It has already been four years since The Black Veils delivered the excellent album Carnage in 2021. The Italian band, formed in 2014, now returns with its fourth album and second release on Icy Cold Records.

The songs remain firmly rooted in classic 80s influences, which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of bands such as Killing Joke and The Smiths. I hesitate to draw direct comparisons with those names, but it is in the finer details—subtle guitar lines, vocal nuances, and overall atmosphere—that this album truly comes alive. The tracks sound powerful and are enriched with tasteful synth arrangements. Unfortunately, the album offers only ten tracks, most of them relatively short. Still, with the exception of a few minor moments, the compositions are consistently strong. The latter part of the album, in particular, reveals several highlights, striking a beautiful balance between guitar-driven Dark-Wave and electronic elements.

While I personally found “Carnage” to be slightly stronger and darker, The Black Veils once again deliver a release that upholds their reputation for quality Dark-Wave. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Piggies”:

Read the news on ‘Gaslight’.

About The Black Veils

The Black Veils is an Italian dark-wave band formed in 2014. The group draws on 1980s post-punk and dark-wave, pairing guitar-driven songs with synth arrangements.

The band released “Carnage” in 2021 and returned with “Gaslight“, its fourth album, on November 14, 2025. The record is the band’s second release for Icy Cold Records and appeared in digital, CD and vinyl formats.

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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Italian post-punk trio The Black Veils will release their fourth studio album “Gaslight” via Icy Cold Records on November 14, 2025. The record follows 2021’s “Carnage” and advances the band’s shift toward electronica while retaining their direct post-punk core. The album will be available on CD, LP and digital.

A release event is scheduled for November 15, 2025 at Covo Club, Bologna (with Anton).

“Gaslight” is presented by the band as “ten apocalyptic tracks to dance to,” described as a “funeral party” set against contemporary disillusion. The group adds that the album title track references George Cukor’s film and broadens their long-running cinema imagery. A teaser single, “Gaslight!”, was already released on February 14, 2025; subsequent singles included “Have You Seen Bunny Lake?,” “Nyctalopia,” and “Buster Keaton,” each supported by official videos which you can view below.

About The Black Veils

The Black Veils formed in Bologna, Italy, in 2014, when Alessandro Criscitiello (aka Gregor Samsa; vocals), Filippo Scalzo (bass) and Mario d’Anelli (guitar, synth) began writing melodic post-punk. Their early period culminated in the self-released debut “Blossom” (2015), followed by “Dealing with Demons” on Atmosphere Records (2017).

In 2021 the band signed with Icy Cold Records for their third album “Carnage,” issued on digital, CD and vinyl. Across 2025 they trailed “Gaslight” with singles “Gaslight!,” “Have You Seen Bunny Lake?,” “Nyctalopia,” and “Buster Keaton.” Read the review of ‘Gaslight’.

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Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Post-Punk.

Format: Digital, CD., Vinyl

Background/Info: Italian formation The Black Veils is hailing from Bologna. They released their third full length by the end of 2021 on Icy Cold Records.

Content: “Carnage” sounds like it’s bringing us back to the darkest hours of Dark-Wave music. The songs and especially the guitar playing are embedded by 80s influences. The songs seem like being touched by the influence of The Cure but transposed into a rougher version.

+ + + : The Black Veils have accomplished an amazing piece of music. This band is not just influenced by the 80s, but their music -and especially the great guitar playing, features the dark 80s spirit. The guitar is very present and often elevates the songs to a higher dimension. The songs have something menacing and aggressive, which is one of the major differences with ‘classical’ Dark-Wave productions. There are several great songs featured, but I especially recommend “Cities On Fire” for its terrific climax, “Hyenas” and “Lamourlamort”.

– – – : No true minus points to mention!

Conclusion: The Black Veils is a great discovery and “Carnage” one of the most accomplished Dark-Wave productions from the past years. Respect guys!

Best songs: “Cities On Fire”, “Hyenas”, “Lamourlamort”, “Death By Arrogance”, “See You At My Funeral”.

Rate: 9.

Listen to “Carnage”:

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheBlackVeilsOfficial

Label: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

About The Black Veils

The Black Veils formed in Bologna, Italy in 2014 around Alessandro Criscitiello, who sings and writes the words as Gregor Samsa, bassist Filippo Scalzo, also known as Caron Dimonio, and guitarist Mario d’Anelli, who records as European Ghost. Leonardo Cannatella plays drums. The band writes post-punk songs and handles its own production.

The albums “Blossom” and “Dealing With Demons” appeared in 2015 and 2017. The singles “Hyenas”, “Rabbits” and “Lamourlamort” preceded “Carnage”, which Icy Cold Records issued digitally on 15 November 2021, followed by CD and vinyl editions. Federico Pianciola mixed the album and Giuseppe Taibi mastered it, with artwork by Mynameisyuri. The band has also contributed to Italian tribute compilations to The Sound and The Chameleons.

The group stayed with the same label for its next record. Side-Line reported when The Black Veils announced ‘Gaslight’ on Icy Cold Records in November 2025 and reviewed “Gaslight” in January 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com