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THE REVIEW
The legendary Ain Soph return with a new, anticipated album entitled Finis Gloriæ Mundi. This is the final act of a trilogy dedicated to the decline of the modern world that began with Aurora in 1992. This last one represented – for Ain Soph – a change both musically and philosophically: from the ritual magic of I, II, and III, Ars Regia and from an already different and mature album like Kshatryia – where a "philosophy of action" was already glimpsed – they moved to the song form and an approach that put "ethics" in the foreground. In Aurora, which featured a portrait of Julius Evola on the cover, the world of Tradition was evoked. In 2002, Oktober, the second act, was released, focusing on the world of anti-tradition represented by communism. The title Finis Gloriæ Mundi refers to a book attributed to the alchemist Fulcanelli, the author of The Mystery of the Cathedrals. Ain Soph draw inspiration from this text and focus on the moral and material abyss into which civilizations and traditions in the current world have fallen: an apocalyptic and pessimistic vision of reality emerges, where there seems to be only room for darkness.
The first track "Vanità" is a compelling eastern-tinged psychedelic rock mantra that certainly owes something to the Velvet Underground. The following "Ombre nel silenzio" starts experimentally and then becomes a classic folk ballad in which Pasolini's text is recited. "Figli di nessuno" is a sort of apocalyptic cabaret that could be played in some smoky venue in a decadent future. In "Gos At Home" we find Annabel Moynihan of Blood Axis as a guest vocalist reciting a text by Meister Eckhart, the famous German theologian and religious figure, while "Screams From The Abyss" is a futuristic electronic dance where the obsessive chorus "Nothing Is True, Only Roxy Music in Ipad" is repeated. The concluding "L’Angelo sterminatore" is a sort of return to the ritual music of origins where Bunuel is quoted and Christian Tradition and the Holy Bible are recovered. There is also room for a horrific ghost-track that seems to come from one of the group's early works.
Finis Gloriæ Mundi is another fundamental piece of Ain Soph's epic, confirming them as one of the most impactful realities of the Italian dark scene. Available at the Old Europa Cafe website at the following link: http://www.oldeuropacafe.com/catalog.
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Summary by Bot
Ain Soph's Finis Gloriæ Mundi completes their trilogy exploring the decline of modern civilization with a blend of ritualistic, folk, and electronic music. The album offers a deep philosophical outlook inspired by occult and traditional themes. It features guest vocals and literary recitations, creating a rich, apocalyptic soundscape. This release reaffirms Ain Soph's influential role in the Italian dark music scene.Tracklist
Ain Soph
Ain Soph are an Italian (Rome-based) esoteric post-industrial/ritual music collective, described in reviews as an entity that began in the early 1980s with home-recorded cassette experiments conceived as “magical” rituals (influenced by Aleister Crowley, Kabbalah/Enochian references, and liturgical atmospheres). Their 1988 album Kshatriya is repeatedly presented as their masterpiece, while Aurora (1992) is depicted as a major shift “from noise to music, from magic to ethics,” moving toward more song-based forms and explicit conceptual narratives.17 Reviews
