Mariae Nascenti - Morituri Te Salutant

Mariae Nascenti is the solo-project of Angelo Visone, a native of Milan, Italy. Morituri Te Salutant is his first proper CD release, following a number of self-released CD-Rs. On Morituri Te Salutant he enlists the assistance of Black Sun Productions, Larsen and members of Sadomarta and Gullinkambi. There role here is to provide vocals to his surreal atmo-soundscapes that range from post-industrial greyness to dark ambient. Mariae Nascenti's palette involve electronic drones, and various computer generated sounds that are repeated and used intermittently throughout each of the tracks. Aside from an excerpt from Pasolini, the lyrics all penned by Visone are oblique, surreal and particularly curious.

Massimo and Pierce feature on 'I Am A Whore' with a split channel delivery of poetic sexual gratuities. The content is erotic and esoteric "I am a whore made of sperm and blood and tears. I'm lying on the wet grass of the Garden of Eden". There's a warmth an ache to Massimo's voice with Pierce's simultaneous delivery just out-of-step and pushed to the perimeter. Soft billows and sub-aquatic bleeps provide the backdrop to the recital, which are mixed with ecclesiastic singing, continuing the somewhat oblique religious theme. The looped voice of Marco Schiavo of Larsen can be found on 'Hidden I' repeating the lines "I remember when I ate myself..." over a static buzz, and gloomy post-industrial fog that is eventually obliterated by a screech-fest. This track reappears as 'Hidden II' drenched in wavering drones of the dark ambient variety with the obscured voice of Angelo Visone, his sole vocal contribution to the recording. Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo of Larsen has a brief vocal excerpt on 'My Dreary Woe' amidst windswept industrial atmospheres and interludes of classical music. Xs of Sadomarta provides a sensual delivery of an excerpt from Pasolini's 'Le Belle Bandiere' over intermittent rustling and a continuous soft woosh. It's not until the final track, 'A Dead Dear', that any discernible rhythm can be found. A series of metal clanging opens the tracks and is joined by Paul Beauchamp of Gullinkambi reciting surreal words relating to a talking and smiling dear frozen under the ice. It's repeated at different points over incessant pounding that varies in its ferocity.

The album leans heavily on the surreal, with the music firmly placed in the post-industrial and dark ambient genres. And though it's not an immediately accessible album, it's a distinctive album with an interesting concept, pitching wordplay over inert soundscapes. The inclusion of Larsen and Black Sun Productions will, for sure, pique the interest of many. The amalgamation of dialogue and music is intriguing and the fact that it is particularly difficult to decipher only adds to its allure. For more information go to www.finalmuzik.com