Absentia Lunae - Historia Nobis Assentietvr

 

ABSENTIA LUNAE - Historia Nobis Assentietvr (ATMF - CD 2009)

I would never guess that Sardinia is a place where such hateful and austere black metal can be created. But that did actually happen, thanks to few different personas, like MZ, who created several different black metal projects to express his visions. MZ himself composes and performs the music in such bands as Arcana Coelestia, Locus Mortis, Urna – and I mention only those, which I am familiar with. Plus he is also responsible for the music in Absentia Lunae – who knows if it isn’t his most negative and violent creation of all, with a strong sort of militaristic, nihilistic aura around it – which is almost totalitarian when looking at some graphics they use… but that’s fine, I must say that I really like it. Somehow such “image” or let’s just say “vision” reminds me neoclassical projects like Von Thronstahl and even if musically Absentia Lunae hasn’t got much in common with them, then in visual aspects they do.

But hold on! Actually there’s one track on the “Historia Nobis Assentietvr” album, which I am listening to, which can be described as sort of neoclassical industrial ambient... I am talking about “Neuropa Calling” – an opening anthem, which musically is exactly in this style of music. And I really enjoyed it; I love the cold atmosphere which it creates of grimness and majesty. Something similar, but maybe less impressive, can also be found in the closing chapter titled “Il Sole Ritrovato degli Iperborei”… but skip these two songs and it turns out that the rest of “Historia Nobis Assentietvr” (translated to “History Will Prove Us Right”) is more or less, but harsh, extreme and violent black metal. And certainly Absentia Lunae knows what to do to create an interesting sound and music. Generally their black metal is kind of similar to some industrial black metal bands, in some ways we can find here some resemblances to Mysticum, Black Lodge, just to name these two bands, but at the same time “Historia Nobis Assentietvr” tells its own story and follows its own path, with truly relentless and furious, violent music. Sometimes it sounds like a sonic assault; chaotic, raw and vehement like in the song called “Sentenza al Criterio”. The true value of Absentia Lunae doesn’t lay only in playing the most vicious and fast black metal riffs though, but also in an idea to incorporate some different ideas to sound more interesting and diverse… I am not going to talk in details about every song and every single note, which those Italians have played here, but truly I must say that they did manage to create something unique. “Sentenza al Criterio” is just one example, but there are more truly awesome songs here like “Nel Gelido Sentore di Un'eterno Addio (nel Solco della mai Sopita Via)” (I especially like that final part of it, played with marching rhythm… at the same time the atmosphere in it is almost melancholic, so really a lot is going on through the entire nine minutes of this one song) and “L'immutabile Richiamo ed il suo Cruento Incontro”, which even contains some clean sang vocals parts and electronics in the background. So, one can call it more avant-garde sort of black metal band… I don’t really care about such labels. It is good music.

So, my impression in general is very positive – if only we can say about something positive, when dealing with music with such negative message. There’s something intriguing and unique about Absentia Lunae, something what distinguishes this album from the grey majority of black metal releases. But I think this is something more and more common for many Italians bands, as I have similar feelings towards such acts as Spite Extreme Wing, Janvs, Locus Mortis or some other MZ projects. Oh, an extra attention should be given to truly awesome artwork of “Historia Nobis Assentietvr”, filled with great, historical photograps… even the band’s photos are extraordinary. Yeah, certainly I recommend you those Italianos.

Standout tracks: “Nel Gelido Sentore di Un'eterno Addio (nel Solco della mai Sopita Via)”, “L'immutabile Richiamo ed il suo Cruento Incontro”

Final rate: 75/100