It's fitting that Ponte Del Diavolo are named after the "Bridge of the Devil". The Italian band weld doom and black metal into a towering force that's as cruel and unforgiving as the infamously steep road that medieval peasants had to cross on the way to their home country.
With the announcement of their very first album, Ponte Del Diavolo cast a delightfully gloomy shadow over the holiday season. Today, they're letting the bad times roll into the new year by unveiling their second single.
Watch the spellbinding video for "Covenant" below.
Fire Blades From The Tomb is out February 16, 2024.
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/PonteFireBlades
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/firebladesfromthetombpresave
"Covenant" swears off the conventional wisdom that sometimes less is more. After all, what's better than a dark and doomy bass line? How about two dark and doomy bass lines that swarm like a sky full of thunderclouds.
"Covenant is a hymn to nature, a pact with the elements, a reconciliation with death" Ponte Del Diavolo says. "The video is a tribute to Turin, which we believe encapsulates all this in its magical and often decadent romanticism. It's the song that has more 'forays' than the other tracks on the album. Theremin, synthesizers and clarinet (played by Lucynine, Andrea L'Abbate and Vittorio Sabelli respectively) can be heard between dark wave-inspired and typically doom parts. It is the first song born during the composition sessions and its refrain contains the lyrics that gave the album its title."
Having two bassists is what gives Ponte Del Diavolo such an earthshaking foundation, though the hammering drum fills and sludgy riffs could send even the blackest of hearts to their grave. But "Covenant" adds some more gothic flourishes to their dance with death. Laid to rest by an ominous foghorn of thermin, the song ends with a spooky, spine-chilling whistle of synth.
"Surrender to the tomb", Erba Del Diavolo beckons with unflappable cool. Resistance is futile. Come join Ponte Del Diavolo on the dark side of the Italian arts.
PONTE DEL DIAVOLO bridges the gap between two separate worlds.
The Italian band proposes a Doom / Black metal sound with old-school roots, adding a modern and outside the box background. The female voice - with strong dark wave influences - is the lyric corpus of this strongly esoteric project. The solid presence of two bassists creates the massive foundation for the rhythmic guitar, everything marked by a raw and dynamic drumming.
Mystery of Mystery / Secret Live Session marked the quintet’s debut EP. It was recorded live and without editing at Dracma Studio with the producer L’Ossario in their home base of Turin in March 2020. "I" was released on the web by Iopan Records. It was soon followed by their second single, "The Wickedest Woman In the World".
At the end of 2021, PONTE DEL DIAVOLO recorded their second EP, Sancta Menstruis at Deepest Sea Studio in Turin with Danilo Battocchio. The first single, "The Unborn", arrived in February 2022.
The band's third EP, Ave Scintilla!, was also recorded in Turin. This time around, they reconvened at Dracma Studio with L'Ossario.
Now that they've signed with Season of Mist, PONTE DEL DIAVOLO are ready to release their debut album. Fire Blades From the Tomb forges classic, cultish doom metal with modern bents of post-punk. Lead single and opening track “Demone” is whipped along by a boiled black bass line and dark-wave induced vocals.
Prepare to cross over into the Italian dark arts.
Line-up
Elena Camusso (as Erba Del Diavolo) - Vocals
Alessio Caruso (as Krhura) - Bass
Andrea l'Abbate (as Kratom) - Bass
Stefano Franchina (as Segale Cornuta) - Drums
Rocco Scuzzarella (as Nerium) - Guitars
Guest Musicians
Andrea l'Abbate - Synth on 'Covenant'.
Lucynine - Theremin on 'Covenant'.
Vittorio Sabelli - Clarinet on 'Covenant', 'Red as the sex of She who lives in death' & 'Nocturnal veil'.
Davide Straccione - Vocals on 'The weeping song'.
Recording Studio
Deepest Sea Studio
Producer & Sound Engineer
Danilo Battocchio
Mixing & Mastering Studio / Engineer
Lunatech Sounds / Dimitris Douvras
Cover Art
Laura Nardelli
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/firebladesfromthetombpresave
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/PonteFireBlades
Links:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ponte-del-diavolo/1639072320
Bandcamp: https://pontedeldiavolo666.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PontedelDiavolo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pontedeldiavoloband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4mAfr0B2wgIFbVBUAv9btD
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pontedeldiavolo3847
Management & Booking Contact:
pontedeldiavoloofficial@gmail.com
Enrico Giannone: enrico@kickagency.com
Available Formats:
Digital Download
Deluxe CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Gold & Black Marbled