Style: Dark Synthwave-infused Progressive Rock (mixed vocals)
Review by: Will
Country: Italy
Release date: 18 February 2022
The Blank Canvas [ ] is an Italian dark synthwave infused prog-rock band. With their new album, Dark Mirage, they offer listeners the chance to hear the soundtrack to a 2022 throwback party held in a near-future post-apocalyptic dystopian society.
Dreams and dystopia are the main themes throughout the album, the music reminiscent of The Matrix movie soundtrack, with sharp, pulsing electronic-driven sounds featured on a number of tracks. Indeed, The Blank Canvas [ ] seems to owe a lot of its sound to techno, industrial, and synthwave as much as it does to prog. This is especially noticeable on tracks like “Black Lotus” which features a pounding techno-infused backing from Michele Marchiani and “Unknown Star System” which opens with bassplosion-like sound effects straight from a trailer for a Michael Bay film. When combined with the rest of The Blank Canvas [ ]’s ensemble with the distorted guitars, the effect is a dark, gritty soundscape that speaks to a neon-noir style towering metropolis at night, lit only by neon, soaking in sheets of acid rain.
Across this soundscape cuts Alessio Dufur’s stern, hard-as-iron vocals like a tannoy system blasting over the din in a heaving nightclub making songs like “Cage of Fireflies” and “Epitaph for a Friend” sound like a rave at the end of the universe. Dufur is versatile enough to soften his vocals when needed to complement more melodic sections of songs like “Unknown Star System”.
Creating a more horror-darksynth infused prog album is a great combination that has been executed well in Dark Mirage, if there was one gripe with the instrumentation, it would be that the bass is very low in the mix. This is far from ideal when creating techno inspired or synthwave music, as it relies so much more on a robust bass section to support the melody. Having the bass higher up in the mix would help to fill out the sometimes hollow-sounding rhythm sections as well as help to sell the band’s techno credentials.
Additionally, though Nicola Benetti does a fantastic job imitating Drum’n’Bass style drumlines a la The Prodigy, the drums sound muddy in the mix compared to the crisp, clear electronica and FX. This is likely a result of the drums and bass being played by real people rather than compiled into a computer FX board. However, it would have been great to hear the drums being mastered a little more clearly and blended with Marchiani’s FX work to create a more complete sounding composition.
That said, there are moments when all the threads come together for The Blank Canvas [ ] and the effect is pretty special: The final track “Lands” is a tour de force of driving guitar riffs underlayed with dark, grinding synth. On this track the bass feels high enough to fill out the sound somewhat and the muddier tone with drumming works well with the slightly more grunged-up FX. Everything feels like it’s pulling in the same direction, towards a pulsing crescendo over which Dufur’s vocals, layered over themselves, create a one-man Gregorian doomsday chant. This is the song that I know The Blank Canvas [ ] is capable of and it is magnificent to hear.
The Blank Canvas [ ] have created a unique fusion of prog and dark techno in Dark Mirage. Though they sometimes fall short and could benefit from tightening up the mix and including a few more audio hooks to grab the listener, the album is undoubtedly an interesting experiment in sound that could well pay dividends for the Italian band. However, what you’re looking for is a soundtrack to a Cyberpunk escapade, for a dystopian technological nightmare, or for a neon-noir adventure, look no further.
Recommended tracks: Land, Unknown Star System, Black Lotus
Recommended for fans of: The Prodigy, Combichrist, Head Splitter
You may also like: ???
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram |
Label: Self-released
The Blank Canvas [ ] is:
– Alessio Dufur (vocals)
– Maurizio ‘Pappone’ Tuci (guitars)
– Marco Filippi (bass)
– Michele Marchiani (synth, FX, machines)
– Nicola Benetti (drums)
0 Comments