I, Voidhanger Records presents: MALASANGRE "Lux Deerit Soli" CD

Si rifanno vivi i Malasangre, il quintetto è giunto alla terza release "Lux Deerit Soli" a distanza di ben sette anni dal secondo capitolo "Inversus" ed è evidente che pur proseguendo nel percorso di maturazione di un sound a cavallo fra il funeral doom, il drone e la matrice black, riscontrabile quasi esclusivamente nella componente vocale, si abbia a che fare con il parto di una formazione ormai conscia di quali siano i punti di riferimento su cui ruotare il proprio asse compositivo.
Brani impermeati di un'oscurità profonda ricollegabile all'immensità della volta celeste o alle profondità degli abissi inesplorati, poco cambia, è un buio che non possiede frammentazione, una cappa che ricopre e ammanta con una ferrea chiusura l'ascoltatore quella presente nelle due abnormi tracce "Sa Ta" e "Na Ma".
Per chi non ne fosse a conoscenza sono mantra usati nella meditazione del serpente (Kundalini) nonché fra i primo fonemi del sanscrito ognuno con un significato ben preciso: "Sa" uguale "infinito", "Ta" uguale "vita", "Na" uguale "morte" e "Ma" uguale rinascita. Tenete conto che qualcuno (gli ebrei, grandi risparmiatori) ha deciso di abbreviare un po' la situazione e ne è derivata una delle parole più controverse della storia: Satana, quale miglior via se non partire dallo Yoga per finire al cattivo più noto della millenaria esistenza umana?
Settanta minuti di dispersione, di atmosfere che si dilatano avvolgendo, creando degli anelli di malevola esternazione supportati da una base ritmica che mantenendosi in modo ferreo ai dettami del nero funereo con alterazioni al limite tendenti a una proposizione tribale non si concedono a variazioni frenetiche o inaspettate.
Il flusso delle due canzoni, similari per alcuni aspetti, è pari a quello di un fiume che nel suo quieto scorrere nasconde al di sotto del velo d'acqua superficiale una serie di gorghi pronti a tirarvi giù.
Siano poi le pulsioni di una natura più austera e concentrata nel mitizzare l'inquietudine dilagante attraverso una "monotonia" ossessiva e destabilizzante nell'iniziale "Sa Ta" o la formulazione egualmente stringente ma appagante grazie a una dimestichezza notevole nello sfruttare anche brevi partiture acustiche di "Na Ma" a pressare la vostra essenza nel tentativo di distruggerla per darle la possibilità di riforgiarsi attraverso "Lux Deerit Soli", quello che conta è arrivare in fondo a un disco che nella sua apparente concezione statica offre più di ciò che da a vedere.
Come sovente accade quando ci si avventura in territori solcati da gente come Skepticism, Khanate, Thergoton nei quali si offre la possibilità ad agenti dronici e a una parte black di confluire, il risultato sarà sempre e comunque difficile da assimilare soprattutto se non si è avvezzi a tali "on air".
È quindi ovvio che affrontare una botta considerevole qual è peraltro questo nuovo Malasangre, richiederà da parte di chi si cimenta una dedizione e devozione all'ascolto incondizionate, magari un pieno isolamento tramite cuffie e stanza oscurata calandosi ancor più nella realtà di "Lux Deerit Soli".
Il viaggio è a portata d'orecchio, la destinazione da decidersi in corsa, siete pronti? Non vi resta che aprire il lettore, inserire i Malasangre e per il resto a voi viverlo.

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Delivering a crushing 72 minute release divided in two songs, today we have Italy’s Malasangre and their thick mixture of Drone/Funeral Doom Metal with some hints of Black Metal screams. In such an ambitious release the band brings you down to a dark and cavernous world where light goes to die. This music is what I would take into a caving expedition and freak the shit out of everybody there.
Opening with the hypnotic “Sa Ta”, the album’s first half delivers a slow and painful ride down the bowels of hell. The riffs are sparse but crushing, the screams are as demonic as you can get, and the overall atmosphere is very nicely constructed to create a feeling of despair. The Doom riffing is excellent and very well developed through this song, making it not as linear as many bands do when constructing a 30+ minute song.
“Na Ma” delivers the remaining 36 minutes of music with a similar cavernous feeling. In this track we have some very deep riffs and martial drumming that makes the song feel even longer and more monumental. The atmosphere is top not and feels very bleak as the seconds slowly go by. By having a full five-person lineup, Malasangre can easily pull these tracks off in a live setting. We are quite disturbed by the level of unrest that this song bestows upon the listener (and we love it).
As many of this releases go, just before you think you have the band figured out the album ends with no explanation or sense of closure. Malasangre does a great job in creating a very desolate feeling with “Lux Deerit Soli” and any fan of the genre will surely appreciate it. Be aware that this release is not for everybody, but if you like tuned low guitars and monumental songs, this is the release you have been waiting for in 2012.
[86 out of 100]

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Don’t let the emo haircuts fool you. Italy’s Malasangre play funeral doom with a soft atmospheric edge. That type of musical approach is about as far as one can get from emo nonsense, and Malasangre’s approach to the genre is pretty well done on Lux Deerit Soli, their second full-length.
Very heavy guitar work with a very hazy production, a glacial pace, and rough vocals are periodically broken up with long, drawn out passages of atmospheric harmonics. An album only consisting of two very long tracks of over a half hour apiece, Malasangre wisely break up their songs into noticeably separate movements that ebb and flow, resulting in a rather dreamy auditory experience.
I, Voidhanger Records is rather well known for digging up strange acts skirting the edges of some of metal’s extreme subgenres, but I do find myself somewhat disappointed in this album’s presentation. Bland cover art adorns Lux Deerit Soli, something that I, Voidhanger always manage to avoid.
[Grade: B]

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A very long time I hadn't heard such a fantastic album of funeral doom. This is one. And I am all the most surprised to hear the mixed reviews of several so-called specialized sites who, apparently, have lost their aural taste listening too much second-hand shit for their chronicles. Malasangre is an Italian band, and this is their new LP after 7 years off. The black metal voice of the singer, the obessive and macabre construction of riffs, the growing intensity, the lyrism in the arrangements, all this makes this 2 tracks LP (35 min each) one of the best album of the year so far. There is also a certain Khanate flavor that makes things still more exciting. I can't imagine fans of Skepticism, Moss or Khanate won't adopt this new opus as the sonor coffin of their suicidal thoughts... For me, it's pure masterpiece. In particular "Na Ma", the second track, one of the highobscurity of the year without a doubt.

