I can always get into a good ol’ rock opera. The brainchild of Drake Mefestta, DiAmorte took four years to see its debut album come to fruition and there are also some major players on this record, namely Symphony X bassman Mike LePond and guitarist Michael Romeo. It’s easy to hear and appreciate the passion Drake bled into this effort, but unfortunately this overproduced effort relies a bit too much on the symphonic side of things. DiAmorte feels like a slightly heavier Dark Sarah and about the same level as Dimmu Borgir’s latest effort.

A real mean and ripping riff doesn’t present itself until track eight, “Savior Nevermore I – The Confrontation”, and no coincidence it’s the best song on the album. With a timbre and voice possessing storytelling traits similar to JP Leppäluoto, Drake certainly has a captivating voice and will also utilize growls to capture the essence of his character that is being portrayed throughout this story that I imagine takes place in a Gothic/Victorian setting. Alina Gavrilenko and Armenia Sarkissian lend their talents as the female characters and provide the sweetness to Drake’s menacing disposition. Assorted orchestral arrangements make up the bulk of the songs with guitars mostly being used as a backdrop instrument. Violins, piano, and horn instruments convey the different emotions to this audio play and the listener can feel and imagine the scenes inside their head. While there are all these different soundscapes pummeling your head there is a stark fondness with the folksy outro to “Ashes And Sorrow” and “Lovesong Of The Damned” is a real corker of quick melodies and tempo before finishing with a melancholic outro. The music becomes more dramatic towards the latter stages of the record and it culminates with the 13 minute “Vae Victis” that perfectly illustrates the conclusion of this tale. There is certainly a lot of potential here, but with some refinement and pumping up of the metal aesthetics; then something special can blossom.