Stigma - Concerto For The Undead

 

Inspired by the cult comic series Tales From The Crypt, Concerto For The Undead – the second full-length from Italian metallers, Stigma – is an over the top melodic metal cluster-bomb. Virtuosic, sprawling riffs and thunderous blast beats are fired out track after track in extreme bursts of precision and gusto. From the colourfully ghoulish comic-style artwork to song titles such as Chop His Head Off and ...And They Died Happily Ever After, this is obviously, above all, a bit of fun for a band still rocking their twenties. However, by no means does this take anything away from the accomplished brutality on show here. If the intensity of the frantic musicianship and gang vocal beat downs doesn't already have you convinced, then surely vocalist Stefano "Vlad" Ghersi's haggard and truly hellish howls should finish the job. Concerto... occasionally suffers from an almost clinical production job, but thankfully just avoids hitting overkill. [Ryan Drever]