Review: “Una Lama D’Argento” by Tenebro

In unwavering morbid devotion to the putrid sounds of classic horror and old school Death Metal, Italian duo Tenebro have been on a five year journey to the under verse. Taking a death defying leap, their next slab of grotesque heaviness is new album “Una Lama D’Argento”, a record conceived as a tribute to Dario Argento, the undisputed master of horror, giallo and thriller cinema. A journey through the dark and obsessive atmospheres of the films that shaped cinema history is on the tarot cards with moments inspired by Deep Red (1975),  Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), Tenebre (1982), Phenomena (1985) and Opera (1987) woven into the fabric. Striking cover artwork created by Julian Ibanez (Critical Defiance, Funeral Vomit, Last Retch) adds to the ambiance, perfectly capturing the nightmarish essence and macabre storytelling that have become the bands signature traits.

The band commented: “The first single, ‘Impiccata’, strikes with relentless intensity: a fast, uncompromising track that mirrors the shocking imagery of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Inspired by the infamous hanging scene, the song channels the sense of sudden, inescapable terror that erupts without warning. With its direct, no-frills approach, ‘Impiccata’ captures the essence of Tenebro’s sound: sharp, immediate, and merciless, like a blade cutting through silence”.

Off kilter piano makes way for off kilter guitars as the distorted flames of “Inferno” kiss the sky. Like listening to a broken music box that has fallen into the fire place and now burns, the opening cut transcends into a brutal onslaught with savage, death growled demonic vocals over the 90’s American Death Metal inspired riffs. Programmed drums are buried in the mix, the whole sonic aesthetic sounding purposefully primitive but not raw, as if it were recorded down a drain to provide reverb. There are moments of “L’angelo Caduto Tra Le Luci Del Teatro” (or “The Fallen Angel Among the Theater Lights“) which sound warped, like a vinyl that has been placed too close to the fire, the duo deliberately choosing something unsettling to push the envelope of malevolent atmosphere across the kings table. The strange thing about that is there is a melody and even a little pomp and circumstance to this sonic abrasion, the blood spitting venom of the lyrical narrative scratching at the cranium in the process.

Film samples were inevitable and “Impiccata” (“or Hanged“) has some authentic screams as well as some Fear Factory like guitar moments to add to the punishment beating. A masterclass in mechanical, almost but not quite industrial Death Metal, this is the very definition of ugly and the same could be said of “Sangue Sui Muri” (or “Blood on the Walls“) if it wasn’t for the melody buried underneath the throat splitting vocal performance. A sample with eerie synths underneath it adds that low budget horror movie aesthetic before a crushing dirge laden down tempo bowel scrapings. As it that wasn’t enough to get excited about there are some unhinged sounds buried in the mix of “Lo Specchio… Omicida” (or “The Mirror… Murderous.“) that make the cut feel like you’re being dragged kicking and screaming into an alternative universe where immolation awaits.

The band comment: “The second single, Jennifer, reveals a different side of Tenebro. Taking inspiration from Argento’s Phenomena, where a young girl forges a psychic connection with insects to uncover murders and mysteries, this song drifts into slower, more melancholic territory. With heavy atmospheres and a sense of dark foreboding, Jennifer stands apart in the Tenebro catalog: a brooding, cadenced track that mirrors the film’s oppressive aura, where the supernatural becomes the key to unveiling hidden evil.”

There is something of the legacy of Mortician in “Il Corpo Come Spartito” (or “The Body as a Score“) as the drum machine beats the discerning listener to death in the visceral darkness and with everything distorted and downtrodden, caked in mud and blood, it seems only fitting that each lyric is in Italian. The surprise is that there are some passages of groove and even Hardcore Punk inspired bass lines underneath the crushing weight of sound, both of those things in evidence on the skull splitting “Piume Rosse” (or “Red Feathers“). Twisting and contorting into something with more panache “Appare ala Bambola, Poi La Lama” (or “Appears to the Doll, Then The Blade“) warns that hell awaits with guttural vocals emerging from the darkness as the riffs blur the lines between several Death Metal sub-genres. There are even warped leads guitars on this one that expose something left field before the Hardcore inspired “Larve Affamate” (or “Hungry Larvae“) splatters your brains on the back wall. Aiming to get a slot on the mix tape used to deprive prisoners of sleep “Nel Sonno Della Veggente” (or “In the Seer’s Sleep“) twists the knife, the child’s tears at the start unsettling before the all out bludgeoning begins. Arguably the pick of the litter is “Jennifer” because its the most dynamic, trading some of its intensity for atmosphere to great effect while implementing more samples underneath the riffs [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Inferno
2. L’angelo Caduto Tra Le Luci Del Teatro
3. Impiccata
4. Sangue Sui Muri
5. Lo Specchio… Omicida.
6. Il Corpo Come Spartito
7. Piume Rosse
8. Appare ala Bambola, Poi La Lama
9. Larve Affamate
10. Nel Sonno Della Veggente
11. Jennifer

“Una Lama D’Argento” by Tenebro is out 12th December 2025 via Time To Kill Records and is available over at bandcamp