Lahmia - Forget Every Sunrise
Self-released
Melodic Death Metal
5 songs (27'11")
Release year: 2008
Reviewed by Alex
Surprise of the month

The distance between Rome and Goteborg is almost 2,500 km (over 1,500 miles), but the Italian newcomers Lahmia make it sound oh so close. The band, a relatively new entry in the Rome metal scene, Forget Every Sunrise is their second demo, unquestionably plays melodic death metal which origin lies on the shores of Western Sweden. I guess I am not the only one smitten by the powerful Dark Tranquillity formula as Lahmia songwriters follow the blueprint pretty closely.

To Lahmia’s credit they are trying to keep things interesting, coming up with a number of within the song tempo and riffing style changes, blending in the incessant urgent flowing tremolo, playful thrash, choppy staccato and looping entrancing dance overtones (Grinding Dreams, The Last Dance). Atmospheric melodic sweeping choruses (Nightfall) or a touch of gothic (Glass Eyed Child), the demo is emotionally charged, not flat, even if the production is modern and thus a little sterile. And just like Dark Tranquillity, the band does not waste a single moment without harmony, all notes coming to the logical tuneful conclusion.

Francesco Amerise, in line with the rest of the troupe, is diversifying his vocal lines. Spoken (Glass Eyed Child), clean (Nightfall) and gothic withdrawn (Game of Sacrifice) angles are not all evenly well mastered, but most of the time Francesco is Stannesque, singing while growling, twisting his soul inside out, matching the emotional charge delivered by the rest of Lahmia.

Game of Sacrifice riffs being a little generic and the leads, while sharply executed, could have been blended a little better, Lahmia impresses with both songwriting and musicianship. Most original the material on Forget Every Sunrise is not, but the Italians delivered both professional and expressive effort in the genre which took its lumps due to severe overpopulation. For some, this could be dead on arrival, but, honestly, I enjoyed uncovering unsigned young talented melodic death bands (Lothlorien, Hyperborean, Elohim, Summer Dying) myself more than listening to what the bigger labels had to offer. I just wish Lahmia quite a bit more luck than the aforementioned young gems who either never got going beyond a few demos or were a one-album deal disappearing into nothingness. Perhaps my favorite Italian label Cruz Del Sur could give Lahmia some attention.

Killing Songs :
Grinding Dreams, Glass Eyed Child, The Last Dance
Alex quoted 78 / 100
Other albums by Lahmia that we have reviewed:
Lahmia - Resilience reviewed by Alex and quoted 73 / 100
Lahmia - Into the Abyss reviewed by Alex and quoted 81 / 100
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