Artist: Antonius RexAlbum: Hystero Demonopathy
Year: 2012
Label: Black Widow
Review: Kev Rowland
Rate:
Thoughts: I was playing this album in the car the other day, taking my sixteen year old to school, and as she got out she told me exactly what she thought of the music and ended it with "it sounds as if someone is being killed!". I told her that I agreed with some of what she said, but that this was a 5* album if I had ever heard one.
The more I have played this the more I have enjoyed it, and it now makes me wonder what I have been missing out on as this is the first of their albums that I have come across. These guys have been around for a very long time, based around Antonio Bartoccetti (guitars, vocals, bass) and released a number of albums in the 70's before coming back in 2005 and this is their fourth since then. Antonio is joined by Rexanthony (vocals, keyboards, synths, piano, digital drum/ orchestra), and Monika Tasnad (whose contribution is listed as 'medium') plus special guests Florian Gorman (acoustic drums) and singers Laura Haslam, Vladimir Leonard and Svetlana Serduchka.
Just a short listen to some of this album would inform the listener that here we have an Italian prog act that is working in the same area as the mighty Goblin, and that the screams and effects work hand in hand with the music to create a soundscape that is beautiful, horrifying, complex, simple, dark and threatening all at the same time.
At times the guitars are really in your face, but at others it is the orchestration. It really is an incredible piece of work that will be unsettling for some, as this is not the sort of prog that you would take home to play for your mum.
This is music that is designed to be dark and to provide a very real edge to proceedings. Cinematic and visual, this is a stunning piece of work.
The band was included in our Podcast #4 and you can listen the track 'Disincantation' HERE.