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Malasangre is a band from Italy and this is their first album in 8 years so it better be good right? Well I have nothing to compare it to; I haven't heard any of their earlier albums so I only got this one to based my opinions on and I have to say they seem like a bunch of seriously disturbed individuals. This album walks a fine line between drone, funeral doom, post rock, sludge and depressive black metal without really getting a grip of any of those genres but it is about as doom as doom gets so lets just call it that for now. 'Lux Deerit Soli' is an extreme album and one of the most difficult albums I have been subjected to in the past year. There are just two songs, one being the 35 minute 'Sa Ta' and the slighty longer 'Na Ma.' This album I gather is loosely based on the end cycles of the Kali Yuga described in the Hindu scriptures, or to put it another way, the decline of human civilization. So I gather it is a concept album but without being told what it is supposed to be about, I doubt if anyone would notice.
The album is centered around down-tuned guitar played over the top of a whole lot of droning ambience that is harsh, distorted and ugly sadistic noise. Think Khanate, Sunn 0)), music played by black metal zombies on prozac and you will be getting close to what is happening here. Songs are slow, buried in muddy sound but they are also surprisingly inventive pieces that bring up something new each time you give it a listen. Passages move from the melancholic to the absolutely crushing but it has to be said from the outset that the average doom metal fan won't make it past 10 minutes of this and that is a shame because there is a lot of great moments to be found here. Even though the 2 tracks are insanely long and slow-moving, there are not much in the way or repetitive passages. Sometimes the variations are subtle and if you are not paying attention you will miss them. Other changes are more obvious but it all comes back to the length and the general sound of these pieces and that is where problems arise.
In a sentence, this album is equivocating vocal shrieks over the top of snail paced blackened drones and funeralized guitar chords and you don't get much more with this album. Luckily though, what they do is great and it is so good that if you are an experienced listener of extreme doom and drone, you should be able to sit through this album without too much trouble. As with most droning doom acts, the emphasis is on minimalism but in this case the minimalism is layered with all kinds of added ingredients which makes this more interesting than the usual generic drone-doom album. The vocals while tedious at times break into chants which come from the texts that inspired the concept behind the album and that is a nice but ominous touch. Guitars switch from monolithic chords to plucking acoustics to ambient distorted passages. The drumming however rarely changes from the standard funeral doom drum patterns you have heard a million times before.
The concept behind the album is interesting but gets lost within the music so that is hardly a selling point and musically, it is not the most exciting release going around but it is intriguing and a mesmerizing example of what can be done with the droning doom style. Of course many will find that monotony sets in early and it is obviously an album you need to be in the mood for and I don't know how often that mood will arise for most listeners; My guess is not too often. For fans; was this an album worth waiting 8 years for? I think that answer will be a big YES. For people who have never heard the band, this could be a test of your patience levels but most real doom metal fans have adapted their listening for long, drawn out pieces of disturbingly bleak pieces of music so you guys should be able to handle it. Dark, disturbing, bleak, and ritualistic - this is one of the most challenging doom albums to be released in some time.
[7 out of 10]

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The line between funeral doom and drone metal is very fine. Anyone who's listened to the two genres even to a minimal degree could tell you that the two sub-genres could be mistaken for each other and do have a tendency to cross over within certain projects. Finding bands and projects that blur the lines between the two sub-genres has become increasingly easy, but finding groups that make anything worthy of listening to is much harder.
Scouring the internet in search for new doom bands, or even new drone bands for that matter, has become a journey that is much harder than I think one would first anticipate. Sure, every genre has it's bad sides with bands and projects that are just terrible and cringe-worthy, but trying to find bands that are interesting within these two genres is probably the hardest of any genre I've searched through to find something quality. You'll more likely have to sift through ten projects that are boring and monotonous in order to find one that is at all decent, if that. I really wouldn't recommend going on that journey in order to find new bands. I consider myself lucky to have found some really talented bands and projects within both genres, bands that are constantly doing interesting things and providing interesting ideas. Though I was sent this album, I had never heard of Malasangre before receiving this album.
The two tracks that make up this album are long and winding. If you're not a fan of long albums, let alone long tracks, I somehow doubt that you'll enjoy this album, but I should say that if you are a fan of drone music, doom metal, dark ambient music, and to an extent, post-rock influenced metal, there will certainly be moments that you'll find enjoyment in on here. Each track tops thirty minutes and moves through stints of crushing doom metal into more melancholic and atmospheric realms that are soft and calming. What may surprise you to know is that despite how long these tracks are, I rarely felt bored. Sure, there are certainly a few moments here and there that drag on for a little too long and could have been cut, but I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging this was. The heavy parts are extended and rather bulky while the calmer ones are, as I said above, melancholic, but the whole album is surrounded by this ominous and rather miasmic atmosphere. The entire disc just exudes this haze that is pretty engulfing, and at times, quite palpable. All of this is present in track one, Sa Ta, but it's track two, Na Ma, where the band fully realize all of their ideas. The riffs, the atmosphere, the dynamics, and the timing on this song is everything that should comprise a drone-doom song. I will admit that the length of the first track was pretty apparent whilst listening to it, but this one moves along at a pace that makes it just fly by. Everything about the track is top-notch and the band displays some of the best interplay (I'm not actually sure how this was recorded) I've heard this year, with every player just working off each other's presence so well.
Overall, despite its length, both tracks on here are solid and the final result is a pretty good album that is probably one of the best examples of drone-doom I've heard in quite a while. It's pretty hard to get worked up over a drone-doom album, but I found myself really excited while I was listening to this, if that's any indication of how above par I think this is. I realize that drone-doom is a pretty niche genre so obviously there isn't going to be a huge audience for this one, but for anyone who enjoys that genre, I do strongly urge you to check this album out. Let all other drone acts take notice, this is how it should be done.
[8 out of 10]

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One could hardly complain about the general state of Doom in Italy. Being in some of the darkest ages since World War II these years, the country seems to have been quite good at spawning some seriously disturbed individuals, organized under names such as Arcana Coelestia, Cervix, Consummatum Est, Forgotten Tomb, Funereal Luxuria, Void of Silence or Urna, to name just a few. As the quite exceptional sounds of each of these, the spaghetti-Doom of Malasangre is far from being among the less original nor less disturbed congregations of bipeds. Having been first exposed to this band on the obscure compilation/split tape ’Church of the Flagellation’ with their regressive, minimalistic, disturbing and sludgy track ’Revelation CCXXXIX’, my interest has been always driven by the will to hear more. And, considering it was painfully Doomy to witness how it took the band about 8 years since their last effort, ’Inversus’ (as far as I understand it, the compilation track was recorded later, but it took the full-length a longer time to see the time of its proper release), the question turns quickly to the consideration of whether it was worth the wait. Especially since the release has been postponed once or twice over the last few years. Was it worth then? Affirmative.
Coming out on the rising underground label I, Voidhanger Records from the legendary mafia-city of Palermo, which has recently put out some impressive Doom pieces – the ’Yogsothery’ compilation, a re-release of the Danish death/Funeral Doom combo Woebegone Obscured, or the dreamy cosmic Black Metal of Midnight Odyssey, Malasangre offer a new piece called ’Lux Deerit Soli’, consisting of two horrendously long tracks of their crystalizing trademark sound. That is to say – expect primitivism, repetition, minimalism and almost zero variation in the slow pace of their own mixture of Sludge and Funeral Doom Metal. Even compared to some of the Funeral Doom bands (say, of Solitude Productions style), here is much less space for melody, keyboards or solos, as well as one won't find the layered-ness in the vein of Esoteric or Nadja anywhere near here. But the striking thing is, that in absence of all this, Malasangre are still able to keep a lot of inventiveness, stay full of ideas and keep all the filth always on the correct edge of the boundary between boring, draining, disturbing and annoying and intense, atmospheric, deep and crushing. But of course, this is hardly music for anybody. It needs patience, resilience and a degree of disturbance, which distinguishes a Doom Metal fan from one used to Lady Gaga or Radiohead.
Aesthetically speaking, there seems to be a bit of change from the stoner-themed beginnings inspired by Electric Wizard, the themes of terrorism and desperation of the George Bush years from Inversus, nor the radioactive fall-out theme of ’Revelation CCXXXIX’ (somewhat related to the atomic number 239?). Not only is this time the music gone a small step further towards Black Metal in its emphasis on atmosphere, but as well the lyrical inspiration seems to draw from occultism and the religious teachings from South Asia (I'd say Hindu, but, admit little qualification on this topic) which, no surprise, influenced a deal of Western mysticism. Indeed, some of the Doom is reinforced and occasionally interrupted with sampled howling of some Indian ghost or something, some sitar (?) and sounds alike. With the well-done obscure Black packaging, this only enhances the mysticism of this piece of Doomy art. The only thing that needs to be said is that you can take this as much as words of praise or a warning sign, so do not blame it on us if over 70 minutes of music in the vein of the samples on the label's page drives you up the wall of your tomb and scares the hell out of the worms in your spaghetti.

