In Lingua Mortua
Bellowing Sea - Racked By Tempest

The In Lingua Mortua decided right from the start to live up to their name by composing an album of pure Symphonic Black Metal, a sub-genre that is quite dead in the crowded extreme metal scene: with Emperor disbanded, Nokturnal Mortuum, Dimmu Borgir, and Cradle Of Filth moving to other shores, and the great Arcturus trapped in a creative cul-de-sac, there aren't many left among the names that brought Symphonic Black to the forefront in the second half of the '90s.

The orgy of popularity that these sounds began to have about ten years ago with the first works of Emperor (and on the commercial side with Dimmu Borgir's "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" and Cradle Of Filth's "Dusk... And Her Embrace") has gradually diminished, developing the belief that it was precisely Symphonic Black, with its baroque qualities and melodies, that killed Black Metal itself.

With their first release, the Norwegian In Lingua Mortua seems to have what it takes to stand on the same level as the bands mentioned earlier, although they have not yet reached peaks that could justify an early apotheosis; the secret of such marked maturity and personality lies in the very composition of the group, where members of Urgehall, Kvist, Asmegin, and Ram-Zet converge, all bands that have more or less successfully marked the Scandinavian underground scene (that is, below the big names, along with the other cult bands). Sounds and words blend meaningfully in the work of the Norwegians; despite the lack of lyrics, we can get a convincing idea of the lyrics through band interviews: according to the band's own statements, the main influences have been Dante's Inferno, Homer's "Odyssey," and the imagery of the most decadent progressive, particularly Van der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts.

The theme of the storm often recurs in the group's imagery, from the title to the cited influences: and the music seems to perfectly reflect this idea. Dante's verses in which Ulysses sinks with his crew off the mountain of Purgatory merge with the guitar and drum gusts, creating a climate of constant tension and motion: the alternation of fast parts and melodic breaks seems to recreate the continuous and eternal movement of the waves, which go back and forth endlessly, shaking the boats, eroding the bodies of the sailors, who seem to melt like Dante's gluttons begin to liquefy in the mire in which they howl eternally.

And while these literary images creep into our minds, our ears still have the chance to enjoy an album skilled at navigating often very different sounds. "Awe And Terror" can be taken as evidence of this varied compositional attitude: ILM convincingly blends all the influences mentioned above; the sense of chaos and earthquake felt is that of the best Emperor, albeit less cacophonous, while on the melodic side the references to Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir are evident, without falling into plagiarism and commercialism.

Finally, the flair closely resembles that of Arcturus: symphonic, medieval, space, and jazz scores intersect with typically black metal riffs, creating a personal and successful mix, even though there are still some defects that make the sound excessively layered and rich.

My advice is to go to the address www.inlingamortua.com/music and listen to some tracks from the album, especially for the good Vincent, who loves these symphonic sounds.