The Black Veils – Carnage (Album – Icy Cold Records)
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.
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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