Marea prepare to release Adrift EP
April 08, 2025
Marea is the creation of Italian multi-instrumentalist and composer Matteo Balzarini, a uniquely personal exploration of music and emotion. The debut album from Marea – The Silence Of Rust – was released in May of 2024 and worked its way into the hearts of critics with its dramatic contrasts, atmospheric heaviness and raw, impactful honesty. Metal Epidemic described The Silence Of Rust as being formed from ‘staggering moments of intensity as well as blissful melody’ and with his second release under the Marea banner Matteo has built beautifully upon those dynamic foundations. It is now time to set sail again upon the dreaming waters of Marea, with Adrift… Adrift is a natural progression from The Silence Of Rust, continuing its use of enthralling atmosphere, impactful invocations of feeling and dazzling contrasts, but it’s also possessed of its own individual character and offers a broader palette that touches upon sublime beauty and subtle shades of emotion. Matteo has spoken of capturing the sentiments of “nostalgia to anguish and from hope to despair” and he has succeeded wonderfully in the broad horizons and immersive visions of unhurried tracks like ‘Useless’ and ‘Rusted’. Oceans of melancholy are traversed while memories of happiness and tragedy entwine, all held within an ephemeral frame of finely textured guitar and unembellished vocals which speak with a raw sincerity. The final chapter of Adrift comes in the form of ‘Marea’ which is perhaps, fittingly, Matteo’s finest work to date; a piece of emotional complexity which carries notes of acceptance and knowledge through harsh experience. Adrift was recorded, mixed and mastered by Carlo Meroni (Imago Mortis, Ancient, Kaiserreich etc) and his work brings out the very best in Matteo’s profound compositions – adding shadow to their depths and glints of light to their elegant peaks. To ensure the perfect visual accompaniment to Adrift’s sonic array Matteo turned to artist Francesco Gemelli (Howls Of Ebb, Midnight Odyssey, Venomous Echoes etc) to create “a water-themed landscape that could express desolation, melancholy, but also beauty and poetry, with a graphic style that could resemble watercolour painting” and the results are perfection. Adrift will be released by Masked Dead Records on May 9th so be prepared to slip beneath the waves of Marea and become lost in reflection, realisation and quiet revelation. Track Listing:
1 – Useless
2 – Rusted
3 – Marea
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