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BELLA MORTE :
THE DEATH ROCK EP

Despite the title of the disc, from the look of the cover, which features a circa 1981 looking, mohawk-sporting Punk rocker, I was expecting some ultra-fast crust styled Punk music in the same vain as the Exploited. However, as you will soon see, that was not to be the case. Bella Morte is a Death-Rock band based out of Charlottesville, Virginia, they play a combo old-school Goth-Rock and later Graves era Misfits styled Horror-Punk. The band was formed by Andy Deane (vocals / programming) and Gopal Metro (bass / programming) in 1996. They are currently rounded out by Tony Lechmanski on guitar, and Micah Consylman on keyboards. There is also a rumor that the band now has a real flesh and blood drummer, as opposed to the programmed beats featured here, and on all their previous material. The band has three full-lengths to their credit; 1997's "Remains", 1999's "Where Shadows Lie", and 2002's "The Quiet". This particular disc is a reissue of a 2001vinyl release, issued by Howitzer Records. The original EP featured only four tracks, and was limited to 300 copies. This disc has those four cuts, plus two bonus tunes, "Eyes Of A Ghost", and "A Light In The Window". The songs are pretty damn infectious, but they are painfully short! Just when you're really getting into a cut... it's over! The longest song is the lead off track "Demons" at a whopping three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, while the killer track "The Dead" clocks in a scant 1:34. The sound is a mix of the Misfits, the Mission, and the Damned. And fans of any of those bands will quickly, and easily, fall under Bella Morte's evil spell. Andy's voice is perfect for this sort of thing, just a bit deep, but sharp at the same time. One gets the feeling that if he wanted to, he could easily go into full-on Danzig or Andrew Eldritch (Sisters Of Mercy) mode, or turn it upside down and do a fine high-end Mike Patton (Faith No More / Mr. Bungle) impersonation. The first spin will have you hooked, and each subsequent listen will reveal little nuances that had previously gone undetected. Thoroughly enjoyable! Their fourth full-length (entitled "As The Reasons Die...") is scheduled to street in June (of 2004) and should prove to be a sweet offering indeed. For all your Bella Morte info, check 'em out at bellamorte.com.
RATING = 8 Death-Rock (Released 2003)

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