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In occasione della recente recensione del debutto degli (Echo) avevo avuto modo di tessere le lodi della scena doom nostrana, sempre più nutrita e competitiva e che, a dispetto dei pettegolezzi e delle dicerie da corridoio, si sta facendo sempre più spazio nel panorama internazionale grazie a band di qualità come i Malasangre, dei quali oggi presentiamo la terza fatica intitolata Luxe Deerit Soli.
Per chi non li conoscesse, si tratta di una band attiva dal 2000 tra Cremona, Voghera e Piacenza. L'esordio avviene nel 2002 con l'acidissimo A Bad Trip To..., poi nel 2004 partecipano alla pesantissima compilation Church of the Flagellation, in compagnia di Stabat Mater, Bunkur e The Sad Sun; mentre nel 2005 arriva il loro secondo full-lenght album intitolato Inversus, ad opera della Nothingness Records.
Oggi ci troviamo qui a parlare del fatidico terzo album: intitolato Luxe Deerit Soli e composto da sole due tracce entrambe eccedenti i trentacinque minuti di durata, questo nuovo lavoro è un mastodontico viaggio nei menadri profondi del black/doom più alienato, putrido, lento, sporco e malefico.
L'ascolto di questo platter è quantomai impegnativo data la lunghezza spropositata dei brani che, a differenza di molti lavori di colleghi doomsters, non concede grande spazio a parti arpeggiate e/o a divagazioni di synth, concentrando invece tutto il contenuto sulla sola cosa che riesce naturale: stritolare l'ascoltatore. Difatti, la maggior parte delle bands che si spingono su simili minutaggi solitamente fa ricorso al massiccio utilizzo di parti acustiche (vedi Mournful Congregation, Corrupted, etc.) o magari all'effettistica (Esoteric e Septic Mind su tutti) o ancora allo smodato utilizzo dei sintetizzatori, che ben si prestano a diluire le atmosfere ed aumentare così il minutaggio senza che - molto spesso - rimanga nulla di concreto tra le mani, mentre i nostri riescono a dosare pieni e vuoti in maniera tale che quest'ultimi servano per ricaricare di tensione le composizioni.
La musica dei Malasangre si muove sulle faglia creata dall'impatto della crosta doom con quella black, e i risultati - per rimanere in tema - sono decisamente terremotanti. Lo scontro delle due faglie crea sovrapposizioni dei due generi, che si manifestano in esplosioni di rabbia e in repentini rallentamenti che sprofondano molto spesso in abissi ribollenti di lava incandescente.
Immaginate di mescolare idealmente la pesantezza degli Electric Wizard con la malvagia acidità dei primissimi Unholy, aggiungete una pizzico di nichilismo ed un tocco di atmosfera ed avrete la ricetta di questo Luxe Deerit Soli. L'album è la perfetta evoluzione del precedente Inversus, e ben rappresenta lo stato di salute di una band che negli anni ha saputo ritagliarsi un posto di rispetto nella scena doom estrema.
Quasi impossibile la descrizione approfondita dei brani, in quanto, data appunto la notevole durata, sono molto ricchi di cambi di tempo e di atmosfera; dunque risulta molto difficile fornire una descrizione globale. Se volessimo comunque sforzarci di trovare un modo per descriverli, potremmo dire che Na Ma può essere considerata come una lenta colata di magma che, emerso in superficie allo stato liquido, procede lentamente lungo i crateri scavati nella roccia divorando inesorabilmente ogni forma di vita che si trovi sul suo cammino.
La seconda Sa Ta, al contrario, ha un'attività che definirei quasi stromboliana, alternando esplosioni di rabbia a momenti di calma piatta che rasentano quasi la rarefazione sonora.
L'accostamento di questo lavoro ad un parossismo è quantomai azzeccato anche dal punto di vista delle atmosfere, in quanto in entrambe i casi si ha a che fare con esalazioni di zolfo e di gas asfissianti che rendono faticosissima la fruizione.
Le conclusioni sono più che positive, tuttavia mi sento di consigliare una simile esperienza solo ed esclusivamente a quella nicchia di pubblico che ha le orecchie ben allenate a questo tipo di sonorità; il minutaggio sconsiderato delle tracce è un limite che lascerà per strada troppe vittime, e renderà decisamente ardimentosa quest'avventura.
Rimane il fatto che, tutti coloro i quali riusciranno a portare a compimento questa escursione ai limiti del doom, di certo non la dimenticheranno per molto tempo. L'Olimpo ultra-doom ha una nuova divinità tutta Italiana!
[70 out of 100]

