The 10 Best Italian Metal Bands, According to the Country’s New Post-Metal Phenoms Orbita (Exclusive)
Thanks to readers of The Bad Penny, our new series in which we ask bands from non-U.S. countries to list the best heavy bands from their homeland is really taking off. (Look below for all the editions we’ve run thus far). Today we have the distinct pleasure of presenting you with picks from Italy’s Orbita. Even to their Italian brethren, the post-metal/doom quartet from Bologna are fresh faces, having only released a demo up to this point. That’s about to change, though, when the band busts out their much-awaited debut LP, Farewell to All We’ve Lost, on October 9 via Aural Music.
Give one of Orbita’s early tracks, “This Flesh,” a spin below, and then get blown away by the young team’s impressive knowledge of their country’s best heavy bands after that.
• One of the best bands in Italy, Hate & Merda stands as a unique force in the noise/sludge/drone scene. This extremely powerful duo is capable of delivering the heaviest and most desperate music, while also comforting the listener with nihilistic lyrics, making us feel less lonely in this crazy-spinning world. The Italian language is not a limit at all, as we are all able to understand the feeling and the astonishing force in their music. A truly underground gem for everyone who still believes in DIY.
• Progenie Terrestre Pura is the epitome of experimental black metal. Their 2013 album, U.M.A., is an incredible blend of genres, melodies and suggestions – and an amazing trip to space and back. There is not much to say that can describe the talent of this band other than listening to its magnificent music.
• If you’re into sludge, or better, psychedelic sludge, you cannot miss Ufomammut! (PS: The Bad Penny wholeheartedly seconds this pick in particular.) With a musical career spanning over 20 years of immersive loudness, this power trio hasn’t put a foot wrong. It’s the sort of thing you can listen to on the sofa at home during a night of tripping, sex and hangovers; in a seedy club; or at a prestigious festival.
• Another rising force in the Italian and international metal scene is Shores of Null. (The Bad Penny noted their latest release here.) The beauty and the overwhelming sadness that emanates from their melodic death/doom is hard to compare to anything else. We feel particularly close to their music.
• Any new band that wants to make a name for itself here in Italy has to measure up to Messa – in terms of the quality of their music, the musicians in the band and their stage presence. (The Bad Penny also endorses Messa big time, having reviewed their latest album for Knotfest, raved about them for Treble and named Spin last year’s fifth-best record.) There’s nothing but lessons to be learnt from a band like this, and they deserve every bit of the success they’ve achieved. They’re an inspiration to the majority of us.
• Few things are more intense and mad than Zu. Once again, their music is simply too difficult to explain. You have to experience it for yourself! You can thank us later.
• If you like atmospheric black metal, you’re in good company. Here’s one of the bands our country is proud of: Earth and Pillars. Their approach is genuine, raw and pretty straight forward, as black metal should be. Listen to the first album, Earth I, and you will feel the spirit of nature brought to life.
• Let’s dive once again in the unending abyss of DIY with Zolfo. We had the pleasure of sharing the stage with these guys, and they’re truly amazing and welcoming people. And most of all, their declination of sludgy doom leaves you stuck in a swamp really difficult to escape from. Their most recent album, Descending Into Inexorable Absence, is evil as hell and bloody desperate; just be prepared to be dragged down, with zero possibilities of salvation.
• Cripple Bastards are a legend here in Italy. They’ve been absolutely killing it for over 30 years and continue to blow people away at every gig they play. Their sound is a fierce and direct brand of grindcore, with Italian lyrics that are misanthropic in nature and strongly political. Perfect for moshing.
• Rather than giving you another band, we’d prefer to leave you with a taste of the atmosphere you can experience in our city, Bologna, a real breeding ground for some top-notch underground bands. Listen to the music of Horror Vacui, Litania, Entropia, Tenebra and Holy Giant to get a sense of the variety and beauty of the music scene and of the environment that fostered the emergence of Orbita.
Pre-order Orbita’s upcoming debut LP, Farewell to All We’ve Lost (Aural Music), here. It drops October 9. And tide yourself over by snagging their 2023 demo, Into Nothingness I Walk, here.
For more authoritative lists of the best heavy bands from non-U.S. countries, as picked by bands that hail from those places, check out:
• The 10 Best Belgian Metal Bands of All Time, According to Gnarly Native Sons 30,000 Monkies (Exclusive)
• The 20 Best Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal Bands Ever
• Edge of Sanity Frontman Dan Swanö Reveals 10 Swedish Bands That Made Their Way Into His Musical DNA
• The 10 Best Swedish Heavy Bands Ever, According to Native Sons Prime Creation
• The 10 Best Portuguese Heavy Bands Ever, According to Portugal’s Own Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell
• Germany’s Top 10 Best Metal Bands Ever, Per the Country’s Native Death-Metal Sons Fleshcrawl
• The 20 Best ’90s American Grunge Bands of All Time
• The 20 Best Protest/Activist Musicians, From Marvin Gaye to Billie Eilish
• The 10 Best Finnish Melodeth Bands Ever: Amorphis, Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Insomnium, Circle, Mors Principium Est
• The 10 Best Finnish Bands Ever, According to Natives the Feral Kids
• Top 20 Touch and Go Bands of All Time
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