Metal is interesting right now because it's in a place where it's been in the popular conscious of musicians for over forty years. What this means is that two generations of musicians effectively have come and been able to experiment with it and other sounds. This culminates in fascinating new projects like ...and The Black Bells Rang, the new EP from so called "Brass metal" band Ottone Pesante. Their music is surprisingly heavy, relying on crushing baritone horns, a bevy of effects and an overarching sense that this could be a weird new direction for metal to take.
The old adage is that jazz metal is either insufferable masturbation or really goddamn cool with no in between. Fortunately for Ottone Pesante fall firmly on the 'really cool' side of the spectrum. The horns used here create dense and terrifying atmospheres that really speak to their abilities as songwriters and performers. The breadth and destruction of a song like "Carne Marcia" is truly exciting. Who says that you need to have guitars to make heavy music? These guys are in a league almost entirely of their own. It's a delight to get immersed in the weird layers of sonic destruction that seem to come so easily to them as they write.
If I could compare them to any band it would be New York City metal masters Kilter, whose unique lineup of drums, bass and baritone saxophone has been turning heads for a few years now. ..and The Black Bells Rang is an impressive effort, full of emotional density and clarity of vision that really sets the band apart. It's a step up from their 2020 full length DoomooD and hints at so much more to come. This is definitely something worth getting completely immersed in as you try to find the other side of a dark sonic universe. I think Ottone Pesante may stun us all in 2022.
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