ARDOURS – Anatomy of a Moment

Anatomy of a Moment by the Italian outfit Ardours, which includes Mariangela Demurtas (Tristania) on vocals, is a weirdly anticlimactic experience. With its gothic rock overtones and prominent nods to alternative rock and experimental metal, there is a modern flair to this pristine-sounding output, and a number of good ideas and interesting arrangements do present themselves from time to time, but there is hardly anything that truly stands out and leaves an impression here. The atmosphere of the album is melancholy without necessarily being brooding or morose, but only the title track manages to evoke a genuine sense of passion and heartache thanks to its elegant use of synthesizers and the way in which the piece evolves over time until reaching a dramatic denouement. Other than that, there is simply nothing on the disc that is arrestingly beautiful or sufficiently captivating to warrant repeated listens. The tunes never take flight nor grab you by the collar and pull you in, if you will. Visually and sonically speaking, it looks and sounds very professional, but the song material is just not up to scratch, and it is rather forgettable in the overall perspective. Their two previous releases were better than this one.