dagerman. - tragedie | VIVERE

Labels: Self-Released/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 24 Oct 2024

Tracklist:

1. luogo | PROGETTARE

2. inquietudine | SUBLIMARE

3. oggetto | PRODURRE

4. attesa | ESISTERE

5. niente | AVERE

6. direzione | OPPORRE

7. equazione | AMARE

8. domande | FINIRE

Somehow, we're made it to the month of May already. Being in the fifth month of 2025 isn't really that significant except for the fact that new Italian band dagerman. is also the fifth Italian band I have featured here this year. It all started with the exceptional instrumental/progressive guitar work of Federico Favaro, followed by the black/death/doom of both Malauriu and Sinoath, as well as more recently the epic post-hardcore of Chivala. tragedie | VIVERE was digitally released by dagerman. last October and just over a month ago it was given the vinyl treatment by Zegema Beach Records.  

Honestly, I’m going through one of those phases where I want to write/don’t want to write/am feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of music there is to write about. I need to get back in the saddle though and what better way to do it than with another fantastic Italian band. If you’re familiar with Zegema Beach Records (and by now you should be!), you’ll know roughly what to expect. dagerman. starts tragedie | VIVERE with ‘luogo | PROGETTARE’ and it’s every bit as dramatic as promised. An emotive mix of striking Italian lyricism and off-kilter post-hardcore that’s much slower in tempo than usual (at least on initial listen).

‘inquietudine | SUBLIMARE” is the perfect coming together of both frenetic screamo/emo-violence and abject beauty. Poetically delivered vocally, as the instrumentation behind crashes, stomps and captivates with dramatic melodies, it embraces you. There’s more obvious urgency as the release progresses and ‘oggetto | PRODURRE’ embodies that urgency with yet more heart-on-the-sleeve passion, coupled with passages of raging intensity. As it ends, it draws out the frustration I’ve felt over the last couple of weeks.

‘attesa | ESISTERE’ starts off with the most unexpected panic-induced riff. It immediately lights a fire in both dagerman. and in myself, as the song flows from off-kilter mathiness to groovy punk and back in the blink of an eye. It’s the aural equivalent of a kick up the arse and it’s brilliant! After that moment of chaos, ‘niente | AVERE’ comes into view like a beacon of calm but don’t let that intro section fool you. It’s not long before dagerman. flip the switch in favour of a solid mix of epic post-hardcore and constantly shifting emo-violence. 

The latter half of tragedie | VIVERE doesn’t change direction as ‘direzione | OPPORRE’ moves through various phases, embracing everything that shapes dagerman.’s sound. The lovely indiemo feel that surrounds you at the start of ‘equazione | AMARE’ is one that should really stick around (it has that La Dispute vibe going on), which isn’t actually that far off as a comparison actually. dagerman. bring the feels here. 

Closing out with ‘domande | FINIRE’, there’s a strange feeling of peace and tranquility amongst the heaviness. Maybe that feeling is subjective because I haven’t been able to properly focus on music recently or because this album cleanses the senses and transcends conscious thought. Either way, it’s a brilliant body of work and another example of how rich Italy’s musical community is.

You can stream and purchase the album as a name-your-price download from dagerman. below:-

Physical copies are available from Zegema Beach Records below:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/dagerman

USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/dagerman

dagerman. - https://www.instagram.com/dagerman.band/

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Coma Regalia - Vau Faelgoh

Labels: Convulse Records/I.Corrupt Records/Listen To Aylin Records/Middle-Man Records/Pundonor Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 03 May 2019

Tracklist:

1. Deimaestus

2. Eaufell

3. Aestheroh

4. Tielasten

5. Hidenskyre

6. Kistleden

7. Indveil

8. Sondaiquai

9. Shulederhau

10. Eivau

11. Daemeron

I think this marks the thirteenth time I've featured a Coma Regalia release on the blog. It's not a big deal really though as CR has something like forty five releases to date. Vau Faelgoh was released back in 2019, having been written and recorded pretty much entirely by Edie. I have no idea how to pronounce the album name nor the song titles, though they could be anything from Latin to Gaelic or even Scandinavian (I don't know). This release was a collaboration between six labels, including Edie's own Middle-Man Records.

I’m just gonna dive straight into this because I don’t know if I’ll get it finished tonight otherwise. Vau Faelgoh starts with ‘Deimaestus’, which is an intensely raw and powerful emo-violence/screamo song. That’s a pretty succinct description but it’s a straight-to-the-point song after all. ‘Eaufell’ is no different from the album’s opener, though it’s interlaced with more straight-up emo instrumentation and atmosphere.

After those initial salvos, ‘Aestheroh’ seems more brooding and stripped-back initially. There’s a heap of off-kilter screamo later on, though it’s slower tempo hits a spot that you didn’t even know needing scratching. It’s glorious. ‘Tielasten’ is one of only two songs on the album that surpasses three minutes. It uses similar song-writing and structure to it’s predecessor but it’s violent beauty is more prevalent also. 

‘Hidenskyre’ takes you back to the breakneck intensity of those first two songs yet there’s a chorus-like feel to this one in parts. It doesn’t last too long but speak volumes anyway. A blisteringly enjoyable number, even if my neighbours don’t agree! ‘Kistleden’ follows with no time to compose any sort of feeling or emotion but in doing so it creates those feelings on it’s own, as it’s melodic vocals and proper emo tones radiate from the speakers.

Naturally the majority of this album is brief in delivery and that’s true of ‘Indveil’. It pulls you into the album’s latter half with an as yet unheard hardcore tone. It’s definitely heavier and comes complete with chunkier riffs. While ‘Indveil’ flew by in it’s own right, ‘Sondaiquai’ is Vau Faelgoh’s most explosive song in terms of length and intensity. Despite that though, Coma Regalia still manage to fill it with plenty of instrumentation and indeed vocal inspiration.

‘Shulederhau’ has a subtle punk vibe at the beginning before the pace grows once again and CR’s emotive screamo takes over. The thing about this recording is just how pure and real it sounds. Proper heart on your sleeve stuff. Penultimate song ‘Eivau’ has a great slow/fast dynamic going on, albeit with barely any space between the slow and fast parts, which makes it even more engrossing as a result.

Closing with ‘Daemeron’, Edie and Coma Regalia give the listener something more. Something that’s pretty damn inspiring. Joined by the additional percussion of Yurik and Bodhi Decker, it rounds out the album with a real sense of warmth. It goes without saying that Coma Regalia’s music has been ever-present and effervescent for many many years now. I know this album has been around for over five years but there’s a reason I’m writing about it (aside from it being part of my ZBR roster review series), which I’ll explain below. 

Edie is currently going through an extremely tough time financially and any help would be very warmly received. If you don't already own this album or other CR/Middle-Man releases, please consider making a purchase below (or even better, by contacting Edie directly to avoid platforms taking a percentage):-

There is also a gofundme campaign that has been set up by Edie, so if you'd rather donate to the cause this way here's the link - https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-edie-in-overcoming-debt-crisis

Coma Regalia - https://www.facebook.com/comaregalia

Convulse Records - https://www.facebook.com/convulserecords

I.Corrupt Records - https://www.facebook.com/icorruptrecs

Listen To Aylin Records - https://www.facebook.com/listentoaylin

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords

Pundonor Records - https://www.facebook.com/pundonorecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords