Band of the week 20/2026
Origin: Turin, Piedmont/Italy
Genre: Black-/ Doom Metal, Avantgarde Black Metal
Hier geht’s zur deutschen Version.
The band about itself:
„Ponte del Diavolo is a band formed in 2020 in Turin, whose musical roots lie in doom and black metal. The project stands out for its occult aura, strong dark wave/post-punk influences, the presence of two bass guitars in the line-up and the theatricality of the singer Erba del Diavolo.“ -Quelle Spotify
Editorial commentary:
My first encounter with the Italian band Ponte Del Diavolo was at the De Mortem et Diabolum festival in 2023. I hadn’t heard of the band before and had deliberately avoided listening to their music so as not to spoil any potential element of surprise. In hindsight, that was a good decision, as the band turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire festival for me. It was both the music and the stage performance that gripped me from the very first moment and never let go!
Whilst doing my research, I also stumbled across the origin of their name, and I had to smile. You are welcome to read the Wikipedia entry on the Ponte della Maddalena, but in short, it’s a story about a devil with a penchant for building, who constructed a bridge overnight in exchange for a human soul. Spoiler: Of course, the devil was outwitted in the end. There are several similar stories in the Harz region, such as the Teufelsmauer (Devil’s Wall), which is also the logo of the Rockharz Open Air, or the Teufelsmühle (Devil’s Mill). I couldn’t help but smile at these parallels.
Back to the band! Ponte Del Diavolo is a relatively young band that formed in late 2020 and has already released three EPs and two albums. I particularly like their new album, De Venom Natura, released on 13 February 2026!
Musically, the band blend black metal with doom metal and a number of other, partly avant-garde elements. On repeated listens, I’ve also been able to pick out influences from rock, blues and, in some cases, even swing. Live, this mix is equally thrilling, and at the two festivals – De Mortem et Diabolum and the Dark Easter Metal Meeting – where I’ve had the chance to see the band so far, they livened up the entire day’s line-up and brought a refreshing change of pace to the otherwise very dominant black metal scene on those festival days.
Their stage performance is also virtually unique within black metal. Singer Elena Camusso, aka Erba del Diavolo (Italian for ‘datura’), moves elegantly and effortlessly across the stage, constantly in motion, and in the few quiet moments she poses almost like a fashion model. Her performance reminds me of a modern interpretation of jazz, swing and a touch of early 1900s burlesque, albeit slower and without the frantic pace. Much like the music itself, such a performance is incredibly rare, perhaps even unique in black metal.
For me, the music and the performance are two very good reasons to want to see this band live time and time again, no matter which festival they’re playing at, and to highly recommend them to you.
The band at Dark-Art:
Live impressions:
Music recommendation:
Upcoming live dates:
22.05.2026 – Traffic Live Club, Rom
23.05.2026 – Scumm, Pescarer
30.05.2026 – Alchemica Music Club, Bologne
13.06.2026 – Sputnikhalle, Münster
18.06.2026 – Hellfest, Clisson
24.07.2026 – Campo Sportivo di Piea, Piea
29.07.2026 – Fekete Zaj Fesztivál, Mátra Sástó
31.10.2026 – Crazy Bull, Genova
Links:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify
YouTube
Band of the week is our weekly posting about a band we recommend and is posted every Tuesday at 8pm (CET). These are bands that are just at the beginning of their career and that we think should receive more attention.
You can also find all the bands we’ve featured this year in our playlist on Spotify!
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