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I had never heard of Italy's Dawn of a Dark Age prior to Le Forche Caudine, their seventh full-length album. I'm always up for some epic black metal, though the "experimental" tag and the fact the band makes use of the clarinet had me a little leery. I said to myself, "why not give it a try?" and I'm glad I did. To my surprise, the clarinet is not nearly as out of place as I envisioned. Lots of pagan/folk bands use wind instruments to good effect, so I shouldn't have been surprised. There are plenty of expected black metal elements in Dawn of a Dark Age's music, like excellent raspy vocals and a sharp guitar tone. There is over 38 minutes of music across two tracks which, thanks to the varied and creative songwriting, never drag or get boring. The transitions from calmer, acoustic passages to the harder, emphatic sections are seamlessly executed. I particularly enjoyed how the clarinet played less Celtic-inspired melodies, like we hear from so much folk metal, rather their sound has a vaguely Middle Eastern or Mediterranean flavor.

The temptation with any folk/epic black metal is to compare it to Summoning, but I find Dawn of a Dark Age's music to be warmer and more intimate, with a feeling akin to sitting around a fire and listening to stories of past glories rather than being on the precipice of battle or an arduous journey. Overall, I enjoyed Le Forche Caudine a lot with its combination of familiar black metal and folk music that takes a different path. If that also sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend checking it out.