Artist : Blacksmith Tales

Album : The Dark Presence

Release Date : 30-04-2021

Added : 29-05-2021

'Blacksmith Tales' is a new symphonic progressive project initiated by the Italian keyboardist and composer 'David Del Fabro'. His debut album 'The Dark Presence' is conceptual and tells the story of a soul in search of the inner light, of its own self, and who, in order to do so, must face its darkest part, descend in the depths of her mind and heart, overcome the obstacles it finds on the way to the light and then face a new journey, a new life, all this while making us travel through time, from ancient Egypt to Middle age. Composed in the 1990s, 'David Del Fabro' therefore materialized his project with the release of 'The Dark Presence', also thanks to talented artists because we find, among others, the singer of 'Temperance' and of 'Visions Of Atlantis', 'Michele Guaitoli', and the producer and keyboardist 'Luca Zanon' who gave David the boost to make this beautiful album.

Composed of 13 tracks quite disparate by their length, 'The Dark Presence' offers us 76 rich and intense minutes with marked influences in the progressive of the 70s starting with the long eponymous development of the album which, by its introduction, offers us a total change of scenery and we find ourselves in an old time with a musical construction in several drawers that we open one after the other to discover all the nooks and crannies. The sung parts are beautiful with very good vocal performances throughout the album of 'Michele Guaitoli'. 'Golgotha' which follows, is almost entirely instrumental and apart from a few female vocals, offers us an epic atmosphere with sounds quite close to 'Therion', then, without transition, 'Let Me Die' is more energetic and catchy with rhythmic alternations and intensity bringing a good progressive dose, the end of the title much calmer highlighting a piano joined by the singing of 'Michele Guaitoli'. The sequel scrolls through 7 shorter tracks but all of which keep a beautiful originality: 'Rain… of Course' offers us a melodic track in a light atmosphere, then, 'Into the Sea (Apocatastasis)' jostles us with its frequent tempo changes and keeps melodic lines accessible which are supported by vintage tones and beautiful final vocal harmonies. As for the short 'Interlude', it is a beautiful acoustic ballad which highlights the delicate singing of 'Beatrice Demori', then, the instrumental 'Tides From a Faraway Shore' continues in a pastoral atmosphere and sends us back to the style of formations like 'Jethro Tull', same atmosphere that we find with the lively 'The Dark Presence Revelation' and 'A new Sunrise', which follows, is more energetic and very catchy with oriental sounds here and there. Then follows the short 'Chapter LXIV', made of sound effects and electronic sounds, which serves as an introduction to the masterpiece of the album 'Possessed by Time' and which takes us on a progressive symphonic saga linking very varied sections that make us travel in a delicious sound maze with a harmonious finale of any beauty. After all this profusion and this musical richness, the short acoustic ballad 'Last hero's Crusade' is a well-deserved break and the album ends with the 8 minutes of 'Book of Coming Forth by Day' which offers us a new progressive sequel to several drawers further highlighting the originality and variety that the Italians offer us.

In summary, the Italians 'Blacksmith Tales' offers us a first album which should mark the year 2021 in progressive music because 'The Dark Presence' shows all the potential of this formation which contains everything that every amateur and amateur desires find in this kind of music : a mixture of different influences and styles, remarkable alternations of more or less energetic atmospheres, all this being embellished by accessible melodic lines...

Line Up / Musicians

David Del Fabro (Piano, Keybords, Duduk, Choirs), Beatrice Demori (Vocal), Michele Guaitoli (Vocal), Stefano Debiaso (Drums), Denis Canciani (Bass), Marco Falanga (Guitar), Luca Zanon (Keybords, Flute)