Ain Soph
Ars Regia

"ARS REGIA is probably one of the most complete works ever produced by the Roman esoteric circle Ain Soph, transcending the concept of a band by dedicating every moment of their Art to something superior, something that is beyond the reach of those who lose themselves in the spiral created by the implosive vortex of modernity."

The words of Marco Deplano, who lends his pen for the writing of the succulent booklet included in the 2003 reissue, eloquently describe the concept that underpins the music of our own Ain Soph, and particularly this fourth work “Ars Regia,” originally released on cassette in 1986.

Setting aside the mythical trilogy, the fourth work from Ain Soph shines with a renewed sense of artistic awareness: the impression is that our group has not merely collected recordings arising from home sessions and reproducing the execution of true mysterious rites, but instead intended to conceive a proper work with a complete and autonomous sense. More than anything, we find satisfaction in their desire to definitively emancipate themselves from certain (embarrassing) references to the inimitable flair of master David Tibet and his fundamental Current 93 (an essential reference point for anyone wanting to dabble in the dark-ritual field during those years), clumsy references that had still tainted, weakening them, their otherwise valid predecessors. Now Ain Soph no longer needs masters and guidelines, the sound becomes incredibly personal, purged of any other influence detectable in the known musical world.

The Ars Regia is obviously Magic, but wisely avoiding delving into the mysteries of the Kabbalah (an interesting 35-page booklet outlines the aspects that matter most to our group), we can imagine the six compositions present here as authentic ceremonies that, as “music,” in accordance with the Crowleyan vision, act as catalysts of energies to achieve the state of awareness necessary to carry out magical practices worthy of the name. “Ars Regia” is also the title of the most important work of the hermetic scholar Giuliano Kremmerz, whose studies, along with those of Arturo Reghini, represent for our group the practical complement to Evolian thought, always at the center of Ain Soph’s philosophical vision.

"Ars Regia” is an inevitably challenging work, elitist for the intransigence with which it approaches the listener's ears, a step that indicates the direction to take in the future, a brave and solitary path that will culminate in the absolute masterpiece “Kshatryia” two years later (a further step that will deliver us the Roman ensemble in its utmost esoteric splendor, but that will already know how to incorporate more distinctly “melodic” elements). In “Ars Regia,” as explained at the opening by Deplano, the musical (auditory) dimension is still subordinate to the conceptual intent, it is a languid monolith of impalpable sensations that still has little to do with a more properly musical dimension.“Ars Regia” is also the subtlest, most minimalistic, hermetic work born from our group, who on this occasion renounce the noisey flourishes, the Crowleyan chants, the inevitable percussion, to surrender to an insidious dark-ambient with a strong liturgical aftertaste. The majestic inserts of cathedral organ and the oscillating, liquid, mellifluous flow of synthesizers, which often proceed in a jerky manner, at times die away only to rematerialize from the mists of silence, are the only accompaniment for the underground recitations in the native language (often incomprehensible due to still-artisanal sound equalization) and for the phantasmagoric vocoder hisses that haunt the gloomy journey. The six tracks, not very dissimilar from one another, traverse through the repetition of keyboard patterns that in their ups and downs completely replace the martial progression of drums, often used in the past.

Yet the tracks, incredibly elementary from an execution standpoint, emit an equally incredible charm, harboring a stunning force that well explains the concept of “experiential” music, instrumental (in the sense of a tool for achieving ends that transcend the mere musical dimension) that is at the base of the first artistic phase of Ain Soph. The non-music built here becomes describable, in profane terms, as an arcane psychedelia of the mind that knows how to envelop and intrigue the listener even at a superficial level of enjoyment, thereby excluding that “active listening” Ain Soph demands from its followers.

In other words: a fundamental step in the journey of one of the cornerstone entities of the esoteric-industrial scene of the eighties.