Formed in 1998, Spite Extreme Wing were a Black Metal band based in Genoa, Italy. Before the band's untimely demise in 2008, they released some of the most criminally underrated Black Metal records of all time, which also have unfortunately gone generally unnoticed. While each release had had its own unique qualities to separate it from the others, it's 2004's
Non Dvcor, Dvco that takes the prize of the being the bands rawest and darkest affair, taking the listener through a labyrinth-like journey of twisting and turning Black Metal scorchers.
While previous record
Magnificat featured a more complicated, lush form of composition in it's song-writing,
Non Dvcor, Dvco strips back the sound of Spite Extreme Wing to it's rawest and most primal forms. The song's are longer, darker and much, much more aggressive. A perfect example is the title track
Non Dvcor, Dvco, which shies away from the Melodic Black Metal of the past, and delves into more Black/Thrash rooted territory. The riffs are savage bursts of tremolo picked guitar fury, backed by rapid, unrelenting blast beats and hellish screech vocals. A distinct 80's Bay Area thrash influence is also clearly felt, with the band at some points sounding like a stripped down version of Testament, or Dark Angel. While this album is clearly more intense then their previous release, all melody is not forgotten, with songs like
In Su La Vetta and
Il Sole Di Notte E La Rivolta fusing furious Black/Thrash with equally fierce melodies.
Although the majority of
Non Dvcor, Dvco consists mainly of harsh stripped down Black Metal, the album also has it's fair share of experimentation as well. The track
Decadenza begins with an almost Metallica-like clean picked guitar section with sounds of distant explosions in the background. As the song continues, more elements are added, including a creepy, melancholic piano-line that perfectly harmonizes with the guitars. Next track
Disperazione - Il Ciclo Si Chiude is mostly a 90's inspired Black Metal tune, that incorporates some excellent atmospherics into it's being towards the middle of the song. As with last album, each member of the band performs at their best, with each instrument bringing their own certain and unique pleasures. Guitar-wise, the pleasure is the stripped down approach, bringing back vivid memories of 90's Black Metal, while keeping it modern as well by incorporating melody. Bass player Azoth really shines, with his playing prominent in the mix, and his technique perfect. Drummer Fog also does a great job, providing solid and technical percussion to each and every song.
Even after one listen it doesn't take a genius to realize the quality of Spite Extreme Wing's sophomore effort [i]Non Dvcor, Dvco[i]. The album is the perfect blend of aggression and harmony, balancing the two evenly, to make for maximum enjoyability. While each and every Spite Extreme Wing's albums is diverse in their own way,
Non Dvcor, Dvco will always remain known as the rawest of the bunch, paying homage to the bands that created the genre in which they love.
