Kahrmalia Project – Misanthropic Euphoric Essentia

It is no secret that the early 2000s are my favorite period in music. On the back of the introduction of gothic metal in the late ‘90s, many bands started experimenting and blending the genre with prog, alternative metal and other genres. This has led to a string of wonderful releases, but gradually faded in popularity with many bands disbanding and releases becoming less frequent. Basically, out of all those bands, only Katatonia is still active and successful, while others have been marginalized or are no longer around.

Fortunately, after every winter, there is a new spring and we slowly see more artists emerging or returning in that style. One of those artists is the Kahrmalia Project, a solo effort by Italian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Gabriel Cavazzini. His debut album is called “Misanthropic Euphoric Essentia”, an independent release, which, in spite of its Dimmu Borgir-esque title, has nothing to do with symphonic black metal. Instead of that, we get a nice blend of gothic, progressive and alternative metal, not unlike the music from 20 years ago.

After the intro called ‘Catharsis’, the album kicks off with ‘With My Demons’, which is a melancholic prog metal song with even some djent included. It showcases the variety that the Kahrmalia Project has to offer, which is further enhanced by ‘Getting The Truth’, which brings us a blend of alternative and gothic metal with lovely guest vocals by the talented Ivy Marie. Moving on from there, the album mostly brings us slightly progressive gothic metal with melancholic atmospheres and influences from bands like the aforementioned Katatonia and Anathema. One of the highlights is the ballad ‘Alone’, which is again graced by Ivy Marie’s vocals. Her voice contrasts nicely with the melancholic crooning of Gabriel, so I am already looking forward to future collaborations between the two. The music is not very complex, but it has great hooks, enough variation and does grab the listener’s attention with the guitar tone dominating the atmosphere, as is common in this kind of music.

Here and there, the music could still use some refinement, especially since the second half of the album doesn’t deliver as strongly as the first. Also, Gabriel’s voice could do with a bit more conviction from time to time, which is most noticeable in the A-Ha cover closing the album, ‘Here I Stand And Face The Rain’. However, all in all, “Misanthropic Euphoric Essentia” is a promising debut by the Kahrmalia Project and a strong foundation for the future. Definitely an artist to keep an eye on if you are into gothic metal or if you generally enjoy some melancholic music once in a while.