{"id":509350,"date":"2026-04-02T18:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509350\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:10:09","slug":"review-inner-vitriol-semper-tacui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509350\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Inner Vitriol – Semper Tacui"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Francesco<\/a> on April 2, 2026April 2, 2026<\/p>\n

\"\"No artist credited.<\/p>\n

Style: Progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Evergrey, Queensryche, Katatonia<\/a>
Country: Italy
Release date: 20 March 2026<\/p>\n

Italian dark progressive metallers Inner Vitriol are back on the scene, their sophomore album Semper Tacui (Latin: I Have Always Stayed Silent) finally releasing after fourteen long years1<\/a>. That\u2019s almost as long as the development cycle of last year\u2019s long-awaited Nintendo title, Metroid Prime 4! \u201cGood things come to those who wait,\u201d says the old adage, right? Well, if you\u2019re a Metroid Prime fan, I\u2019m sorry to say you can consider yourself exempt from this principle. I know, I know, the wound is still fresh. Believe me, I\u2019m right there with you folks. And then last month\u2019s Phendrana review<\/a> from my colleague Cory being without a single Prime reference was almost a slap in the face. I\u2019m sorry, he didn\u2019t know. He\u2019s since been coached. But I digress. At least if you\u2019re also a fan of Italian metal, you\u2019ll certainly be very chuffed with the news of this release. So, win?2<\/a><\/p>\n

Semper Tacui hits all the marks of a broody and equally heavy prog metal work that alternates between darkly emotional passages and crushing rhythmic moments without missing a beat. Thematically tackling concepts of time, identity, resistance, and approaching death, the album follows the inner voyage of a condemned man during his last year of life. The band was ostensibly inspired by a work of graffiti from inside the jail cells of the Palazzo Chiaramonte in Palermo, Sicily\u2014a historical site of the Holy Inquisition in the 15th century3<\/a>. Inside one of these cells is written \u201csempre tacqui\u201d: a reaffirmation of resistance, of standing on one\u2019s convictions, even in the face of certain death. Inner Vitriol have the strength to combine these profound themes with their immersive, tenebrous and introspective sonority, lending additional weight to these ideas with their impressive musicianship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With Semper Tacui, the band intends to use polymeters and odd-groupings to create a sense of stumbling, of discomfort\u2014mirroring the oppressive atmosphere of the prison.4<\/a> The exceptional guitar work of Michele Di Lauro flows seamlessly between staccato chord work and arpeggios, reinforcing singer Gabriele Gozzi, whose incredible, moving vocal performances run the gamut between soft, melancholic phrasing and impassioned, raspy belting, best exemplified on \u201cWaterfall\u201d. The album also features two standout guest vocalists: Andy Kuntz of Vanden Plas, who performs in a duet with Gozzi for \u201cOn a Cold Floor\u201d, and Geoff Tate of the legendary Queensr\u00ffche, on \u201cWeaker and Fading\u201d. The fact that both singers highlighted are coming from the highest echelons of the progressive metal world is a true testament to the band\u2019s potential, being a modest outfit based in northeast Italy, and certainly elevates two already stellar tracks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although generally straying far from the hypercomplexity typical of the prog genre, Semper Tacui is not shy to feature some excellent technical performances. Of particular note is the playing on the track \u201cUpon the First Ray of My Last Sun\u201d, which aside from some whispered lines in the Sicilian language used to open the song, is the album\u2019s only instrumental number. In this piece, heavily reverberant guitars resonate with a crystal shimmer over tight, virtuosic bass lines delivered by Francesco Lombardo, and a slowly building tension releases with a deliberate fade-in of distorted chords that modulate into a percussive downpicking \u201cchugging\u201d sound. Inner Vitriol are masters in developing structural complexity that balances character and mood with technicality and virtuosity, and I feel this is most evident in \u201cI See Flames\u201d. The ten-minute epic serves as the album\u2019s closer and showcases some of the band\u2019s heaviest songwriting to date as Di Lauro\u2019s rich and rumbly downtuned guitar tone and rapid chord changes play up front, supported by drummer Michele Panepinto firing on all cylinders. And once more worth highlighting is Lombardo\u2019s bass-guitar wizardry on this track, as the three trade beats in a twisty-turny barrage of meticulously plotted notes that\u2019s sure to leave your head spinning.<\/p>\n

Inner Vitriol once again put their best foot forward with this, dare I say, faultless release, and their enigmatic blend of tortured sentimentality with progressive metal soundscapes is expertly used to approach difficult themes with a necessary gravity. The constant tension and the resulting catharsis\u2014the struggle of light breaking through an encroaching darkness\u2014is the focal point that keeps the listener engaged, and gives this album its staying power. Semper Tacui is the result of ten years\u2019 labour5<\/a>, a prodigious release that reaffirms the enduring artistic passion of a band at the top of their game.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: On a Cold Floor, Weaker and Fading, I See Flames
You may also like: For My Demons<\/a>, Vanden Plas<\/a>, The Eternal<\/a>
Final verdict: 9\/10<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related links: Official Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Hidden Stone Records<\/a> <\/p>\n

Inner Vitriol is:
\u2013 Gabriele Gozzi (vocals)
\u2013 Francesco Lombardo (bass)
\u2013 Michele Di Lauro (guitar)
\u2013 Michele Panepinto (drums)
With guests:
\u2013 Andy Kuntz (track 2)
\u2013 Geoff Tate (track 4)<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n