Melencolia Estatica “Letum” CD

"Letum" is the sophomore full-length from excellently melodic and atmospheric Italian black metal act Melencolia Estatica (released by ATMF), a band that I had never heard of prior to this, and have had a bit of a hard time digging up information on. It appears that this is actually a one-woman project, as Climaxia is the only member I can find mention of anywhere online, but whatever the case, these five tracks in 37 minutes are quite impressive all around. From the standard though far better than average uses of blazing speed and tremolo picking alongside fierce percussive blasts, to the throbbing basslines pulsing away in the distance at all times, and of course the absolutely ferocious vocal screams. But the real highlights are the more blatantly melodic riffs, which follow that cold, creeping sort of aesthetic and occasionally cave in to (or layer in against) resonant clean guitars. I mean, there are just some fucking incredible riffs throughout this album, which just intensifies the sense of feeling and emotion already present here in a massive way. But shit, even the fast-paced tremolo picking runs often possess far more surging force and feeling than the vast majority of black metal that I encounter, which is precisely what makes bands like this instantly jump out at you. The performances are all quite tight, but the basically perfect recording brings in just the right amount of the types of dry rawness and subtly "crude" aesthetics you'd expect (and, quite frankly, demand) from such work. It's really fucking dense, though—in large part due to the absolutely oppressive bass tone—which adds something to the overall impact and delivery. Very nice. The entire album superbly blends explosive rage and tactful depression in a manner that certainly leaves me looking forward to more. Well done...

Melencolia Estatica "Letum IV"

Get It

ATMF
The End Records