From the island of Sardinia (Italy), Simulacro debuts with their first full length entitled Fall of the Last Idol. I had seen them live many times before the release of the album and I fell in love immediately; I was curious to listen how they would bring their music to a studio album and they didn't disappoint me. The seven tracks are a perfect combination of black and death metal: neither of the genres overwhelms the other, but on the contrary they are perfectly melted. Darkened arpeggios influenced by the French school but with a personal taste that makes everything fresh and original and never results boring thanks to the drums work of Anamnesi, who continually alternates doomish breakdowns and furious blast beats. While listening, some inserts of samples, Gregorian chants and keyboards on the background give the final product a feel of entirety. I think the strength of the album is the sense of epic crescendo it is able to convey.
Singer :D1821: alternates classic screaming vocals with deep growls when needed, while all the instruments are perfectly mixed together, and the listener has the chance to clearly hear everything with no effort (and here we can note the experience of every member).
Guitarist and lyricist Thaniey, despite his departure from the band after the first demo, continues to bring his voice to the project. The album can be considered as a concept in some way: the common thread of the lyrics is the never-ending decay of human being through inner thoughts about what surrounds us and has been contaminating our lives, such as religion and war. Songs like “Rex Tremendae Majestatis” (with its bridge sung in Italian), “Alive” and the couple “Irreversible Iconoclastic Corruption” and “My Skin Is Not My Own” well portray the message they want to leave. The last song (and probably the most furious) can be considered as an anthem of consciousness concerning the decadence addressed in the previous songs (“I am not god, I'm not immortal. Though they fear me as if I were. They learnt to hate the act of worship, now they will learn that gods are dead”).
This is an album I truly recommend, a little jewel.
Notes:
Fall of the Last Idol was released in April, 2013 through De Tenebrarum Principio.
Tracklist:
1. "Rex Tremendae Majestatis" 06:27
2. "In the Temple of Hypocrisy" 07:03
3. "Alive" 05:51
4. "Irreversible Iconoclastic Corruption" 04:16
5. "My Skin Is Not My Own" 05:48
6. "Burning Ruins of Submission" 04:55
7. "The Fall" 04:37
Personnel:
Anamnesi – drums, lyrics
:D1821: - lead vocals
Xul - guitars, keyboard/programming & backing vocals
Ombra - bass
Thaniey - concept & lyrics, backing vocals
Singer :D1821: alternates classic screaming vocals with deep growls when needed, while all the instruments are perfectly mixed together, and the listener has the chance to clearly hear everything with no effort (and here we can note the experience of every member).
Guitarist and lyricist Thaniey, despite his departure from the band after the first demo, continues to bring his voice to the project. The album can be considered as a concept in some way: the common thread of the lyrics is the never-ending decay of human being through inner thoughts about what surrounds us and has been contaminating our lives, such as religion and war. Songs like “Rex Tremendae Majestatis” (with its bridge sung in Italian), “Alive” and the couple “Irreversible Iconoclastic Corruption” and “My Skin Is Not My Own” well portray the message they want to leave. The last song (and probably the most furious) can be considered as an anthem of consciousness concerning the decadence addressed in the previous songs (“I am not god, I'm not immortal. Though they fear me as if I were. They learnt to hate the act of worship, now they will learn that gods are dead”).
This is an album I truly recommend, a little jewel.
Notes:
Fall of the Last Idol was released in April, 2013 through De Tenebrarum Principio.
Tracklist:
1. "Rex Tremendae Majestatis" 06:27
2. "In the Temple of Hypocrisy" 07:03
3. "Alive" 05:51
4. "Irreversible Iconoclastic Corruption" 04:16
5. "My Skin Is Not My Own" 05:48
6. "Burning Ruins of Submission" 04:55
7. "The Fall" 04:37
Personnel:
Anamnesi – drums, lyrics
:D1821: - lead vocals
Xul - guitars, keyboard/programming & backing vocals
Ombra - bass
Thaniey - concept & lyrics, backing vocals
Text by Aldebaran