Il segno del comando
Il Domenicano Bianco

For Diego Banchero, historical bassist and member of the Genoese dark-prog group Il Segno del Comando, "To this day, Meyrink is an author I cyclically return to read. Each time, reading his texts, I make new discoveries: aspects and secrets that reveal themselves when the mind is ready to understand them. Only at that moment are they grasped in their 'essence' and become one's own. His esoteric concepts allow for the assimilation of elements belonging to the deepest spirituality and, at the same time, influence the practical functioning in everyday life. Meyrink's teaching is a resource that allows for restructuring and soothing conflicts, defending oneself from those chains that prevent each of us from living a less subjugated life."

And this time, his attention is turned to The White Dominican, one of the most esoteric and enigmatic "Meyrinkian" novels. With this new album, the trilogy of Il Segno del Comando is ideally closed, initiated by Der Golem and continued with The Green Face. It is not necessary but I believe it is desirable to read the book to better understand all the powerful symbolic references of this new album. Meyrink's novel is based on Tao philosophy, a doctrine that the Austrian writer was familiar with as he was an expert scholar and practitioner of Oriental disciplines. The main protagonist is Cristoforo Colombaia, a mystical character, heir to a lineage that has followed, over the centuries, the teachings of Taoism to achieve immortality through "the dissolution of the corpse" and "the dissolution of the sword". Cristoforo Colombaia, "awakened" by the singular figure of the White Dominican - perhaps modeled on the "White Monks" sect of Tibet - thus aims to complete the path of his lineage. He will finally succeed in reaching the goal through numerous difficulties: he will have to fight with the "Head of Medusa" - a symbol of modern pseudospirituality - and unite, in a sort of "metaphysics of sex", with the female element represented by Ophelia.

From the initial instrumental track "The Book Color of Cinnabar" we enter the esoteric atmosphere of the album with a prominently featured organ. The following "The White Road" has a nice Goblin-style feeling. "The White Dominican" instead reminded me of the frenetic style of the album Der Golem. "Ophelia" is a beautiful atmospheric and calm track in pure 70s Italian prog style. In "The Head of Medusa" a grandiose and sumptuous church organ brings to mind Jacula from Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus. "The Dissolution of the Body with the Sword" returns to scratch with aggressive, acidic, and sick sounds while "Missa Nigra 2023" reprises a very gothic and unsettling track (about 8 minutes long) from the legendary debut album. The final instrumental "Solitude" enigmatically closes the album. In conclusion, in my opinion, we are facing a standout album that I regard as on the same level as the aforementioned and exceptional debut.

The White Dominican is available in three different versions: CD, Vinyl, and Limited Edition Boxset. The production has been entrusted to the Genoese label Nadir Music. Physical distribution has been entrusted to Black Widow Records while digital distribution is managed by Believe.