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Monumentum is an Italian act responsible of making ambient music strongly electronica influence, at the stake with their “Ad Nauseam” album. Meanwhile, the previous releases, the “Musaeum Hermeticum” demo and the “In Absentia Christi” album (especially this last one) meant a turning point for the focus of dark ambient music, with the ethnic touches, those Christian Death inspired vocals, a strong gothic feeling and an utter atmosphere of gloomy landscapes rarely seen in the scene. Now the band passes away, and “Metastasi” is their legacy to the scene. Fourteen tracks in which we mainly can savour unreleased tracks, compilation songs, covers and experimental re-recordings from the albums. When compilations made of rarities hit the market, it´s easy to read things such as “just for collectors”or “go and delve rather into their albums”. I can´t escape from these words, for the sensations left by “Metastasi” in me are just those; nothing special, honestly.
Having enjoyed a lot their older releases, and feeling sort of an indifference towards the electronic shift portrayed in the “Ad Nauseam” album, you surely can´t expect I´m able to utter an elegy to this one, since “Metastasi” is basically built on samplers, programmed drums and synths. Monumentum meant something really different with the style they stood for in the past, and the latter releases somehow have lost some of the magic and originality. Despite my words, the music hereby included isn´t that bad at all, certainly. I´d define it as a compendium of electronic ambience soundtrack themes or something like that. Most of the songs could fit perfectly as the sounds for a grim film, combining chilling synth atmospheres and vocals with samplers. Since sources and band members are manifold, the variety of sounds here is really wide. Next to sinister tracks we find melancholic jewels as “I Stand Nowhere”; beautiful tune, definitely. Nevertheless, gothic dance versions as “Last Call For Life” weren´t necessary, really... I think the version featured on “Ad Nauseam” was better. Dark and disturbing at times, or either weaving desolate passages, these tracks will please the listener fond of the “Ad Nauseam” album. Other narrow-minded blokes like me will prefer “In Absentia Christi” to fill the nightmares and reveries. Anyway, if electro ambient and dark music is for you, “Metastasi” could be of your interest.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Il Padrino / The Godfather |
| 2. La Noia Nella Casa Del Dolore |
| 3. Distance |
| 4. Windfall |
| 5. A Tainted Retrospective |
| 6. Theme I |
| 7. Orthodoxia |
| 8. The Colour Of Compassion |
| 9. Under Monochrome Rainbow |
| 10. Black And Violet |
| 11. Last Call For Life |
| 12. Fade To Grey |
| 13. I Stand Nowhere |
| 14. A Moment Of Silence For The Blind Universe |
: 73.52
| Buy other Monumentum albums |
