Rating: 6.5/10
Release: August 2013
Label: Independent

ODR is a rather new Italian band and they have released a demo Il Ponte del Diavolo recently. Always nice, new bands, so bring it on.
It starts very nice with nice speedy flute, nice folk-metal, with rather pleasant vocals of different kinds in Notte Alcoholica. Well this made me thirsty, bring on some more. Luna Antica is another nice one, and the low grunts are very nice, the metalscreams are in true Italian style. We hear this a lot with Italian bands, but they’re not my favorite. And that’s a shame I love this, the part in the Italian Svartsot style, with very nice flutes and fine very low vocals is delicious.
And Il Ponte del Diavolo starts also nice, the flutes are the most outstanding thing in ODR, they’re very nicely done, sometimes somewhat more classical and at another moment real folk.
Sussurro Autunnale is a real ‘song’, the instruments are a bit on the background. It’s not really my cup of tea, but I think you have to understand Italian to appreciate this one. It’s devotion is harshly interrupted when the next track Inverno Ancestrale starts. A really nice track, with fierce driving guitars.

Wow, it’s awfully difficult to rate this. My dilemma are the metalvocals. I really can’t stand these kind of vocals, I hear them a lot in Italian bands (fortunately not all of them). This causes I shall not listen to ODR easily again, but on the other hand the music and especially the flutes and low vocals are so nice, I’m longing to listen to it again. without the metalvocals it would easily get an 8 or 8,5 but now it won’t. The rating is not very reliable is this one. If you like these kind of vocals, you’re gonna love this band.

Tracklist

1. Notte Alcoholica
2. Luna Antica
3. Il Ponte del Diavolo
4. Sussurro Autunnale
5. Inverno Ancestrale