Ava Inferi could be described as metal's Norwegian/Portuguese connection. The band was founded in Portugal by Norwegian guitarist
Rune Eriksen, aka
Blasphemer (who is well known in death metal/black metal circles for his contributions to the notorious
Mayhem), but all of the other members are Portuguese, including lead singer
Carmen Simões, bassist
Jaime S. Ferreira, and drummer
João Samora. The very fact that
Ava Inferi includes a member of
Mayhem will make some fans of Nordic death metal and black metal want to check this 50-minute CD out, but
Ava Inferi is neither death metal nor black metal -- and
The Silhouette doesn't sound anything like
Mayhem. This 2007 recording (the band's second album) favors gothic metal; in fact,
Ava Inferi has a lot more in common with
Lacuna Coil,
Moonspell (another gothic metal band founded in Portugal) and
Nightwish than they do with
Mayhem. Female lead singers are not hard to find in gothic metal, and
Simões is the quintessential goth vocalist; favoring Euro-classical overtones, the expressive
Simões brings a darkly ethereal quality to gloomy, brooding tracks like "Oathbound," "La Stanza Nera" (that's Italian for "The Black Room" even though the lyrics are in English), "Viola" and "Grin of Winter."
Simões has an impressive vocal range, and she is a major asset to
Ava Inferi on a highly musical album that rocks but is never heavy-handed; even at its heaviest,
The Silhouette is never flat-out vicious.
The Silhouette is not groundbreaking -- Europe is full of gothic metal bands that embrace this type of sound -- but is a very listenable album that gets high marks for craftsmanship and musicality. And
Blasphemer leaves no doubt that he is quite capable of functioning outside of a death metal/black metal environment.