It's not very often I take up a progressive djent band for reviewing. But on certain occasions, it's okay to break the rules and give chances to the open world a bit. Coming across a new band on my roster with an interesting thematic message in their lyrics, I knew I gotta cover this! Dark Side Bright Side is a progressive metal band founded by guitarist and composer Marco Gennaro during the end of winter 2019, later joined by Enrico Tiberri on the vocals. The band has dropped their latest sophomore single “The Painter of Ghosts”, which the band promises to be a rich take on their musical prowess. So without any further ado, let’s jump into the discussion!
Starting off with a melodic passage, accompanied by the immense sound of the rhythm guitars in the back, the intro gives a lot of Karnivool vibes. Bleeding into, are the powerful vocal lines of Enrico Tiberi. Combining his lows with the mid-ranged melodic vocals, Enrico adds the much needed emotional touch to the song that drives the song forward. With the dynamic changes incorporated in the first minute, the song takes a "Thall"-ish route with its dissonance based chord rhythms in polyrhythmic time signature.
Later Half of the song uses acoustic guitar rhythms with guitar leads on top. The unconventional chord progression changes do give off a bit of Opeth vibes. Not to forget the guitar solo - the unorthodox style to it with a bit of melodic phrasing uplifts the listening experience of the song. While the first half was mostly vocal dominated, this section is rather instrumental based, giving the time and space to Marco for showcasing his technical chops.
With “The Painter of Ghosts”, a certain quiverness of melancholy exists with its powerful dissonance based passages. And to be certain, “The Painter of Ghosts” is the other name that represents Cancer - a fatal disease still taking millions of lives worldwide. The band has stated that a loss of a personal one through the deadly disease brought up the themes of existence and mortality, which they wanted to reflect upon through their lyrical messaging. The band has also prepared a lyrics video, containing medical visuals of scans, which is simply stunning.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/darksidebrightsideband/
Genre: Progressive Metal, Djent
Worldwide Release: March 25th, 2022.