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Con dos experimentos sónicos de más o menos 35 minutos cada uno, hay que tener tiempo, y bastante, para lograr apreciar a la banda italiana MALASANGRE, pero si se lo dan, es posible que la pena bien lo valga para todos aquellos que se deleitan con el doom, con el sludge doom o con el funeral doom. Fans de black metal también puede que enganchen con la propuesta debido a la voz carraspeada del vocalista que se hace llamar "EM-00". No, en serio, no estoy hueviando. Chequeen los otros nombres de los miembros de la banda, todos en esa línea. Me pregunto qué tipo de droga alucinógena habrá que probar para ponerse esos nombres.
Pues bien, MALASANGRE, que se formó en el 2000 y que apenas ahora vengo a descubrir, ya tiene tres discos editados, incluyendo este. El primero, A Bad Trip To..., del 2002, más sicodélico según cuentan, y que no viene con canciones muy largas, Inversus del 2005, donde ya se van en la volada de las canciones súper largas, entregando al mundo 3 canciones en 53 minutos. Luego la banda desaparece de la faz de la tierra y vuelve recién este año a editar el disco que con siniestro placer comento ahora. No olvidemos el Split de 4 bandas Church Of The Flagellation del 2004, donde la banda aporta un seductor tema de casi 17 minutos y que pueden escuchar en la página MySpace.
Pero vamos a este disco en particular. Dependiendo a quien le pregunten y tomando en consideración los gustos personales esto podría ser catalogado como una increíble obra de doom metal ultra lento y apocalíptico de asombroso alcance emocional y matizado con una buena dosis de sicodelia seguramente alimentada por el consumo de drogas, o bien podría ser considerado como una larga y tediosa obra sin sentido que no apunta a ninguna parte. Pero como dije al principio, hay que darse el tiempo necesario para realmente poder disfrutar de esta joyita, que en el peor de los casos hace de excelente música de relajación o de introspección; de hecho la música invita a la contemplación del cosmos, a encontrar las grandes verdades ocultas y por qué no, a fumarse un buen pito de marihuana e irse en la tremenda volada, y en el mejor de los casos podrán descubrir cosas bastante interesantes, como que en el segundo tema "Na Ma", hay una parte donde los riffs recrean un poco la canción "Empty Spaces" del disco The Wall de PINK FLOYD en versión mucho más densa y distorsionada. Es posible, y habría que indagar al respecto si hay influencia de PINK FLOYD, pues probablemente de allí viene toda la sicodelia que permea todo el disco. En todo caso, aquel parecido se nota única y exclusivamente después de los diecinueve minutos.
En cuanto a lo estrictamente musical, Lux Deerit Soli es una obra minimalista, pero con matices, pues aunque las guitarras, simples y monolíticas parecieran apoderarse de toda la obra, hay interludios y pasajes semi acústicos que dan singular realce a los dos temas. La voz, semejante a la de BURZUM, podría hacer creer que se trata del mismo Conde Grishnackh, pero nunca tan desquiciada como la del maestro. Y he allí otra obvia influencia. Así que fans de BURZUM se les recomienda chequear esta placa. Inexorablemente, los dos cortes jamás se aceleran, lo que podría fastidiar a algunos, pero la obra es un éxito en recrear lúgubres lugares en la mente y a hacer que el oyente en realidad vuele con la música hacia donde sea que su imaginación lo lleve. Es posible que las canciones sean excesivamente largas y que las ideas hayan podido haberse dado a entender en menos tiempo, pero creo que la idea de la banda es considerar cada tema como parte de un rito en el cual uno entra en trance. Esa es la única forma en que se entiende que cada corte dure 35 minutos.
Sin lugar a dudas este no es un disco fácil. Así, a primera escucha no será muy evidente todo lo que digo, pero denle un par de pasadas por el equipo y el disco poco a poco irá revelando su inusual y singular belleza. Sólo tienen que darse el tiempo.
[4 out of 6 - Bueno]

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Before Lux Deerit Soli my encounters with the Italian sludge machine Malasangre was limited to a very secondary run through of their previous album Inversus. Lux Deerit Soli is a bloated and pulsating muck bubbling with creeping crawling chords. The two songs on the album could easily have been a nigh perfect soundtrack to the longest trek through a toxic marshland ever undertaken by man but somewhere on the way it stumbles in the quagmire and ends up half submerged in its own nature. Allow me to explain..
Lux Deerit Soli is a heavy album and by heavy I mean in that slow brooding and doom-laden way that makes solid use of all the undertones and pulsing drones that are available to mankind. The atmosphere is thick with layers of slow waves of repetitive riffs used and abused and combined with an underlying mist of ambience ranging from the slow howl of a wind to the murmurs of the damned. On top of this is a slow and steady rhythm summoned from the pit and occasional slow and wheezing vocals that fleshes out this conflagration of doom with some blackened elements. The songs stand strong by themselves but both suffer from one major flaw and that is length.. Together Sa Ta and Na Ma is over 1 hour and 12 minutes of a well performed but in the end too monotonous, in parts failed to keep me intrigued for long enough to stay concentrated and that is not a good judgement in itself. However I stayed my hand from letting the axe fall since the songs have redeeming parts that really pulsate of something alive.
The songs should have been shorter, by far, and I can see a lot of reasons for splitting the current two songs into four but then again this might destroy the reasoning behind crafting these monstrosities in the first place. Somehow I feel that this album needs a certain type of listener, an individual as dead and resonating as the visions that this album conjures inside. My mind begin to wander only to drift into that dead space inside my brain where the music stops making sense in a bad way, its not that meditative and its not really white noise but something in between. There is a border there that I cant cross, a wall of death perhaps that my own black soul cant cross, and even though parts of the album lets me through to the other side there is not near enough doors in this castle to let me explore its mysteries.
So is Lux Deerit Soli a good album? Yes, with a huge however.. I would say that it is a good album if you like slow doom-laden metal with enough soul to be mistaken for a scavenging ooze slowly digesting its victim and yet it feels dead inside. There is something lacking here, moderation perhaps if that is the correct word. The songs could have been just as good or even better if only they where shorter, as it is now it serves better as something to play in the background while crafting furniture, there yet anonymous. If you are a fan of doom metal with some blackened aspects to it do check Malasangre out, there is a lot of potential here lost in the bayou of time..
[3 out of 5]

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Il terzo album dei Malasangre è un mantra terrorizzante diviso in due lunghi atti, ognuno della durata di oltre mezz’ora. Nella musica del disco troviamo sfibranti linee di chitarra ribassata, un doom catacombale che si interseca con effetti cosmici (SA, TA) e si arricchisce anche di voci ossianiche e scabrose che fanno parte più del black metal (NA, MA). La ripetitiva degli schemi ed un alone cupo generano un clima ipnotico, come un gorgo che trascina in profondità abissali o nel cosmo senza fine come un maelstrom. Più che la musica in sé è apprezzabile la creazione di un’atmosfera, un senso di minaccia incombente sospesa nell’immensità di uno spazio lontano e mostruoso. Nota di merito va anche al concept di tipo esoterico e cosmogonico che dà un taglio ancora più arcano e misterioso a musica che sembra davvero provenire da un mondo alieno e suonata da personaggi disumanizzati. Lux Deerit Soli è un mantra che rifulge di luce nera ed è come una stella malvagia che risucchia ed annienta ogni speranza al suo interno. Da maneggiare con cura. Per fan di Sunn O))) e di funeral doom isolazionista.
[7,5 out of 10]

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Superepisch, megafinster, und total kryptisch schleichen sich die beiden Tracks durch die Hirnrinde. Ja, das habt ihr richtig gelesen, es sind zwei Songs auf diesem Album, in den üppigen Maßen von fünfunddreißig und sechsunddreißig Minuten. Und diese beschäftigen sich thematisch damit, wie man durch das Zeitalter des Dämonen Kali Yuga aus der hinduistischen Kosmologie mit alchemistischen Kenntnissen geht, das durch Niedergang und Zerfall gekennzeichnet ist. Ein achtseitiges Booklet verrät mehr darüber. Der Sound der Scheibe kommt direkt aus den Abgründen, dunkel, einfach und psychedelisch. Funeral Doom eben, und das aus dem sonnigen Stiefelland. Seit 2000 schleppen sich die Italiener durch die Gruften, und legen nun ihre dritte Scheibe vor. Für Die-Hard-Doomster unverzichtbar, sollte aber bei allen anderen Anhängern der kleinen Tempi mit der großen Wirkung für Neugierde sorgen.
[8,5 out of 10]

