So, three years after the caustic Converge-meets-Isis worship of Luce, Italy’s The Secret return with yet another well-done, brittle and calamitous slab of noise — with a thin post-rock visage. And while the genre has certainly seen its fair share of Converge wannabes over the last few years, The Secret are by far one of the better ones.

Tangibly darker and more primal than Luce, Disintoxication was recorded in the arctic desolation at Toneknik Studios in Umea, Sweden (by Breach and Refused producer Magnus Lindberg) and it shows. Especially with the fact the album is apparently far more personal, dealing with the band’s inner demons (drugs, suicide and all things negative).

Press sheet reading aside, Disintoxication is indeed a dark album, more akin to the likes of Canadians Cursed than many of their U.S. peers simply content to flail and scream angrily. The Secret sounds pissed and depressed, while at the same time the Italians are caustic, angular, pained — elements of crumbling heft and an injection of subtle ambiance round out the experience. Look no further than the title track for the epitome of The Secret’s musical angst and duality, as well as the likes of “Inferno” and “Funeral Monolithe.”

That being said, “Umea,” dedicated to their time at the recording studio, is a full on crawling, loping track. Well done for a band usually chomping at the bit to crank it up. Much like Converge, the maturation is far more natural than a lot of bands forcing their hand at more deliberate material. “Death to Pigs” turns up the speed and snarl, while “Kill The Dead” ends the album with a searing climax.

Along with Another Kind of Death and At the Soundawn, Italy’s ‘core’ contingency seems to be getting some decent bands. Are they a little late to the party? Time will tell.

[Visit the band's website]

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