Desert Wave - Deafening Silence (2022)

“Vicenza is a city in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. It’s known for the elegant buildings designed by the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio; these include the Palladian Basilica and the Palazzo Chiericati.” As a casual fan of architecture, this makes me wish I was there; however, I would also have to make my way to a live show from the band Desert Wave, which is based in this historic Italian city. The band released its second album, Deafening Silence, on November 14th, 2022.

Desert Wave is a trio that includes guitarist Enrico “Burton” Dalla Pozza, Luca “Logan” Adamati on bass, vocals, and synth, and drummer Andrea “Drugo” Vetri. The music the three of them created for their new album is a hodge-podge of several genres, psychedelic, instrumental, stoner doom, metal and rock varieties, and desert rock.

“Outside Pt. 1” and its counterpart “Outside Pt. 2” bring us into the record with style while also preparing us for what is to follow. “Pt. 1” is a fully instrumental piece that creates an excellent buildup fulfilled by “Pt. 2”. The drums are the driving force here, and their increase in power and intensity creates the perfect vibe.

“Outside Pt. 2” begins with a fuzzed-out desert rock riff backed by more cool drum work. The music kicks into a slow groove once the bass comes in and serves as the verse section. Luca’s vocals remind me of King Buffalo’s Sean McVay, and as the track moves on, they seem to have taken a serious influence from that band as well.

Next is the title track, “Deafening Silence,” and besides being the album’s namesake, it is also what I feel is the best put-together song on the record. There are no vocals here, so the music needed to be strong enough to stand on its own, which it does, and quite convincingly. I think the space rock meets the psychedelic vibe of this song is Desert Wave at its best.

Coming in as the second to last track is “Venus Chains,” which slightly reminds me of the Dead Star era from King Buffalo, but with more of the personality of each of these musicians. The music has a psychedelic desert stoner rock vibe that is utterly enjoyable.