vote
7.0
The return of the Emilian band clearly marks their progressive component, with songs that offer walls of sound with a notable impact.
A progressive approach which, however, is not aimed at showcasing pure technique, but rather a sort of almost theatrical narration: in fact, what immediately catches the eye is the use of the voice playing on filtered and whispered registers, aiming at a sense of alienation, at times almost hieratic (“Celestial And Buried”), as well as the always excellent work behind the skins of Marcello Malagoli.
Circular riffs abound and become disturbing at times, or transform into disturbing acoustic passages, for example on “Earth As A Furnace”, which otherwise is pure fury sharpened by blastbeat and swirling guitars. It is even more noticeable on “A Dancestep Of Fate”, a song completely free of distortion and among the most evocative moments of the album; here, without distorting their sound, Laetitia In Holocaust also manage to give shape to those neofolk references, at times even goth, which even in the past were perceived to be part of their musical roots.
Roots that sink perfectly into the experience of certain Italian bands that have tried not to simply conform to Scandinavian models (Spite Extreme Wing above all), without however forgetting certain masters from the Great North, Mayhem first and foremost; this is particularly evident in “Murmurs Of Faith”, with its fascinating crescendo of hallucinated wickedness, in which S’ vocal versatility is confirmed. “Jvlivs Caesar Germanicvs” is an instrumental piece of refined extremism, if you understand the oxymoron, which acts as a perfect hinge between the two parts of the record; “Devotio” is probably the most prog track in the strict sense, with the bass in great shape and a captivating Mediterranean taste, while the final “From Plowshares To Swords” intertwines melodic taste and intransigence, winking – always in absolutely perfect form personal – to the avant-garde of Ved Buens Ende or Dødheimsgard, with a few splashes of that icy romanticism that the Eastern European scene has been able to explode in the black scene for a couple of decades.
In short, it is a record that convinces with its impact, but which cannot disappoint even the most demanding palates.
