Mundanus Imperium
Ode To The Night Sky

Once upon a time, there were Mundanus Imperium, who, like all the best bands, were promptly ignored by a general indifference from critics and the public and eventually disbanded.

The Mundanus Imperium lasted only four years, but unlike bands that can't compose a decent work even after ten years, they composed a truly beautiful album and a demo in this short span of time, which we will talk about here, which, well, please let me say it is one of the most beautiful, emotional, and refined things my coarse ears have ever heard and its name is "Ode To The Night Sky".

Let's start by saying that the genre is quite different from what they offered in their only released LP, which consisted of very dark progressive metal, sung by a certain Jorn Lande. In this case, we are dealing with space-tinged black metal, extremely emotional, symphonic, which at times seems almost relaxed, if not for a desperate scream voice that accentuates the dark points of the album; adding that we often find forays into what is almost technical yet extremely passionate progressive metal, never becoming mere technical exercises, quite the opposite.

This record is composed of only three songs, totaling 15 minutes or a little more, during which you will be literally cradled and transported to another space-time dimension, from which you will often be abruptly brought back to earth due to the acidic and at times poignant voice of the singer, who manages to fit perfectly into a melodic musical context where the emotional part prevails over the violent part typical of black metal. Musically, all three pieces move on similar coordinates, with atmospheres built mainly on extremely airy keyboard arrangements, while the guitar riffs are never too tight, even though they are close to the dictations of typical black metal style; what surprised me instead was the rhythmic section, never too bursty, but very varied and reasoned, giving a touch of additional dynamism and variety to the entire album.

If you liked "Asper Hiems Symfonya" by Arcturus, you will love this jewel of "black" music. If instead, you are more intransigent with sound and like rotten and cursed music, look elsewhere; this product is not for you.

Sorry if I didn't describe the songs individually too much, but in the face of such beauty, words wouldn't serve much; it would be better to remain silent, close your eyes, and listen... until the end, without making any noise.

Tracklist

1) Ode To The Nightsky

2) Winds Of The Frozen Stars

3) Ridende Pa Nattenes Vinger