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Dopo ben sette anni dall’ultimo studio album (“Inversus”, 2005), tornano sul mercato discografico i Malasangre, diabolico ensemble che riunisce musicisti dal Sud della Lombardia e dalla provincia di Piacenza. Dopo alcuni aggiustamenti della line-up, il combo propone il nuovo full-length “Lux Deerit Soli”, un’opera di oltre 70 minuti divisa in due lunghe suite.
Fedeli alla linea che ne ha definito l’essenza in dodici anni di attività e fiera militanza nel panorama underground, i Malasangre si dimostrano ancora forieri di un doom metal dall’incedere pachidermico, combinato ad elementi di musica estrema. I due episodi dell’album vantano un corpo sonoro nichilistico e disturbante che si muove tra distorsioni al limite dell’umano, un growl secco ma interpretativo e un incedere monolitico, come una colata lavica che lenta ma inesorabile, devasta tutto ciò che si trova attorno.
Prendere o lasciare dunque, perché i Malasangre non sono affatto cambiati rispetto a come ce li ricordavamo, ma sono maturati, questo sì, ed ecco che nel loro repertorio ora rientrano anche parentesi seventies ed elementi di natura black metal, dettati da sporadiche accelerazioni. Il contesto è sempre e comunque funereo, le lamentose litanie di “Lux Deerit Soli” negano ogni possibile spiraglio di luce e soffocanti, avanzano senza fare prigionieri. Sotto questo cielo plumbeo, ogni speranza è inghiottita da suoni crudi e disarticolati che virano verso il totale silenzio.
I Sunn O))) italiani? E perché no?
[7 out of 10]

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Benvenuti sull’astronave Malasangre, qui è il comandante EM-00 che vi parla, oggi partiremo per un viaggio che potrà sembrarvi corto, ma sfruttando la nostra velocità a curvatura, arriveremo alle nostre mete in un tempo che a voi risulterà piuttosto breve. La prima tappa è il sistema stellare ”Sa Ta”, in cui arriveremo nel tempo umano di 35 minuti e 42 secondi, ma in effetti si trova al di fuori del sistema solare, addirittura al di fuori della nostra galassia, questo ammasso di corpi celesti luminosi è molto affascinante ed attraverso gli strumenti che usano i miei collaboratori VP-33, TK 7.8, NC 9.5 e FH 37, riusciremo a farvi vedere e sentire l’alternanza di esplosioni stellari dal rumore fragoroso ed improvviso, ed i momenti in cui la calma apparente ci prepara a nuove violente emanazioni di plasma interstellare. Come potrete notare in sottofondo c’è un costante brusìo, ecco non è altro che il centro della galassia che pulsa ed è in continuo fermento, aspettando che fuoriesca una nuova, violenta esplosione. Non pare anche a voi di sentire un rantolo disumano? Ecco, questo è quello che è sembrato a tutti noi, quando per la prima volta abbiamo esplorato ”Sa Ta”, ed è la stessa caratteristica che coinvolge anche l’altro corpo celeste che andremo a visitare più tardi, quando nel tempo di 36 minuti e 26 secondi arriveremo alla nebulosa ”Ma Na”, che si trova ai confini dell’universo conosciuto, attenzione però, la caratteristica è la stessa, ma trattandosi di un corpo celeste differente, i suoni e le visioni che ne derivano sono molto diverse dalla galassia ”Sa Ta”, i miei collaboratori vi faranno sentire quell’incessante avanzamento di materiale interstellare dalla densità spaventosa, quasi magmatica ed è proprio su questa fragorosa processione che si erge velenoso e disperato questa specie di urlo, che però urlo non è, non avendo nessuna caratteristica umana. D’altronde come potrebbero degli esseri viventi resistere ad un agglomerato di polveri e gas che non ha niente di organico? Come potrete vedere, ma soprattutto sentire, a volte tutto sembra fermarsi, quasi che la nebulosa voglia riflettere, pensare a cosa la aspetta, poetico vero? Certo, ma niente di questo è reale, è solo lo spontaneo volgere degli eventi in una calma apparente che domina lo spazio intergalattico, fino a quando lievemente si riprende l’avanzamento, che procede e si delinea ancora in maniera fragorosa. Bene, siete pronti? Tra poco si parte, basta premere un pulsante e i nostri motori a curvatura si accenderanno per portarvi lungo la tratta che noi abbiamo chiamato ”Lux Deerit Soli”, in onore del testo ”La Porta Ermetica”, dove si parla della Trinità spiegandola in un contesto puramente scientifico, ecco questo viaggio potrà anche farvi riflettere su questo aspetto dei miti e delle religioni, solo ammirando la potenza dell’universo che ci circonda. Il comandante EM-00 vi saluta e vi augura buon viaggio!
[8 out of 10]

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Malasangre: take a foundation of extreme doom like, say, Khanate, layer thickly with sludge and sprinkle a little black metal and almost inaudible ominous keyboards on top. Let it seethe for half and hour or so and serve. Nigella it ain’t (and is it just me or is Nigella cooking to an extreme doom soundtrack a strangely enticing image? Just me then. Must be my age….)
Actually theres previous little room for levity where Italian monsters Malasangre are concerned: they have a slow, hypnotic and thick, black sound and have shared releases with the likes of Bunkur which should give you a good idea of the intent of this release. Slow, torturous soul crushing inch by inch.
Split neatly in two halves Na Ma and Sa Ta, this 70 minute subterranean excursion is a tightly controlled but still fluid piece of music. Built around simple, heavy riffs that bludgeon a hypnotic sensibility into you, Malasangre have a tenancy to then inexorably try to tip you off balance either through some almost subliminal use of submerged keyboards that seem to harbour a distinct malevolence towards the sunlit world above, or through the unhinged, sometimes cackling black metal vocals. Without these two aspects Malasangre really would be easily dismissed as a one riff per half hour machine but with them, and with a real compositional use of these shades to the leaden guitar, they really can create a foul and twisted atmosphere.
There is in inescapable sense of the occult (the unknown) in these tar pit grooves that coats you as you sink in to it. Na Ma has occasional wanderings of leadwork and the hint of something like the bastard offspring of melody, Sa Ta has the more twisted vocals and the more determined malevolence to the riff but both, just when you feel yourself nodding off they slways seem to pull something out of the black ro find a fresh bruise on you. Na Ma has a gorgeous, rich passage of deep, slow vocals over single notes that reminds me of Type O Negative’s Suspended In Dusk. Sa Ta those delicious dirty fingernails scraping stone vocals that get close to Khanate while retaining a black metal feel as opposed to Khanate’s psychopathy.
Downsides? Well like all extreme doom you have to be both in the mood and have the time and patience. Nothing here is going to drag new fans into the genre I feel. I also have too accept that some passages of the repetious riffing can be distinctly average and even I do weaken and waver in these places. But the key is that, remarkably, Malasangre always drag me back like a corpse on a meathook.
If Pombagira are your thing, fancy the less err… esoteric side of Esoteric or wish Nortt was more doom then you should find no problem in getting inside this dark place. Getting out is another matter.
[7 out of 10]

