In a music landscape often obsessed with finding solace, there are rare records that instead demand confrontation. Epoimóriròmiope, emerging from the shadows of Bologna’s underground, delivers precisely that with their searing new concept album, “ricordi di un tempo mai esistito” (“memories of a time that never existed”).
This is not a record to soothe the weary soul; it’s a sonic mirror held up to the most shadowed corners of the human psyche—a relentless, raw examination of loss, abandonment, rage, anxiety, and the terrifyingly fleeting nature of existence.
A New Chapter Forged in Turmoil
“ricordi di un tempo mai esistito” is a monument built from personal catastrophe. Penned by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer Erik Storari (who also handles production) during a period of intense turmoil, the album serves as both catharsis and confession. It’s a sonic diary—a collection of distorted memories and unspoken grief that has been transmuted into high-voltage art.
Following the underground acclaim of their earlier self-released works, Vincoli and kabukimono, Epoimóriròmiope made a bold, decisive move: they withdrew their entire previous catalogue from streaming platforms. This wasn’t just a clearance sale; it was a deliberate signal of rebirth. What began as Storari’s one-man studio project has now solidified into a fully-formed, aggressive unit, featuring the rock-solid foundation of Sara Fioravanti on bass and Giulio Barranca on drums. This lineup shift and artistic recalibration mark the beginning of a new chapter rooted in emotional truth and unrelenting sonic exploration.
The Sound of Shattered Memory
The band’s initial blueprint was an intriguing merger: the visceral impact of Metalcore fused with the immersive textures of EDM, Alternative Rock, and Industrial. On ricordi di un tempo mai esistito, that fusion has reached a darker, more refined state.
The 1990s and early 2000s loom large in the album’s DNA, yet the sound is aggressively current. You can hear the spiritual echoes of Nine Inch Nails in the industrial grit, the dynamic push and pull of Deftones in the heavy-yet-ethereal riffs, and the expansive, cinematic dread of Massive Attack. The work is also clearly informed by the boundary-pushing heaviness of Bring Me The Horizon and the icy, mechanical pulse of darkwave, IDM, and cyberpunk.
The sonic palette is designed to unsettle: jagged guitar riffs cut through layers of aggressive synths, anchored by rhythms that can pivot from tribal Metalcore intensity to the glitchy, fractured syncopation of electronic music. Storari’s vocals range from a desperate plea to an unhinged scream, perfectly articulating the album’s core themes of desperation and fury.
It is this uncompromising collision of organic rage and digital alienation that makes “ricordi di un tempo mai esistito” so compelling. The glitched textures and cinematic soundscapes aren’t just ornamentation; they are the sound of a mind unraveling, trying to make sense of a past that feels both vividly real and utterly fabricated.
Unflinching Honesty
This album refuses easy categorization, but its intent is crystal clear: to confront pain rather than medicate it. The raw, unfiltered nature of the songwriting, combined with the band’s new, potent sonic vision, cements Epoimóriròmiope as one of the most compelling and essential voices to emerge from the European underground this year.
“ricordi di un tempo mai esistito” is more than just a musical release; it’s an experience. Dive in, but be warned: you might find a piece of yourself in the shattering reflection.
Epoimóriròmiope’s “ricordi di un tempo mai esistito” is out now on all major platforms.
