When stumbling upon "Underwater", and considering the modernity of the artwork and the sounds, the uninformed listener could wonder: what is this new band? However, Aura exists since... 1996! Classified as an Italian progressive metal band, their confidential success is probably due to the fact that it took them 12 years to release their first album, in 2008 (after 4 demos, anyway). Many years later, the Transalpine band releases their fourth album, "Underwater", on My Kingdom Music.
Having never listened to their previous works, it is difficult for us to measure the evolution of the band over the decades. Their so-called progressive metal takes rather an alternative rock turn here, sometimes energetic ('On Time'), always melodic ('My Last Words To You'). Some tracks deploy more atmospheric textures, but always very coherent with the global universe and the red thread deployed throughout the album.
One of the main characteristics here comes from the work done on the voices, often sung by two people. The music is far from the claimed progressive, even if occasionally, some elements can be felt, with unconventional rhythmic signatures (rarely) or nice changes of tonality ('Time To Live', 'Promises'). On the contrary, we are here rather in the presence of a relatively direct and accessible album with effective and immediate melodies, without falling for all that in a register FM.
The ingredient which marks the most is well that of the modernity. The artwork signed Annalisa Di Verniere seems very current, as well as the incursions of electro sounds, although relatively in the background. The production, also modern, serves well the purpose of the record. While the group recently blew its twenty-fifth candle, it is astonishing, if not remarkable, to see it evolving with its time, when many struggle to keep up with the times.
After having taken a few years to get started, Aura seems to have found its cruising speed, and in view of the musical freshness proposed, it could well be that our Italian cousins still have a great future ahead of them!