I knew I had learnt Latin at school for a reason. The statement of the back of this album’s sleeve states (I think): “May the talking be silenced. May the laughter slip away. This place is where death rejoices in running after life”. Latin statements expressing dark sentiments are very much the image of this Black Metal band from Italy. The band has been around since 1994, since when this is their second full album to add to a few demos and a contribution to a Burzum tribute.
“Ars Obscura” is in its styles nothing that any Black Metal listener won’t have heard before. It has all the right ingredients. It’s not Black Metal muzak though. The album is delivered throughout with total authority from the opening whisperings of death to the sharp and punishing Black Metal which follows. There are no fancy tricks and to its credit the music comes first. It’s well-balanced and suitably dark and threatening. This probably doesn’t help much but the flowing evil reminds me of a rather obscure but excellent 2002 album called “Altered Flesh” by a French band called Latrodectus.
I like very much the fact that “Ars Obscura” is just track of properly played and accessible Black Metal darkness. It flows through the veins, the changes are expertly handled as to be barely noticeable and the passion is evident but controlled. Occasionally there’s a wake–up, as at the start of “summa Regina Mortorum” when the dull sound of the bells ring us in, before leading us into the fire. The title track “Ars Oscura” last 12 minutes and screams precede guitars running up and down the scale. Darkness is played out powerfully and majestically, descending eventually into creepy growls before the track ebbs away majestically. Whilst each track has identity, I didn’t find myself picking out features as I might normally do. The album takes into different musical areas, otherwise it wouldn’t be so interesting, but it’s just a continuously captivating Black Metal journey, if I may put it that way. We hear occasional screams and menacing growls and there’s constant fire and intensity. When it does head into new territory, it’s never at the expense of the previous section. There’s no incompleteness. If I were to pick out a favourite track, I’d choose ”Cassa Morta”. Forward-driving as ever, it is Classic Black Metal in that it is deep and darkly intense. As it progresses, it sucked me in with its dark melody. There’s no artificial attempt to create evil here. “Cassa Morta” leads into the final track “1330”. The darkness speeds up and the track has marching qualities about it. Again, there’s nothing pretentious about it.
I found myself absorbed in this album. “Ars Obscura”, for all the Latin pomp which surrounds it, is almost understated. As a work of Black Metal, this is as solid as it gets.
http://www.imagomortis.net
Andrew Doherty
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