BEDSORE: 1970s-Inspired Dreaming The Strife For Love LP By Italian Progressive Death Metal Quartet Now Streaming; Album Drops This Friday On 20 Buck Spin

photos by Francesco Maria Pepe

“…an unfathomable nexus of demo-era Cynic on some of the wickedest comus drip-drip gummies, taking off into the ’70s mind-expanding horror.” – Decibel Magazine

Dreaming The Strife For Love, the second LP by Italian progressive death metal quartet BEDSORE, is now streaming in its entirety, ahead of its worldwide release this Friday on 20 Buck Spin.

With Dreaming The Strife For Love, BEDSORE has jumped headfirst into the progressive warmth and obscure atmospheres of the 1970s. Inspired by the mysterious renaissance-era book Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, the album musically weaves the concepts of love as a battlefield, where desire and devotion are tested through trials and spiritual awakenings, with visions of pagan temples, mystical gardens, and arcane symbols. An aspirational and operatic aura envelops Dreaming The Strife For Love, from the longer compositions and spacious production to the extravagant and diverse instrumentation that includes 12-string guitar, copious use of synthesizers, mellotron and organs, fretless bass, percussion and horns; the dynamic range of the album embracing the most crucial elements of prog rock’s lofty imagination.

Lush, symphonic, ambitious, and romantic in scope, Dreaming The Strife For Love is 2024’s most surprising fusion of 1970s progressive and dark death metal, old and new production elements, the passionate and the horrific. Like so many of their Italian brethren, from Goblin and Devil Doll to Death SS and Black Hole, BEDSORE both embraces tradition and blows it up simultaneously.

Dreaming The Strife For Love’s primary recording sessions transpired at NMG Recording Studios, engineered by Lorenzo Stecconi and assisted by Alex Di Nunzio, and at Le Trombe Degli Angeli Studios by Jacopo Gianmaria Pepe and Stefano Allegretti. The Hammond B3 Organ, Farfisa Organ, ARP Solina, Harpsichord, and Minimoog Model D were recorded at Blind Faith Recording Studio, engineered by Lorenzo Stecconi and assisted by Luca Sapio. Mixed by Lorenzo Stecconi and mastered by Magnus Lindberg, the record is completed with cover paintings by Denis Forkas Kostromitin (Wolves in The Throne Room, Black Curse), additional illustrations by Costin Chioreanu (Edge Of Sanity, Cavalera, Jethro Tull), layout by Ebe Paciocco, and photography by Francesco Maria Pepe.

Fans of Opeth, Hallas, Yes, Goblin, Devil Doll, Genesis, Popol Vuh, Death SS, Paul Chain, and Oranssi Pazuzu must investigate BEDSORE’s Dreaming The Strife For Love.

The band writes, “Dreaming The Strife For Love is an exploration of both ancient themes and modern extremities. It is a bridge between the mysticism of Renaissance philosophy, the progressive musical ambition of the ‘70s, and the relentless force of extreme metal. This is a voyage into the labyrinth of the heart, where the pursuit of Love demands more than just passion: it calls for transformation, sacrifice, and transcendence. This album is a tribute to the ancient world of symbols and the progressive spirit of music. Get ready to enter the dream, fight for Love, and get lost…”

**Explore BEDSORE’s kaleidoscopic Dreaming The Strife For Love in its vast entirety now at YouTube HERE and Bandcamp HERE**.

Dreaming The Strife For Love will be unveiled on LP, CD, MC, and digital formats this Friday, November 29th. Find preorders at the 20 Buck Spin webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE, and watch the “Scars Of Light” animated video HERE.

BEDSORE will soon announce European tour dates with their labelmates and fellow countrymates Fulci for February 2025.

“…the Rome-based non-traditionalists have honed their wildest of crafts on Dreaming The Strife For Love. As expected, this isn’t an easy listen, an unfathomable nexus of demo-era Cynic on some of the wickedest comus drip-drip gummies, taking off into the ’70s mind-expanding horror.” – Decibel Magazine

“The album’s greatest strength is the way the band channels the warm, sumptuous sound of ’70s prog rock. Even on lousy speakers, Dreaming The Strife For Love is lush. It sounds like sitting in the control room of an expensive studio while a shapeshifting group of virtuosic, driven musicians push themselves to the very edge of their collective imagination.” – Bandcamp

“…the Italian act opens up novel pathways, such as the cinematic scope that greets you… an enticing repeat listen with its niche sound.” – PopMatters

“It lies somewhere between the gothy, psychedelic arena black/death metal of Children Of The Night-era Tribulation and the death-prog journeys of the new Blood Incantation album, fleshed out by horns, keyboards, and more.” – BrooklynVegan

“The substantial amount of classic prog in BEDSORE’s sophomore album, however, is a rather wild departure from debut Hypnagogic Hallucinations… BEDSORE has added their fingerprints to the styles of their heroes, creating an interpretation that feels more their own while readily intermingling all the elements of their songs so that the death metal parts might still be fused with the prog bits.” – Last Rites

“The sound was wide open for me, and they made some very strong steps forward into the varied and sometimes odd world of progressive metal.” – Metal Temple

BEDSORE:
Jacopo Gianmaria Pepe – vocals, electric guitar, 12-string guitar
Stefano Allegretti – classical guitar, synthesizers, mellotron, organ, keyboards
Giulio Rimoli – fretless bass, bass pedals
Davide Itri – drums, percussion

Guest Musicians On Dreaming The Strife For Love:
Kariti – vocals (track 1)
Giorgio Trombino – saxophone, flute (tracks 1, 2, 3)
Giulio Guidotti – trumpet, trombone (tracks 1, 4, 6)