Mater A Clivis Imperat
Atrox Locus

A project with distinctly occult features, this one by Mater A Clivis Imperat. Formed in 2008 thanks to Samael Von Martin (Evol, Death Dies) on guitars and Natalija Branko on keyboards, the group has pursued a musical and philosophical path that has led them towards a dark musical aesthetic that certainly has much in common with the Italian musical and cinematic tradition of the '70s. Initially, they intended to create a soundtrack for the poems of Marta Telatin, a poetess and fortune teller, but then the idea didn't come to fruition. After meeting Isabella (member of the Padovan punk-rock band Deusdiva), Samael sharpened the focus of Mater A Clivis Imperat's goals by involving Alessio Saglia, a talented Milanese keyboardist, and Elisa Di Marte, a renowned soprano from Padua. Meanwhile, his interest in esotericism deepened through reading the Racconti del Filò (stories of mystery and esotericism from the Euganean Hills) and an interest in the local Veneto occult world with its abandoned villas and particularly of Padua. The cultural musical backdrop, however, is typical of the early '70s with hard-rock bands like Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath , but it also shows the influence of the occult prog of Jacula, Devil Doll, and the soundtracks of Fabio Frizzi. The choice to sing in Latin cannot help but draw a comparison to Jacula. Their debut Atrox Locus is an album to be savored slowly while reading a book of black magic or the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Through listening, one approaches a preternatural dimension. I must say that the operatic voice of soprano Elisa Di Marte, the Gregorian chants, the sound of a spectral piano, and a genuinely esoteric attitude give this work a unique atmosphere. Calmer moments (the initial "Coemeterium," with a beautiful organ in the spotlight and werewolf chants in the background, "Padova occulta," "Homo Intimae Pauper") alternate with more intense ones like in "Witchcraft" (a track that seems to come out of Zora by Antonius Rex) and in "Atrox Locus," enhanced by Gregorian chants. Throughout the listening, a constant inspiration and a sincere passion for certain themes is evident. In the end, I had the sensation of listening to an album of the same level as Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus by Jacula. Highly recommended for those in search of strong emotions and a few supernatural thrills.