Dawn of a Dark Age
Italy · formed 2014 · last active 2025
Dawn of a Dark Age is the main vehicle of Italian multi-instrumentalist Vittorio Sabelli (aka Eurynomos), formed in 2014 and joined on vocals/drums by Emanuele Prandoni (also of Progenie Terrestre Pura) from 2020. A trained classical and jazz musician, Sabelli gives the clarinet and acoustic guitar a leading role within an avant-garde black metal framework, layering in saxophone, choral chant, spoken word, and Italian folk melody. The catalogue includes the five-part The Six Elements series (2014-2017) and the Samnite-history-themed La Tavola Osca (2020) and Le Forche Caudine (2021).
SCORE PROFILE
Accent numbers counted towards the index. Hover an axis — or hold it on a phone — for what it means.
WHY THOSE SCORES
- Jazzy 5 — Bandleader Vittorio Sabelli is a classical/jazz musician; clarinet passages are described as 'cool and jazzy' (Angry Metal Guy review of La Tavola Osca).
- Hardcore 2 — Punk D-beat sections appear within the black metal framework (NoCleanSinging review).
- Death 1 — Occasional death-metal-adjacent riffing surfaces beneath the dominant melodic black metal attack.
- Black 6 — Ferocious blast-beats and Dissection-esque melo-black riffing form the metal core (Angry Metal Guy, NCS reviews).
- Technical 4 — Genre-blending compositions integrate black metal, jazz, classical, and folk sections within extended multi-part tracks (up to 23 minutes).
- Theatrical 5 — Operatic Gregorian-style chants, Italian spoken word, and a conceptual multi-album 'saga' about the ancient Samnite people.
- Folk 6 — Clarinet, acoustic guitar, and saxophone lead extended folk-rooted passages; Sabelli 'gave the clarinet a leading role in black metal for the first time.'
- Doom 1 — Slow, weighted passages appear amid the acoustic/atmospheric sections.
- Drone 1 — Sustained atmospheric guitar/clarinet tones are used in transitional passages.
- Ambient 3 — Reviews describe 'haunting atmospheric soundscapes' and 'dream-born' passages balancing the blackened fury (NoCleanSinging).
MEMBERS
- Vittorio Sabelliclarinet, acoustic/electric guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, keyboards, vocals· also in A.M.E.N.
- Emanuele Prandonivocals, drums
- Spardachoral vocals/arrangement
CONNECTIONS
FURTHER LISTENING
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