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Fy da føj for en omgang rigtig grum ond sludgedoom vi har her!
Med raspende blackmetal vokal bliver vi draget igennem to lange doomede atmosfæriske numre ”Sa Ta” og ”Na Ma” der begge ruller sig op på + 35 minutter!
Hvis du er til hurtig hidsig metal eller bare musik der har en taktfrekvens på noget der ligger højere en komatøs blåhvals, så læs ikke videre.
Dette er så tungt, langsomt, slæbende og tordnende dystert, at man ligefrem ser alting i gråtoner og danner indre billeder af tåge, gravstene og dunkle kældre, hvori kutteklædte folk befinder sig i en ypperlig eksercits af weltsmertz og desillusion.
Men er det så godt?
På trods af det næsten stillestående tempo, fornemmer man struktur, og selvom numrene er så lange og også har passager der er helt uden guitar, trommer og vokal, men opretholdes af formørket ambient, er dette på alle måder ikke dårligt eller kedeligt!
Man finder nemlig sig selv pludselig overrasket over, at man har hørt to numre der ligger i omegnen af en gymnasial undervisningstime og må erkende at tiden er fløjet af sted i dårligt selskab.
Det her jo musik der skal skabe en stemning af absolut mørke og dysterhed og dette må man sige Malasangre opnår til fulde.
Med det sagt, så må man også erkende, at Malasangre måske ikke just tilfører genren noget nyt, og leder man efter riffs, så kan man godt glemme det, guitarerne er her for at lægge en tyk dyne over lytterens ører, så vedkommende svømmer hen i en meditativ ond drøm.
Malasangre har skabt en superfed dyster sludgedoom plade, der absolut er et lyt værd, hvis man er til doom med stort D!
[70 out of 100]

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A distanza di ben 7 anni dal precedente lavoro “Inversus”, ecco finalmente il graditissimo ritorno dei Malasangre che, con questo terzo album “Lux Deerit Soli” danno il loro rinnovato contributo al nerissimo mondo del Funeral Doom. Partiti come sludge doom metal band, sulla scia di quanto proposto dai Electric Wizard e Nightstick, sono andati pian piano evolvendosi verso un drone doom/black metal plumbeo e senza troppi fronzoli.
Se già il precedente lavoro risultava di non facile ascolto, questo nuovo platter rincara ancora di più la dose, a partire dalla durata stessa, 72 minuti divisi in due lunghe e lentissime suite.
Rispetto ai lavori passati qui si fanno più marcate le influenze drone, dando al sound del disco una tensione reale, quasi palpabile. Mi hanno riportato alla mente le stesse sensazioni che provai diversi anni fa quando misi su per la prima volta “In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas Luciferi Excelsi” dei MZ412, quel senso di inquietudine misto all'assenza di speranza che permane anche dopo la fine dell'album.
Come se non ciò fosse già abbastanza opprimente, ecco aggiungersi una punta di black metal, che in un genere come questo rappresenta un'influenza quasi obbligatoria, viste le eguali atmosfere e intenzioni. E' la voce del singer ad essere influenzata maggiormente dal Nero Verbo, uno screaming soffocato e doloroso che accompagna per tutta la durata del disco l'ascoltatore, come un cicerone verso l'ultimo, estremo e consapevole viaggio.
Emergere dal calderone del Funeral doom, un genere che comunque la si pensi, non offre ampi spazi di manovra, non è un'impresa semplice, ma devo dire che i Malasangre ci sono riusciti molto bene. Bel lavoro.
[7 out of 10]

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Music does not have to be fast, furious and brutal to be extreme. It can also be slow and sludgy, and Italian doomsters' Malasangre's third full-length effort Lux Deerit Soli falls under the second category of musical extremity.
With only two tracks, each of which is around 35 minutes long, Malasangre make use of repetitions of riffs made of droning notes and heavy, doom-laden figures accompanied by very heavy drumbeats and shrouded in a veil of dark atmosphere. Adding a sense of tortured dynamics to the overall picture, the heavy and doomy sections intertwine with quiet atmospheric passages, which complete the picture.
While the two tracks on the album are solidly rooted in the doom and sludge genres, the production is very fuzzy and unpolished and has more of a black metal feel to it. Similarly, the vocals are kept harsh and screechy and are also derived from the black metal universe.
If you are into heavy, slow and oppressive sludgy doom metal with touches of black metal – and you have the time for it (because this is music that you have to take the time for and concentrate on) – then you should definitely give Lux Deerit Soli a listen.
[3 out of 5]

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Malasangre aus Italien wurden 2000 gegründet und veröffentlichen im Februar ihr drittes Album Lux Deerit Soli. Es ist ein Konzeptalbum, welches trotz der überaus geringen Liedanzahl auf sage und schreibe 72 Minuten Spielzeit kommt. Die beiden Stücke Sa Ta und Na Ma behandeln in extrem doomiger Zähheit das Kali-Yuga.
Aber nicht nur die Länge der beiden Lieder ist extrem, auch die Spielweise ist es. Sa Ta ist in der ersten Hälfte extrem monotoner Sludge/Doom mit keifendem Gesang, der extrem verzerrt ist und mich etwas an Murder Rape mit einer Nuance Khanate erinnert. Obwohl Malasangre extrem langsam spielen und sich alles etwas zieht, ist es weder Drone noch Funeral Doom - auch wenn der schwarzmetallisch eingefärbte Gesang durchaus in diese Richtung geht. Sa Ta besteht zu großen Teilen aus langsamen, schweren Gitarrenriffs und dem teils lebendigen Kreischgesang. Zwischendurch gibt es kurze atmosphärische Parts in denen Ambientklänge und unverzerrte Gitarren zu hören sind.
Na Ma ist von Anfang an düsterer, da Malasangre hier vermehrt auf ruhige Passagen setzen, in denen klare Gitarren und flüsternde Stimmen zu hören sind, die manchmal sogar nach Wind klingen. Diese flüsternde Stimme geht irgendwann in eine sehr ruhig und trocken sowie kehlig sprechende Stimme über, welche wiederrum irgendwann in die extrem verzerrte Stimme übergeht, während dann allmählich Schlagwerk und Gitarre hinzukommen. Malasangre bauen hier also einen Spannungsbogen auf, der leise und extrem ruhig beginnt, sich zunehmend steigert und lauter wird. Dieser Spannungsaufbau dauert ungefähr zehn Minuten und endet recht unspektakulär in einer minimalistischen Ambientpassage. Auf diese folgt dann zäher Sludge/Doom mit langsamen, zentnerschweren Gitarrenriffs.
Obgleich ich obskure und düstere Doom-Klangwelten mag und zu schätzen weiß, ist es für mich nicht einfach, Zugang zu Lux Deerit Soli zu bekommen. Die Musik die Malasangre hier machen, ist in der Tat extremer Sludge/Doom, der überaus zähflüssig ist. Die Riffs wabern langsam und schwingend durch den Raum, sodass sich manchmal die Strukturen komplett auflösen zu scheinen. Ich denke, man muss in jedem Fall eine Vorliebe für diese Spielart des Sludges mitbringen, um Freude an der Scheibe zu haben. Schlecht ist sie nicht, man muss nur viel Zeit und Leidenschaft aufbringen. Obwohl gar nicht so viel passiert, ist das Album dennoch recht düster ausgefallen. Einige Leute von Malasangre waren auch in Caput LVlllm tätig, die sich für nur ein einziges Lied zusammenfanden. Dort wurde eine verstörende Mischung aus Ambient, Drone und Funeral Doom gespielt, was irgendwie zu Lux Deerit Soli passt, auch wenn das Album nicht so extrem und verstörend ist wie Caput LVlllm. Wer extremen Sludge/Doom interessant findet, kann das Album gern probieren - da es in jedem Fall düster, schwer und in gewisser Weise sogar dunkelatmosphärisch ist und womöglich zur Meditation taugt.
[7 out of 10]

