Intaglio – II

Intaglio
II
Solitude Productions
12th November, 2021
Playing time: 42:06

More than fifteen years ago, the Russian masters of slow down Intaglio released their self-titled debut album. One year ago, a remixed version was released. In the time in between, the band was probably non-existent. Although “band” is a bit of an overstatement, there were only two names on the line-up list. For “II”, no line-up was supplied at all. The members, who are listed below, I found in the Encyclopaedia Metallum. So, I can’t guarantee for the correctness. But I think the most important thing is the music. And that is what I will comment on below.

The album starts with the three-movement sonata “Midnight Sonata”. After a quiet and calm beginning with minimal instrumentation, the bitterly angry singing of Evander Sinque can be heard in the first movement “The Night Sky” after more than one and a half minutes. The use of the cello (Nadia Avenosova) should be emphasised here. This adds a new, invigorating component to the sound of Intaglio. Later, clear vocals are also added. In the second and third movements of this epic, the cello also plays an essential role in the band’s sound arrangements. It doesn’t really need to be mentioned that slowness is the basic principle of all songs. This also applies to “Subject To Time”. Lower tuned guitars and accentuated drumming dominate here as well, together with the string parts. Despite the strong sound pressure in the low frequency range, “The Memory Of Death” sounds very contemplative at times. And so, the last two songs pour out of the speakers with a leaden heaviness. In “Depths Of Space”, the vocals partly turn into a chant, as if the singer is telling a story. A child’s voice can also be heard.

Two things are noticeable when listening to the album. On the one hand, the really brachial sounds are missing. Nevertheless, the low-range instruments are still dominant. And secondly, the cello has obviously taken over the part of the lead guitar. An interesting further development of the genre. You notice that there are more than fifteen years between the debut and “II”. Mastermind Evgeny Semenov has matured musically during this time. This of course benefits the quality of the music. Let’s hope that the band will stay together in this line-up for a longer time and that we won’t have to wait another fifteen years for the successor.

Intaglio – Subject To Time: https://youtu.be/-MOoiL8yDIA

Lineup:

Evgeny Semenov – Guitars, Bass, Korg MS-20
Nadia Avenosova – Cello
Evander Sinque – Vocals
Roman ‘V’ – Drums
Alexey Batrakov – Double Bass

Track list:

• Midnight Sonata
  I. The Night Sky
  II. Melting Like Ice…
  III. Always Return
• Subject To Time
• The Memory Of Death
• Depths Of Space
• Everything In Its Place