Peccatum
The Moribund People

Who are the Moribund? That old lady on the cover? Her fate is ours.
Are we the Moribund? Are we alive/free = real (conscious)?
Let this be our requiem, let the Fates dance and drag us with them.
No Hell will ever be cruel enough.
No Demon can ever harm us more than we harm ourselves...

The Moribund People is "just" an EP from a side-project of Inhsahn, frontman of the late, now reunited Emperor. I stumbled upon Peccatum when I was an avid listener of Black Metal; the genre has largely lost its appeal for me now, but the Norwegian avant-garde scene still holds unforgettable gems (Who said Ulver?).

Only 3 tracks. It starts with the title track: a high-class avant-garde rock, a fascinating desperate scream for all the lost souls. Ihriel's (Ihsahn's wife) voice is far from the classic female metal standards, it has the class of operatic singers and the coldness of Death. "A Penny's Worth Of Heart" turns out to be another great piece; it revolves around the usual territories: pounding electronics alternated with heavy-rooted riffs and seasoned with typical black vocals (courtesy of Ihsahn). It ends with the Bathory cover "For All Those Who Died", a whirlwind of rage and despair: let the flames cover the sky, let the winds blow with all their might, let the earth open up and Hell welcome us.

With 3 songs, Peccatum sanctifies desolation and ennobles suffering, teaching us the delicate art of suffering.