At one time, I was astonished by the sheer number of Italian bands. There are truly so many of them that if they all started sending their promos to webzines simultaneously, you would never learn about new releases from other countries.
Now, about the disc. It is, as always, a beautifully packaged release. The booklet artwork features paintings by HIERONYMUS BOSCH, which perfectly convey the album's overall atmosphere. The album consists of 9 tracks, conceptually united by a common theme — the plague epidemic in Europe in the mid-14th century.
The album begins with what I consider a slightly drawn-out, doom-black, five-minute intro. What follows is a sort of black metal with slight pagan influences and distinctive vocals: this is not a classic black metal scream, but something that initially, strangely enough, reminded me of something ambient-industrial, a la TMLHBTC. However, further on it did begin to resemble the classic scream of the early-to-mid '90s. The percussion deserves special mention — in addition to standard drums, some kind of additional percussion is used, though unfortunately there's too little of it.
Overall, the release makes a peculiar impression. It is so hazy yet at the same time so atmospheric (not least thanks to well-chosen samples) that while listening it passes easily through the mind, leaving a rather vague impression, yet simultaneously filling you with the spirit of a grim Middle Ages with its wars, witches, the Inquisition, and of course, epidemics. One could say the musicians succeeded in conveying the atmosphere (I believe that was precisely their goal), but purely in terms of technicality and instrumentation, I don't think this album can be considered a real find.