Buy Materia Obscura

The Italian VGM dream team, Dacian Grada and Psamathes, have returned with a 7-track EP paying tribute to Final Fantasy VII. Much like their previous effort, ICEBOUND, this album touts itself as a “Symphonic Metal Tribute”, and the album plays exactly as you might expect. Soaring female vocals are complemented by anthemic metal riffs, and the easiest way to describe this album is bombastic. There are few moments on the album that let you catch your breath, like “Under the Rotting Pizza” and “Cosmo Canyon”, but for the most part, you’re on a rollercoaster ride of metal riffs, symphonic strings, and powerhouse vocals. While that might sound great in theory, there are a few missteps on the album.

First of all, the production is a bit muddy at times, and with so many musical elements, the mix sometimes suffers. In addition, adding one or two more slow tracks would have greatly improved the flow of the album as the listener can easily be overwhelmed once they reach the album’s conclusion. Speaking of the album’s conclusion, I can’t understand why two versions of “One-Winged Angel” were presented back to back. The superior version, including guitarist Ferdk, would have been a natural end point, but don’t let these complaints fool you—this album is an enjoyable one, and there are plenty of highlights.

If you’re familiar with either Dacian Grada or Psamathes, you know that they are prolific artists that collaborate with plenty of people within the VGM community. Tibonev, Ro Panuganti, PrjzCalavera, and Ferdk all lend their talents to this album, making a beautiful musical stew that will leave you begging for a second helping. Every track on Materia Obscura is stand-out, and despite some of my complaints, I can heartily recommend this album to Final Fantasy fans and VGM fans in general. By this point, it’s no secret that Dacian and Psamathes have a great musical chemistry, and with a little more polish and practice, I can only imagine where they go from here.

RATING: RECOMMENDED

(Fans of Final Fantasy VII and/or Symphonic Metal Should Enjoy)