My review: THE COVENTRY – Unspoken – 2020 – Swiss Dark Nights

Unspoken

Song by song

Democracy is falling apart

The opening of the record is characterized by a crooning in the distance and by atmospheres that welcome us to the chief town of Apulia: a slow gliding in the night.

Life’s like a war

We start dancing after a refined opening with a keyboard that is night oxygen, here the sound and the arrangements stick to a dark electro welded together by Darkwave, made sublime by Valerio Rivieccio’s guitars, while Adriana with her keyboards connects everything and Mario Manfredi performs his powerful vocals.

Word Promises Lies

The beginning leads us towards Kraftwerk, but it’s only a few seconds: a velvety but impetuous keyboard welcomes Valerio’s vocals showing his ability in the upper extension.

It must be Carnival

Here the band shows all its progress: a song leading us around Central Europe, whether it’s Belgium in the 80s or Germany, it doesn’t matter. A sudden Synthpop inviting Darkwave to stop for three and a half minutes: time of great quality, with keyboards that dominate everything and turn out to be seductive. A song reminding us of the early Dave Gahan in his interpretation of the melodic line, but maintaining full control of his style.

Silent for too long II

Valerio, after resting, comes back very fresh with a guitar that is wind smelling like rain: he takes us into the Apulian sky without delay, he draws a line lodging in our minds. This is a track of immense beauty: more than the genre, it is the suggestion that wins, sadness and melancholy accompany us in our flight and time seems to have disappeared.

The lovely bones

Maybe here we reach the apotheosis: power and sense of suspension seem to dominate the scene, Mario hides behind the clouds full of rain and when the drum machine arrives we are fascinated definitively, we are overwhelmed and blessed.

Ferociously enchanting

Electronic launches its inputs, slow but wild introduces Valerio’s baritonal vocals that steal our hearts. They are tears of darkness becoming condensation and making our eyes stunned. Vocals also meets an interpretation that winks at the best EBM and the keyboards are slabs of malignant and gloomy claws.

Kind

The album ends with a new show of strength: you don’t always need speed to be devastating. The eighth flash is witness to that: spectacular sounds coming from East Germany in the early 80’s; we can breathe Sacredness, the feeling that these guys have international breaths in their lungs. And here Mario and Valerio take turns in vocals.

Alex Dematteis

Alex2020

http://swissdarknights.bandcamp.com/album/unspoken