AntinoĂ« â The Fold Review
By Tyme
As the whispering winds of winter begin to blow colder through my neck of the woods, a time of year when fires get cozier, quaffed beers get darker, and we here at AMG begin to rhapsodize on things missed and regale readers with things listed, I found myself still searching for a near-end-of-year something new. When I saw AntinoĂ«âs Dark Essence Records debut, The Fold, blurbily described as âNeoclassical Folk meets melancholy Pop with a Metal attitude,â I was intrigued. Descending from the mountains of Madrid, AntinoĂ« is the passion project of pianist and vocalist Teresa Marraco. Launched in 2021, AntinoĂ«âs 2023 release, Whispers from the Dark Past, offered a unique piano tribute to the 90s Norwegian black metal scene, with Marraco covering everything from Emperorâs âI Am the Black Wizardsâ to Mayhemâs âLife Eternalâ and Dimmu Borgirâs âMourning Palace.â1 Poised to challenge the very fluid boundaries of what metal can be, letâs see if The Fold has the warmth necessary to keep those wintery winds at bay.
Void of instrumental trappings associated with most traditional metal, AntinoĂ« relies solely on Marracoâs beautifully resonant voice and her expansive piano compositions to weave stygian tapestries. Conceptually, The Fold navigates the odyssey of accepting death, inviting listeners to tread a path through the idiomatic depths of griefâs different stages, as it traces the process of âfolding inward.â From the outset, as cricket-song fades into âNight Falls,â with its delicately crafted, darkly haunting piano melody and celestial vocals, the track pulls at melancholy heartstrings, drawing you into AntinoĂ«âs dark world and setting the stage for whatâs to come. The Fold offers an immersive, piano-led experience, peppered with pummeled ivories that shift with metallic force beneath sustained choral harmonies (âThe Devilâs Voiceâ), as wispy trails of folky, Enya-esque ambiance waft amid airy, Dead Can Dance-like atmospheres (âNĂ„r Du DĂžrâ). Not unlike Darkher, AntinoĂ« succeeds at tapping into inscrutable emotion by minimalist means, but where Maiven casts spells webbed in doom, Marracoâs magic leans more toward the black arts.
While AntinoĂ« draws much of its âmetalâ from lyrical themes that explore the dense nature of grief and death, that doesnât mean The Fold is musically bereft of heavier fare. Death angels descend on Emperor wings with halos of Dimmu Borgir to hover over the opening chords of âThreshold,â heralding dark omens in a chorus of swarming harmonies, witchy laughter, and raspy breaths, all as AntinoĂ« pounds and trills her way through octaves in true symphonic black metal fashion.2 Is it still just a girl and her piano? Yes, but itâs by far the âheaviestâ song on the album. Which gives way to the excellently murky pop of âChaos in the Sky,â another album highlight that had my neck snapped to rapt attention when Marracos, in her smoky voice, opened with âWho the fuck are you? Who the fuck am I?â like some dark-alt Adele, creating another moment more metal than not.
Drenched in warmth, The Foldâs production captures the beauty of AntinoĂ«âs neo-classical elegance and marries it perfectly to its atmospherically blackened weight, providing a full-on musical experience. Whether itâs the delicate last minute of âThe Devilâs Voice,â which flirts with a âLĂĄgnĂŠttiâ melody, off the SĂłlstafir magnum opus OttĂĄ, or the inquisitive, childlike mystery of the whispers and keys on âFlock,â to the somber dirge of vocals from âLight Bringer,â listening to AntinoĂ« is to become utterly immersed. I have little to critique, so enamored am I by AntinoĂ«âs ability to impart complex ideas in the simplest of terms. I suppose thereâs a minute or two that Marraco could have shaved from the two instrumentals, but in all honesty, thereâs not a minute of The Fold that I would cut or change.
One of the things Iâve always appreciated about AMG is its fearlessness in shedding light on bands that are categorically not metal. Case in point, among many, is Dolphin Whispererâs review of Maud the Mothâs excellent The Distaff this year. AntinoĂ« has recorded an emotional album for healing hearts, and as I look back on the last few years of losses Iâve experienced, Iâm unsurprised by how impactful itâs been to me. I wasnât expecting something of this caliber to come sweeping in so close to list season, but here we are. Iâll gladly wrap myself in a warm blanket next to a cozy fire, slip on my favorite pair of headphones, and sip a smoky porter while letting The Fold envelop me against the impending winterâs chill.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dark Essence Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: November 21st, 2025
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