Review: Noveria – The Gates of the Underworld

Style: Progressive Metal, Trad Prog, Power Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Symphony X, DGM
Review by: Christopher
Country: Italy
Release date: 25 August, 2023

The Gates of the Underworld is the fourth album from Italian quintet Noveria, a band who have all the appurtenances of progressive power metal word-perfect: the epic choruses, the surfeit of soloing, the frenetic riffing, walking the fine line between heavy metal bombast and progressive pretension. Introductory track “Heritage” hits you with thick riffage, and a big choral and symphonic accompaniment, neatly setting the tone for the record to come. 

The heavy metal influence on this album is an interesting addition, Francesco Corigliano’s strong vocals are redolent of many big names—he segues into Dio-esque timbres on “Descent”—and it marries well into the Dream Theater-core sound. There’s a very cool duel between keys and guitar in the “Descent” solo, over some rather interesting chord choices. The chants over a big brass presence on the title are legitimately awesome. “Revenant” would be perfectly at home on a nineties Dream Theater album, and closing track “Eternal” features frantic soloing on the parts of Francesco Mattei and Julien Spreutels who pull out all the stops for the finale.

The Gates of the Underworld has a lot going for it. The occasional forays into harsh vocals, which don’t always fit trad prog, are used judiciously and work well for the band. Every player is clearly very talented and the energy they display throughout is infectious. And yet, with repeat listens I found that nothing really stuck: melodies weren’t hooking me, the stand-outs didn’t stick in my head. Noveria’s competency is undeniable but, for me, they lack earworms. 

And I think that’s because, at sixty-five minutes, The Gates of the Underworld is a little too much of a good thing which, by the final few tracks, starts retreading ground it already walked, thus losing a little steam. The particular combination of riffs and solos is energising the first time you hear it but becomes a case of diminishing returns as the album goes on; prospective listeners will find themselves gravitating to three or four of the best, but The Gates of the Underworld’s length dilutes its highlights. While I like that they avoid cheesy Dream Theater ballad territory, Noveria need to find some other gears to shift into, because high energy riffage alone can’t sustain an hour of listening.

While I wish Noveria pushed a little harder at the genre’s hard edges, it’s undeniable that this fourth full-length is a superlative showcase of the band’s talents. The compositional chops and high energy of The Gates of the Underworld make for a consummate trad prog work, perhaps not the best you’ll hear this year, but absolutely worth hearing. 

Recommended tracks: Origins, Descent, The Gates of the Underworld
You may also like: Tanagra, Turbulence
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Scarlet Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Noveria is:
– Francesco Corigliano (vocals)
– Francesco Mattei (guitars)
– Andrea Arcangeli (bass)
– Davide Calabretta (drums)
– Julien Spreutels (keyboards)