Selvans/Saturnalia/Avantgarde Music/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Selvans  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  progressive  and  folk  influenced  mixture  of  black  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2024  album  "Saturnalia"  which  will  be  released  on  January  31st  by  Avantgarde  Music.

  Keyboards  and  orchestration  start  off  the  album  adding  in  some  symphonic  touches  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  melodic  traditional  metal  style  and  a  lot  of  the  vocals  bring  in  more  of  an  80's  metal  style.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  album.

  

  Tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  of  the  album  also  adding  in  elements  of  folk  music,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  folk  and  horror  tales  from  their  home  country.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Selvans  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  and  folk  influenced  black  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Il  mio  maleficio  v'incalzera!"  and  "Fonte  dei  diavoli".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.selvans-official.com

https://www.instagram.com/selvanstherealone

https://www.facebook.com/selvansofficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/templeofselvans        

Selvans Interview

Answers by Selvans Haruspex

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Selvans is the celebration of Italic folklore and cults -  through lyrics, music and aesthetics -inspired by the different traditions of our nation.

2.So far you have released a single, ep and a full length how  would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?
It’s atmospheric black metal with archaic and modern Italic 'folk' instruments; the lyrics – in italian, english but also middle Italy dialect and latin – are about Italian history, legends and fables from different time periods and different points of view.

3.Your lyrics cover the different ethnic groups from Italy that dwelt there before in the past, can you tell us a little bit more about this concept?
I don't consider it a concept album: as I’ve already said, I am simply attracted by 'the other side of the coin' so I chose not to tell only facts about my region or my town, by the point of view of my ancestors possibly brave and pagan (as is fashionable). I like to study topics that interessed me so I have written songs with lyrics about the mount Soracte or the river Clitunno which are kilometers far away from me, simply documenting about their role in the ancient times and visiting them to breathe that atmosphere imagining tales and facts about braves and cowards that dwelt there before me.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the meaning behind the masks?
They are inspired by the Hirpi Sorani myth, an etruscan legend: the priests devoted to the god Soranus could turn into wolves, probably because they were cursed. A track on the album is also named Hirpi Sorani, you can find the lyrics on our website www.templeofselvans.com

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Selvans'?
Selvans or Silvanus is an ancient divinity who represents nature, and particularly the woods are the perfect scenario for our stories: such mysterious and unchanged places are the only real thread among our songs.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?
We’ll remain a duo.

7.At one time both of the members where in Draugr, is this band a continuation of your previous group?
No, it has nothing to do with that project. I gave a lot to Draugr because this is the way I am, but what I now do with Selvans is what I feel I should have done from the beginning.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Astonishing. We are very surprised by the how the foreign zines and fans are welcoming ‘Lupercale’...this is probably because even if the themes and melodies are Italian, the general atmosphere is universal.



9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’ll see in the future. All I can say is that some of the innovative elements you can hear in ‘Lupercalia’ will be developped in the next album.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I listen to metal, rock, ambient, folk music and other kinds of music, that are apparently far from my works: electro, punk, italian and french songwriters, jazz...
About the influences I’d say Inchiuvatu and the eastern heathen black metal scene Nocturnal Mortum, Kroda, Negura Bunget...), but, as I told you, both Sethlans and I are influenced by everything we listen to.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Literature and literary essays (mostly historical and revisionist), sports.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for this interview! Greetings to the ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine readers...check our ‘Lupercalia’, you won’t regret it.

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Selvans/Lupercalia/Avantgarde Music/2015 CD Review

  Selvans  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is a review  of  their  2015  album  "Lupercalia"  which  was  released  by  Avantgarde  Music.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  folk  instruments  and  epic sounding  keyboards  which  also  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavy  and  symphonic  black  metal  style  which  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  the  fast  parts  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this recording.

  When  vocals  are  brought  onto  the  recording  they  are  mostly  grim  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  symphonic  style  of  the  genre  while  the  folk  elements  the  songs  sound more  modern  and  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording.

   Most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in a  small  amount  of  whispers  and  as  the  album progresses  the  riffs  start  utilizing  more  melody and  the  folk  instruments  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  present  on  the  last  track.

  Selvans  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  they  update  this  style  by  mixing  it  in  with  pagan  folk  music,  the  production  sound s very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Folklore,  Mysticism,  Oral  History,  Nature,  Tradition,  Surrealsim  and  Art.

  In  my  opinion Selvans  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan  folk  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Versipellis"  and  "Scurtchin".  8  out  of  10.

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