Spectro Panico
De Rerum Satana

I had the privilege of listening to the entire album De Rerum Satana thanks to an acquaintance who managed to get a copy last year. After arduous searching and shelling out an amount that to many may seem absurd. Only 4 copies of this vinyl were pressed and distributed. Released in 2020 on the Babe Alone label, what appears to be the only album created by Spectro Panico is a gem for collectors who love the gothic and progressive-influenced dark sound. An album without half measures that, right from the cover images, remains true to its title: a demon-woman with horns and leather wings, blindfolded, tongue sticking out in a mocking gesture, nude body; a symbol not easily interpreted, standing out in various areas of the cover and on the label of the 33 rpm.
Interesting, with regards to the cover, is the back side. It presents an old scroll, handwritten, with symbols, glyphs, letters and various drawings, some of which are recognizable and some not. And then notes about the production – or rather, credits – which are written in a language close to Latin, but not Latin. It sounds more like a mixture of neo-Latin dialects. But that’s just a feeling.
In fact, only the titles of the two long tracks are in pure Latin. The rest is all vaguely interpretable. Some things you understand, but not everything. What is clear, however, is the year of production, as well as the fact that it is a limited edition of 4 copies. Which explains at least in part the high value of this rarity. We're talking about prices around 2000 euros.
The content of the work is undeniably fascinating. A majestic, dark liturgical organ dominates the first part of De Rerum Satana, the long suite from side A. Organ, then mysterious sounds, altered voices, and a shadow of unease that pervades the whole listening experience. De Rerum Satana means about Satan or of the things concerning Satan. It’s fairly easy—or, to be honest, simplistic—to trace the kind of music composed and played by Spectro Panico (a solo artist? A group?) to this concept. As noted before, all the hallmarks of the gothic dark genre are here. But perhaps one must dig a little deeper and put aside certain clichés. To me, it seems there’s an esoteric undertone intended to encrypt riddles far beyond an immediate association of ideas. The clue is also given by the abundance of undecipherable signs and writings on the cover. The music is a stratification of sounds and noises that perhaps needs to be listened to and perceived in an unconventional way.
Side B, on the other hand, transports you to an even more enigmatic, metaphysical soundscape. A rarefied atmosphere that counterbalances the massive momentum of side A. In Falso Speculo (transl. in the false mirror) is another suite over 10 minutes long in which everything seems to settle down. In truth, the sense of anguish amplifies, and the listening becomes a more transversal experience, more psychic, less evocative of images and perhaps more of an invocation of states of mind. Here, if there’s to be a demonic perception, it certainly doesn’t pass through a traditional lens. The minimal and ambiguous sound no longer has any visible connection to the gothic. A fog full of discomfort envelops and generates the kind of suggestion that makes you check carefully that there isn’t someone/something hidden behind you… watching you.
Nothing is really known about Spectro Panico, except what can be gleaned from the album cover and the music itself. Besides, the label that released it was almost certainly created specifically to produce this work. This isn’t unusual, in fact. In the independent and niche scene there are thousands of autonomous record labels with just one or two titles in their catalog.
The person who allowed me to listen to De Rerum Satana and provided me with pictures of the LP is viscerally passionate about this work. Beyond the amount paid to acquire it, he declares it is one of the most fascinating and seductive albums in his vinyl collection.
If anyone wants to listen to a snippet of side A, it can be found on YouTube without difficulty. The privilege of listening—at least that—has not been kept secret for a chosen few.