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Nur zwei Tracks auf einem Album? Das muss reichen, denn das letzte und düsterste Weltzeitalter ist angebrochen. Zumindest wenn es nach den Doom-Black-Metallern von MALASANGRE geht...
Italien scheint sich immer mehr zu einem Zentrum des experimentellen, authentischen und bodenständigen Metal zu entwickeln. Eine Band, die in diesem Zusammenhang zu nennen ist, ist MALASANGRE.
Gegründet im Jahr 2000 mit dem Ziel, verlangsamten, psychedelischen, doomigen Black Metal zu machen, und beeinflusst von Bands wie BURZUM, CLANDESTINE BLAZE, NIGHTSTICK, SLEEP oder SKEPTICISM, hatten sich MALASANGRE nahezu in ein wahrhaftiges Doom-Metal-Ungeheuer verwandelt und als Ergebnis mit "A Bad Trip to..." und "Inversus" zwei brutal barbarische und zerstörerische Alben vorgelegt.
Nach sieben Jahren harter Arbeit in äußerster Abgeschiedenheit kommt nun mit "Lux Deerit Soli" (lal.: Der Sonne wird das Licht fehlen.) eine apokalyptische Black-Doom-Metalscheibe auf den Markt, die zugleich als Konzeptalbum konzipiert ist. Es gibt nämlich nur zwei Tracks (!!!), die allerdings jeweils über 35 Minuten lang sind und einen auf eine lange, therapie-, hypnose- oder meditationsartige Reise mitnehmen.
Thematisch ist "Lux Deerit Soli" eine tiefgründige Auseinandersetzung mit dem dunklen Zeitalter Kali Yuga (das letzte von vier Zeitaltern in der hinduistischen Kosmologie, in dem Verfall und Verderben vorherrschen), das man laut MALASANGRE mit alchemistischen Kenntnissen überstehen könne...
"Lux Deerit Soli" ist ein gelungenes Black-Doom-Metal-Opus, das trotz der Länge der beiden Tracks musikalisch und soundtechnisch überaus vielfältig ist. Einziger Schwachpunkt sind in diesem Zusammenhang die zumeist krächzenden Vocals, die aber dennoch etwas Diabolisches und Teuflisches haben und somit durchaus zur Thematik passen.
[11 out of 15]

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While I've not encountered these Italians previously in their native, creative environment Malasangre, I did run across their material as Caput LVIIIM on the Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft - Yogsothery - Gate 1: Chaosmogonic Ritual of Fear compilation released through I, Voidhanger. Presumably that collaboration led to further interest, and thus their relationship to the label continues here with the third full-length from their primary outlet: Lux Deerit Soli, an apocalyptic musing upon the end cycles of the Kali Yuga described in the Hindu scriptures, or more bluntly, the decline of human civilization. A two part concept recording which begs some comparisons to their work on the Lovecraft compilation, though a good deal of the psychedelic spaciness so compelling there has been dialed down to promote a drier, darker, and if possible, more desolate atmosphere.
Lux Deerit Soli is structured upon a sparse framework of down tuned chords set against an ambient periphery. The note progressions shift in slow gradations over time, but 'time' is also the greatest demand on the listener. Each of the album's halves is over 35 minutes in duration, yet neither incorporates a wide range of variation. At times, the compositions feel as if they were much shorter tunes stretched to slow motion, but then this is a common characteristic of its chosen niche. You're not just getting a lazy Sunn O))) exposée of brash, unwashed distortion left to simmer in its own vapor trails for 20+ minutes; but more of a Khanate, with a jilted, sadistic atmosphere manifest through the interplay of vocals, distant feedback, percussion and drudging chords. Malasangre creeps along with a purpose, an elderly arachnid with a serious limp, steadily if surely closing upon its prey, but monotony can set in pretty early, and patience can be tested without the appropriate mindset for the experience.
The 'black metal' element of Lux Deerit Soli is found solely in the vocals, a pure salacious rasp that hovers off just below the level of the rhythm guitar, asserting its presence through several drawn out, bloody, harrowing snarls. Dire vultures ready to pick at the entrails of the collective mankind once we've emptied each others' mortal vessels. A protracted, necrotic breeze of decay whispered over the viscera, often transformed into grisly mantras or chants drawn from the album's conceptual source text. Malasangre will also involve creepy acoustics, lucid patterns of 3-4 notes repeated off and on the crush of the droning chords (around the 10:00 mark in "Sa Ta"). The bass is another 'hovering' component, throbbing and monotone at the intro to the album but eventually curving into primal, lightly distorted patterns that rarely falter from the confident minimalism of the guitars. Drumming ranges from stock funereal doom beats to tribal breakdowns, but it's important not to take his myriad fills for granted: they are essential in alleviating the potential ennui of the riff patterns.
Bands of this sort often pride themselves on consistency, and surely the Italians can claim the same: the two halves of the album do not diverge greatly from one another. "Sa Ta" is the more morbid and dark of the pair, but it's also the less intriguing. "Na Ma" has a more fulfilling palette, with more titillating feedback applied to the denser guitar sequences and a lot of dour, plucky clean acoustics into which a din of whispered apocrypha is embedded. Both, however, embrace the agenda of suffering and illumination that Malasangre feeds upon. That said, I was unable to wrest a great deal of interest or enjoyment from this record. Not that such a souring, elongated spurn on the face of Creation is intended to evoke the latter sentiment, but I found the limited selection of notes and rhythms to be forgettable rather than hypnotic, moistureless as opposed to a wellspring of spirit leeching miasma.
The atmospheric ingredients of Lux Deerit Soli and the lyrical inspiration are fascinating, and go a long way towards curbing my reaction towards the positive, but ultimately I was parched for a fraction more dynamics than simply feeling dead inside. Respectable, certainly. Worthwhile as background noise when mood allows. Yet somehow void of that crucial, elusive, haunting fiber that makes a doom record blacken my skies for any significant duration.
[6,75 out of 10]

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Catacombale doom/death metal che propone due tracce dai titoli estremamente ermetici in ben 72 minuti di musica per i nostrani Malasangre, una band della quale sentii belle cose in passato nel loro primo full length, e che a distanza di 10 anni ritorna con un sodalizio con la I, Voidhanger Records.
Si diceva, un disco monolitico e quasi ai limiti del tollerabile come durata delle canzoni, che per tutto il tempo vanno su tempi lentissimi, addirittura in circa tre occasioni lasciando la musica suonata propriamente per far fluire la vena drone delle loro composizioni. Il tutto per un’atmosfera spesso asfittica e soffocante, ma nondimeno capace di virare la loro proposta, come nella prima canzone, “Sa Ta”, che apre a 9 minuti ad uno stacco molto polveroso, arido e desertico, o come nella seconda “Na Ma” che presenta trovate melodiche che rendono il pezzo dalle tinte un po’ più chiare, e comunque sempre stilizzate e mai sopra le righe, o con lo stacco di basso sempre della stessa canzone che conferisce un feeling onirico.
Insomma: godibile, ma il minutaggio di 34 minuti e passa per entrambi i pezzi rende questo disco qualcosa di piacevole ma difficilmente digeribile per tutti, che non ha molti difetti tranne il (soggettivo?) quello di avere i brani un po’ troppo lunghi secondo me, e quindi con circa 5 minuti a canzone che si potevano risparmiare. Il risultato è un cd che è qualcosa di a me meno prediletto proprio per questo motivo, e che forse è un po’ troppo omogeneo, che non è stato capace di sorprendermi a livelli eccezionali, anche se non si può parlare di un brutto album.
Insomma: un disco doom/death magari che non è un capolavoro e non proprio digeribile da tutti, ma che non è certo da buttare. E fondamentalmente più maturo (ma forse meno morboso) del precdente “A bad trip to…”. Se i fanatici del doom, dello stoner e dello sludge lo trovano in giro, che provino a darci un ascolto.
[70 out of 100]

