of Autumn for All the Lost, released a few days ago via the labels Hypnotic Dirge Records and Masked Dead Records. This second album continues the trajectory of this ambitious project, with a distinctive vision and personal approach to music.
From the very first seconds, A Caress of Autumn for All the Lost brings to mind bands such as Agalloch and Woods of Desolation, blending the aggression characteristic of atmospheric black metal with the tempos of doom metal. The structure of the tracks is based on a balance between faster-paced moments and slower passages. There are also acoustic guitar passages in several tracks, but the most memorable one appears on Still Horizon from 3:14 onwards. The atmosphere is melancholic and emotional, at times worrying and menacing, as on Night Birds from 1:52 onwards. The mix brings the vocals to the fore while allowing the guitars space to breathe, and the clear production allows the instruments to express their full potential while preserving that atmospheric clarity.
The guitars race along at full speed in a distorted rhythm, offering melodic layers across several passages. The most remarkable of these can be heard on The Beauty of Broken Things from 8:23 onwards, featuring a melancholic solo. The guitar performance is also memorable on the track Night Birds. The drums make a powerful impression on several passages with blast beats, but that’s not all!! There’s also a sense of restraint during the quieter moments, with hypnotic drumming. The drumming is particularly remarkable on tracks such as Eremita. The vocals are high-pitched and raw, blending a hellish feel with a depressive tone. This combination is evident on tracks such as Eremita. I find the vocal performance particularly memorable on tracks such as Aurora and Night Birds.
Among the moments and tracks I enjoyed was the structure of the track Eremita, which evolves from a calm acoustic passage into a raw and violent sound. I also really enjoyed the vocal performance and the rhythm sections on this track. On Aurora, I liked the disturbing atmosphere at the start, which then shifts to quite nuanced sounds, alternating between acoustic passages and more raw compositions. On Absence of Self, I loved the hypnotic atmospheres, the guitar arrangements, the whispers and the mature structure of the track. I think that, along with Aurora, these are the two standout tracks on the album.
The Italian one-man band Marea presents A Caress of Autumn for All the Lost, an album built around depressive and melancholic atmospheres, with a striking approach to atmospheric black/doom metal and a sound that also explore the realms of post-metal. I also find the songwriting to be more mature and, above all, better structured. It’s a musical project I’ve been following for two years, and I’m personally very pleased with how it's evolved.
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