1st May 2023

Review: “Rest Denied” by Unquiet

“Our music aims to balance dark, heavy and haunting riffs together with catchy melodies and unsettling atmospheres” ~ Unquiet

That’s the mission statement of Italian Blackened Melodic Death outfit Unquiet who make their debut with EP “Rest Denied“. Orientated around the writing partnership of Nicola Donegà (guitars, lyrics, artwork and graphics) and Fabio Renda (bass, orchestration, lyrics, mixing and mastering), the record also includes vocals from Nicola Manfrini and drum programming from Matteo De Santis. The later pairing are seemingly considered guests rather than members of the project, making invaluable contributions to make the dream a reality…

Floating on a dark and melancholic wave of Scandinavian inspired Folk Black Metal guitars, the caustic vocals of Nicola Manfrini are the heaviest element of opening cut “Neural Demise“. Throat grating to the point where he appears to be gasping for air, they’re balanced by a dark spoken word that adds an art Metal quality. The nuances the band have created in the soundscape are special with delicate and intricate moments in the guitar work that have been well thought out and bring the music to life almost as a reflection of nature. A harsh and barren land with a single delicate flower rising from it is a thing of beauty and that’s the best way to give you a metaphor for what some of this sounds like. Melodic and mournful, the soundscape meanders in “Undying Perceptions“, the harsh vocals rising like the winds of plague to crush the masses as they give another dimension to the lyrics, which themselves are thoughtful and complex – very much worth reading separately to take in their full glory. Dark and swirling atmospheres dispense with the need for anything flamboyant or virtuoso, instead Donegà and Renda focusing on constructing something with more depth and meaning that borders on the cinematic. “Scarred Beyond Recall” makes for the longest and deepest of these three cuts, the ambient synths and sounds of distant voices creating an ominous moment before the spoken word sets the scene. Building the flame by steadily placing logs on the fire, it’s not until the final third that it reaches a crescendo, the savage unclean roars buried in the mix as the percussion drives it forward. It has to be said that the drum programming is very sympathetic, it has none of the harshness or inhuman pace settings that you might find elsewhere and the only thing that gives it away is the flat and tinny nature of some it. The cymbal crashes don’t reverberate as much as they would if it was a real kit. That being said, it is something you really have to listen for to notice because the rest of the music is so captivating and enthralling, its easy simply to get lost in the middle distance while listening to its unsettling and yet beautiful dull ache [8/10]

Track Listing