Ensoph
Rex Mundi X-Ile

Returning after 3 years since the 2006's “Project X-Katon,” is the crazy and extravagant Venetian crew known as Ensoph. Despite the multiple recognitions that see them as one of the most deserving avant-garde acts of our Beautiful Country, the name Ensoph is not as known and widespread as it should be, in my humble opinion.

So what's new under the sun? Well, undoubtedly the band hasn't been idle and has tried to innovate once again. Indeed, “Rex Mundi X-ile” sounds different from all the band’s previous albums, although it obviously maintains their characteristic sound. Everything here sounds “Ensoph,” but innovative passages can be found, exploring paths that had previously only been glanced at. Compared to the previous releases, the band's prog vein becomes more apparent, delivering more elaborate and at the same time more powerful rhythmic episodes. Another accentuated factor is certainly the aggressiveness: this work shows more teeth, much more than its predecessor “PXK,” and in some moments you can once again find the acidity of the great work that is “Opus Dementiae” from 2004, all brought forward in a new evolutionary stage of this band. Here is an album that mixes a certain black attitude (handle with care the labels! I would simply define the most aggressive part of Ensoph as extreme metal), industrial, a certain prog sophistication regarding greater rhythmic complexity, and a gothic vein found in the more melodic parts; all tightly bound by something that is increasingly difficult to find today: originality.

The album opens with “Evil Has Found A Servant,” an electro-industrial intro; unlike other instrumental intros that don't serve much purpose, this one truly aims to introduce the listener to the sick world of Ensoph and personally never made me 'skip' to the “real” songs. A good sign.
Ensoph makes things clear right away: this rocks! This concept is immediately made explicit by “Dance High & Shine, Shiva!.” A decisive, biting, rhythmic start. The protagonist is the acidic voice of N-Ikonoclast, the absolute master of a hallucinatory show. Echoes from the Far East resonate and sneak through the extreme harshness while Shiva, the Destroyer, dances high in the sky. Industrial and futuristic suggestions blend with an ancient taste, that brings to mind mighty temples and mystical visions; a theme that recurs throughout the album. Interestingly, the best tracks on the album, in my opinion, are those marked by the three '&': indeed, “Dance High & Shine, Shiva!” turns out to be the best along with “Splendour & Majesty” and “The Whore & The Ashetist.”
“Splendour & Majesty” in its opening moments presents synth effects that, subconsciously, took me back to “Opus Dementiae.” The arcane atmosphere and sonic extremism reign, even though melodic spaces continue to linger and once again the collaboration with Antonella Buosi of Scarecrown helps to add a delicate touch to it all. The piano passages are well executed (also present in other tracks), a trademark of the group, which inserts piano parts where it seems unthinkable given the background they lay on.

“The Whore & The Ashetist” (the demo version - titled 'The Whore and The Ascetist' - was made available for download on the official site as early as the end of 2007) is the meanest on the album and really succeeds in unleashing some damned headbanging and comes across really well live. Very mean and fast parts with acidic and evil vocals are supported by synths and fitting industrial constructs, the rhythm is decisive and engaging, the riffs corrosive and sharp. However, I might have kept the ending of the demo version: Antonella's contribution in the end is less convincing; but in the fast parts, the vocals have been improved and made nastier, and this is undoubtedly beneficial for the entire piece. It will undoubtedly become a classic for the band.
“In Cinere Et Cilicio” is built on an electro frame and guitar incursions are limited to dry and heavy riffs at certain points. N-Ikonoclast's performance (which in certain moves and some “lamentations” reminds of Sopor Aeternus) is very varied and also lends itself to clean singing different from what has been tried so far (which at times recalls a certain darkwave): a sublime, mystical, liberating atmosphere, constantly surrounded, however, by more disturbing episodes. Distant echoes, evanescent and distant acoustic guitars and misty drums build a strange and unusual structure.

Another standout piece is “Disciplina Arcani (Un Canto Per L'Esilio),” yet another peak of this work. Entirely sung in Italian, this track navigates through different movements, ranging from more melodic and airy moments (with the talented Antonella guesting once again) to more perverse and intricate ones. Really excellent the vocals of the two singers.
“Come In Uno Specchio” is a sick track. Acoustic guitar, electro background, a sampled phrase repeated, obsessive and constant: “Ho visto Dio.” The shocking vision of the deity alienates the individual and plunges him into a vortex of dismay and madness. And then the narration of a woman, the account of the cursed encounter; and the same, obsessing phrase that will resonate in your brain, consuming it and annihilating you: “Ho visto Dio, ho visto Dio...”
The other compositions I haven't analyzed (“Shame On You!,” “Thir(s)ty Pieces Of Silver,” and “9Xs” - read as “nine crosses”) consistently hold at high, more than good levels. Instead, “...And I Hear A Voice,” in my view, is somewhat underwhelming compared to the rest and is the track that convinced me the least, as it leaves a vague sense of “unfinished,” of “left halfway” at the end.

Everything is closed by an Alice In Chains cover, “Would?,” which the group manages to take, overturn, and render in full Ensoph style. Perhaps a 'superfluous' bonus track; I would have ended the album among the echoes of the previous track, letting the obsessive 'mantra' “Ho visto Dio” resonate, but it is certainly a piece that will appeal to those who have appreciated and appreciate Alice In Chains.

The album was excellently produced by Giuseppe Orlando of Novembre, and humorously, in the booklet, the recording location is indicated as “somewhere on the axis Jerusalem-Bombay,” to underline this conceptual expansion that is not limited to mystical themes related to the Judeo-Christian tradition (Jerusalem) but here also approaches Eastern themes (Bombay).

In conclusion of this long review, I can affirm that Ensoph has returned in great form with a far more enjoyable work than the previous one, always according to my humble opinion, of course. “Rex Mundi X-ile” deserves a generous 4.