Italian band ANIMA NAIVE doesn’t make it easy. It already started with the request to review their newest material (which is of course creditable) but offered info material in Italian language only. Honestly: I couldn’t do anything with that… At least on the homepage was some info to find in English language, telling, that ANIMA NAIVE is a five-piece now but that the singer you can hear on CD has left the band in the meanwhile.

Musically speaking the promo CD kicks of with Black Crows, a mixture of Gothic and Neofolk, suddenly turning over to very heavy Gothic metal, to fade away with quieter tunes again. The music is underlaid with dense electronic keyboard walls that are mixed too quiet. In this respect the song is ok but I personally have already problems with the singing, especially, when the extreme gets fathomed. Singing ranges between starkly, modern classic influenced parts and whiny moaning one might know from 80’s Gothic Rock bands. To tell the truth: I never could do anything with both types…
Second track Niobe is definitely the most accessible track on this CD: straight Gothic Metal incl. keyboards and normal female singing – nothing spectacular, just easy listening. Following Kiss Of Death is again significantly more extreme; on the one hand due to a wider musical scope (with some really crazy parts) and on the other due to the singing. It seems all participants try it with classic stylistics what doesn’t want to work in my opinion. Maybe it’s not a regular band, more sort of music-theater-group, would suit better…

Those who think now we have reached the end of the creative power of ANIMA NAIVE will be disabused. The 18 minutes running final track Not Angels (with a creative break in the middle) contains lively mixed mentioned styles in uninspired order, added by a proper dash of black metal. There is no stopping them from singing either, making many parts un-consumable. Participating singers are not even bad but the interpretation of vocal edge cases isn’t my cup of tea.
It’s an ambivalent matter I have to form an opinion about. Those who are not afraid of vocal experiments and like melodic music with strong references to Gothic (metal) might fall for it. All the other ones should wait, till the band has let off its steam in matter of singing experiments to be at work more song- beneficial. Because I cannot deny that there is some potential…