The follow-up to Qui In Obscuritate Habitant, titled Proximi Divinitatis, is the second stage in a trilogy set up by Gorganera from Tuscany (Italy) in search of some essence beyond the mundane. The very continuity between the titles suggests that this Italian band is set on an inner-most quest for the ultimate esthetic of the black soul of the human being, and is certainly getting closer to finding its unholy Graal.
In spite of having lost some properly “black metal” sound in the process, giving way to death and thrash effect, Gorganera has managed to remain much blacker than many so-called black metal bands as far as the topics and their lyrical vision go.
On Proximi Divinitatis they have apparently preferred to push harder on the pedal of a compact, strong sound, brutal but not too restless, postponing the peaks of creativity to another episode. Nonetheless, they find a way to emerge from the extended ocean of bands out there. I think they find it through the metrics, as they stick to the choice of staying faithful to their mother tongue (with some excursions into Latin) and that originates a very peculiar singing from vocalist Sabbuth. Italian is actually an ugly beast of a language when you have to deal with the aggressive rhythmic and sonic assault of extreme metal. Crisper and more essential idioms, such as the Anglo-Saxon ones, serve well to that purpose. But Morbus Lucifugum and Apocalisse, respectively drummer and bassist, seem to customize their own patterns, adjusting them to the perfect measure for the lyrics. The result is indeed suggestive and full of evocative power.
The intro alone already provides a good deal of shivers, and that only being a collage of spoken words from some kind of preacher celebrating the nuclear weapons as a healing to the world, assorted dictators and, last but not least, Pope John Paul II delivering his notorious speech “Have no fear”.
Creepy enough to give you goosebumps.
“Dei Ora” features a very interesting distorted guitar work, much typical of Scandinavian death. “Fatum Unica Veritas Est” sounds tighter and a lot more aggressive, although the presence of choruses makes it somehow more digestable. “Fossa Comune” is one of the most powerful songs; the title means “mass grave” and Sabbuth’s vocals here get even more freezing and unsettling, to recall the shocking imagery of such horrors. “Veleno” keeps attention high on guitar lines and composition, the wickedness of it all reminds me of some very good things from, for example, Rotting Christ. The title track slows down a bit, incorporating some finely carved instrumental parts, maybe deviating a bit from the general course of the tracklist, although maintaining all of its demonic charm.
Maybe not in the way of extreme experimentation, but certainly deserving a good listen, Gorganera have proved to be a band in evolution, with an outstanding technical level; we’ll see what the future holds for them and for the rest of mankind, hopefully something very obscure and apocalyptic.
Notes:
Self-released on October 22 2014.
In spite of having lost some properly “black metal” sound in the process, giving way to death and thrash effect, Gorganera has managed to remain much blacker than many so-called black metal bands as far as the topics and their lyrical vision go.
On Proximi Divinitatis they have apparently preferred to push harder on the pedal of a compact, strong sound, brutal but not too restless, postponing the peaks of creativity to another episode. Nonetheless, they find a way to emerge from the extended ocean of bands out there. I think they find it through the metrics, as they stick to the choice of staying faithful to their mother tongue (with some excursions into Latin) and that originates a very peculiar singing from vocalist Sabbuth. Italian is actually an ugly beast of a language when you have to deal with the aggressive rhythmic and sonic assault of extreme metal. Crisper and more essential idioms, such as the Anglo-Saxon ones, serve well to that purpose. But Morbus Lucifugum and Apocalisse, respectively drummer and bassist, seem to customize their own patterns, adjusting them to the perfect measure for the lyrics. The result is indeed suggestive and full of evocative power.
The intro alone already provides a good deal of shivers, and that only being a collage of spoken words from some kind of preacher celebrating the nuclear weapons as a healing to the world, assorted dictators and, last but not least, Pope John Paul II delivering his notorious speech “Have no fear”.
Creepy enough to give you goosebumps.
“Dei Ora” features a very interesting distorted guitar work, much typical of Scandinavian death. “Fatum Unica Veritas Est” sounds tighter and a lot more aggressive, although the presence of choruses makes it somehow more digestable. “Fossa Comune” is one of the most powerful songs; the title means “mass grave” and Sabbuth’s vocals here get even more freezing and unsettling, to recall the shocking imagery of such horrors. “Veleno” keeps attention high on guitar lines and composition, the wickedness of it all reminds me of some very good things from, for example, Rotting Christ. The title track slows down a bit, incorporating some finely carved instrumental parts, maybe deviating a bit from the general course of the tracklist, although maintaining all of its demonic charm.
Maybe not in the way of extreme experimentation, but certainly deserving a good listen, Gorganera have proved to be a band in evolution, with an outstanding technical level; we’ll see what the future holds for them and for the rest of mankind, hopefully something very obscure and apocalyptic.
Notes:
Self-released on October 22 2014.
| Tracklist: 1. Intro 2. Dei Ora 3. Fatum Unica Veritas Est 4. Fossa Comune 5. Veleno 6. Proximi Divinitatis Personnel: Apocalisse – Bass, Vocals (backing) Morbus Lucifugum – Drums Sabbuth – Vocals, Guitars Cerusicus – Guitars (lead) Text by Arianna [email protected] | 03:27 04:05 04:48 05:55 06:02 06:13 30:30 |