Klimt 1918 is formed back in October 1999 by (brothers?) Marco (vocals/guitars) and Paolo (drums) Soellner. Their former band was called Another Day, a progressive death metal band which released a couple of demos in the late nineties. When things didn’t work out musically they decided to start Klimt 1918 to explore new musical directions. The band name is based upon the painter Gustav Klimt who died in 1918. In 2000 the band released a demo which captured the attention of My Kingdom Music and a two album deal was inked, of which Undressed Momento is the first release.

The music is a blend of the most melodical pieces from Opeth, Katatonia and Anathema mixed with gothic/wave from quite a few years back (The Cure, Depeche Mode). The production is done by Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre) and Massimiliano Pagliuso (Novembre). The latter also added the orchestration which play an important role in the sound of Klimt 1918. Tracks are long and very open; each track is given the time to start, bloom and end, and much effort has been taken to give each track its own atmosphere and feeling.

Title track “Undressed Momento” sounds very melancholic while the next track, “That Girl” sounds light hearted and even breathes a sort of optimism, to give some examples.

Although the music is quite good, I do have some problems with Marco’s voice. He’s not a very varied singer and at times his singing is too monotonous and almost tends to irritate me. This is of course a matter of taste and there will surely be people who will absolutely adore his voice.

As a matter of fact I can’t seem to say much more about Undressed Momento but this: If you’re a lover of 80’s dark wave, gothic metal or the melodic moments of bands like Opeth and Katatonia you should check out Klimt 1918. Based on the fact that I can’t say much about the music, I feel that giving a rating is inappropriate.