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Formed in the year 2000, Malasangre have been creeping their way forward in the Doom Metal world. Combining Sludge, Drone, and Funeral Metal elements to that style, this group brings somewhat crushing, dismal, and overly extended music for those that want to hear it. While they haven't really been hearing the words praise from the lips of critics, these still exists a solid fan base that has been waiting for another release ever since the 2004 split release Church of the Flagellation. It's been roughly eight years, and the second full-length album is finally here. Lux Deerit Soli has been picked up by I, Voidhanger Records, and is composed of two songs that make up over seventy two minutes of crawling doom. But, is it really worth the experience, as well as the wait?
The audio to Lux Deerit Soli is pretty good, having a nice deeper distortion to the guitars that push the Sludge Metal sound, especially when the chords becoming tighter at some spots. But, with the lower tone in the guitars, it's really disheartening to barely pick out the bass in the mix half the time. This instrument blends in well with the guitar, giving a little extra bite in what feels like a duller roar outside of the ambience it gives off towards the end of "Sa Ta," though in "Na Ma" it becomes more apparent. The drums sound strong, having a nice click to the kicks, a tight and loud snare performance, and vibrant cymbal crashes, all working to give off a little extra substance to the music, as well as what vocals appear. These come in a raspier tone most of the time, being a little louder than the music itself, and often having a bit of an echo and rawer distortion to them, giving off a distant sinister shouting vibe to the mix that doesn't quite hit the mark the band was clearly going for.
"Sa Ta" kicks things off with a near thirty six minute offering. It starts off with some crackeling effects over digital spoken words panning from left to right, and vice versa. Eventually the music does kick in with an incredibly slow pace, though a lot richer than later sections will give off. This earlier chunk allows some of the aforementioned Sludge elements to show through, but also as if run through a Doom and Stoner combination. The guitar chords are often held to ring out for a little while, but still present more notes with additional hits to the snares and kicks. As you progress to the ending, you find less strings hit, and longer chunks of static from the distortion of the notes ringing out, and simpler drumming, causing more open moments. The vocals do a good job at keeping some of those gaps from becoming boring to the point of considering it dead air. This entire effort isn't bad, and really does set up a dark, dismal atmosphere, especially thanks to the distant rasps that come up here and there, but could have been echoed more, and pushed further back to make it a more believable environment. It's also a shame the bass isn't louder to weave a far more crushing, burdening sense that this song so desperately needs.
Sadly, there's nothing between "Sa Ta" and "Na Ma" but silence. Having a nice bridge between the two songs would have been great, especially with the introduction "Na Ma" already has, which could have kept up with a fade in at the end of the previous track and bled into the final one. But, instead, we get a deep rumbling noise that goes on for about a minute after fading in, then back into crawling Doom Metal once more. The vocals kick up almost instantly, working with the lighter, yet very desolate and hopeless atmosphere this song has to offer. The bass is a lot more apparent as well, which really helps solidify the music and keep the barren passages similar to what the previous song had to a minimum. As you near seven minutes in, the song does go into cleaner chords with narrative lyrics in a deeper voice that doesn't quite sound serious, as if just a kid trying to creepy on Halloween. But, much like on "Sa Ta," the music does gradually, and very slowly, pick back up to how it all started out, though there can sometimes be more added in, such as some gurgling effects added for atmosphere around the sixteen minute mark that get louder and overcome the fading guitars and drums roughly one minute after. Distant bass notes, or altered keyboards, come into play to create a deserted plain with an ominous night time tone, utilizng some white noise that comes off more like crickets chirping.
When stepping back from the two songs, it's the second track that really makes for the better experience. Unfortunately, "Sa Ta" doesn't have as much of an impact as "Na Ma" does, not really pushing the bass to the full necessary potential this style clearly needs. All in all, Lux Deerit Soli is an interesting specimen none the less. It isn't a bad album, though it is one you definitely need to be more invested in than just throwing on for a quick spin. It can make for some good background noise for your favorite vice though. If you enjoy any of the styles mentioned above, Lux Deerit Soli is well worth looking into. While not the most crushing, at least until towards the end, it does leave a decent enough impact on the listener that makes it an experience you won't really regret, though might not be rushing back to any time too soon.
[6 out of 10]

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Una riflessione interessante: Il doom, avendo in se un sound di natura cupa ed evocativa, ha sempre avuto una predisposizione all'avvicinamento verso il black metal. Gli esempi sono numerosissimi: basti pensare ad un intero sotto-genere nato da questa coniugazione, il "depressive", che nel giro di pochi anni si è manifestato in una scena underground di dimensioni oceaniche e ha conquistato le orecchie perfino di quegli ascoltatori meno avvezzi al verbo black metal.
Questo è anche uno dei tanti esempi che dimostra quanto ogni nuovo esperimento, con le dovute rifiniture possa tramutarsi in un filone catalogabile, a volte (in termini più negativi) in un vero e proprio "trend"...Fortunatamente ci sono sempre band, anche nei più profondi e inesplorati meandri dell'underground, che riescono a sfuggire a questa tendenza che per forza di cose coinvolge anche l'heavy metal soprattutto nelle sue forme più estreme, essendo un genere più "canonico" in un certo senso.
Prendiamo questi nostrani Malasangre, band lombarda della zona di Pavia, di cui sono venuto a conoscenza da pochissimo tempo: la loro formula è estrema quanto originale e sregolata, soprattutto in questo loro ultimo "Lux Deerit Soli" che rinforza il discorso intrapreso dal precedente "Inversus", con tonalità molto più dissonanti ed inquitanti e con colori molto più lividi; per darvi un'idea delle coordinate della proposta di questa band, immaginate i più sporchi, drogati e spettrali EyeHateGod (quelli del primo "In The Name of Suffering" del 1991) riprendere certi suoni marci e malsani come quelli dei primi Mayhem ma con un approccio che potremmo definire quasi "drone", che rievoca in un contesto diverso il mood dei Sunn O))) più neri.
Parliamo di un ascolto non certo fruibile in maniera immediata, di un disco malato, lentissimo: due tracce che si aggirano intorno ai 35 minuti di durata, fatte di riff minimali, disturbanti, ipnotici nel loro ossessivo ripetersi e dall'atmosfera soffocante; lo stile è del tutto sperimentale, i riff lentissimi a volte anche privi di ritmica che in un'altro caso potrebbero perfino essere improvvisati...manca dunque quell'approccio frontale dei generi più classici, che evidentemente questa band nemmeno cerca, dunque questo non è certo un disco per tutti! Tuttavia le emozioni che questo lavoro trasmette non sono meno forti e crude di quelle di un album black o death metal...tutt'altro! Un suono che sa di nevrosi, di droga e di degrado, che si sporca di sludge e di hardcore ed è estremamente catartico...Bel lavoro!
[69 out of 100]