From thunderous mountain peaks to the lightless depths of the ocean, Nanga Parbat’s very first album Downfall And Torment, aims to recreate the fragile and yet magical feeling of uncertainty that inhabits every human soul. In a world on the brink of destruction, nature’s last forces orchestrate a powerful choir, full of hatred and aggression. All creation speaks through the rhythms, the strings and the throats of the group that play the role of ancient poets, awakened by nature’s suffering.
Downfall And Torment is the inevitable fate of human conscience, overwhelmed by his own evolution since too ravenous of power. A fall through the endless flow of his own agony. A narration of each side of the story, from the human misery to the nature belligerence and rebirth. The endless torment that man inflicts upon himself and everything he touches. Wild beasts assume the role of cosmic guardians, defending what is left, protecting what will come to be. By tooth and claw, they will destroy the enemies they so despise and through their eyes the history of time will be told once again.
The album is an epic journey that will lead the listener through real and rough emotions. The band believes they have channeled all their passion for the most pristine and pure side of the natural world. Green plains, volcanic landscapes and putrid bogs are thus waiting to be discovered from the listeners that will have the will and the spirit to withstand a barrage of growls, heavily distorted guitars and surgical placed drum rhythms.
Downfall And Torment opens with an endless waterfall, a peaceful start to the journey that will completely change the listener’s perspective on the natural forces that make up the entirety of our universe. Every track is carefully placed in order to convey the very idea of change through suffering. The album culminates with the title track, an epic song inspired by William Shakespeare and his magnum opus Macbeth, alongside with all the classical and Shakespearean theatre notions and rules. The history of the Scottish king will symbolize the greed that dominates most human minds, a greed so strong that inhabits the soul at its very core. Greed will ultimately be the demise of our protagonist; he will pay the ultimate price for his crimes and his malevolent intentions. The song presents both intricate metal riffs, representing the chaos which permeates our story, and beautiful orchestral pieces, giving one last tiny hope through all the pain and suffering that this tune narrates.
Nanga Parbat has worked with the finest professionals in the Italian music business to bring forth a true musical gem. Every sound has been carefully chosen, every string tuned to perfection, every cymbal polished with care. All of these efforts can be appreciated in the album’s sound: majestic, aggressive and full of different soundscapes, masterfully created by the band.
Downfall And Torment is strongly based on guitars, riffs and typical structures of the classic Death metal progressive genre revisited in a modern key. The influence of classical symphonic music (Mozart, Wagner, Tchaivkosky) as well as the Baroque-polyphonic music (Bach, Vivaldi) is very important, and emerges both in the compositional and in the instrumental choices. The album is in fact enriched by an orchestral quartet composed of double-bass, cello, viola and violin on which the musician and orchestrator Francesco Ferrini (Piano and orchestras for Fleshgod Apocalypse, collaborator and orchestra arranger for Dimmu Borgir) worked. Concerning the full-length production, the band decided to entrust Marco Cinghio Mastrobuono (Kick Recording Studio) and Fabrizio Ludovici (Bloom Recording Studio) for the recording process.
Downfall And Torment | Released March 23rd, 2021 via Sliptrick Records
Track Listing:
01. The Edge Of An Endless Waterfall | 02. Through A Lake Of Damnation | 03. Blood, Death And Silence | 04. Tidal Blight | 05. Demon In The Snow | 06. Obscure Rains | 07. Curse Of The Thaw | 08. Downfall And Torment | 09. Breath Of The Northern Winds
Produced and Engineered by Nanga Parbat and Marco Mastrobuono
Mixed and Mastered by Marco Mastrobuono
Recorded at Kick Recording Studio, Rome
Additional recording at Bloom Recording Studio with Fabrizio Ludovici and Francesco Delogu
Additional Engineer: Matteo Gabbianelli
Featured Guests:
Davide Straccione – Guest Vocals
Edoardo Taddei – Guest Electric Guitar
Vittoria Nagni – Guest Violin
Fabiana Testa – Guest Acoustic Guitar
Francesco Ferrini – Orchestra Production
Martin Vincent – Narrator
Nanga Parbat are:
Andrea Pedruzzi – Growl and clean Vocals | Flavio Cicconi – Electric Guitar/Acoustic Guitar | Edoardo Sterpetti – Electric Guitar/Orchestration | Enrico Sandri – Bass Guitar | Giulio Galati – Drums
Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | On Sliptrick