Genre: Dark Ambient / Post Industrial

Mariae Nascenti is an Italian one man music project focused upon making unconventional music through the manipulation of sound using primarily computer based software. This description could reasonably be describing a myriad of musical approaches. The music of Mariae Nascenti is most easily described as experimental dark ambient. Utilizing a variety of sounds ranging from classical music instrumentation to noise generation Mariae Nascenti crafts highly complex songs that are aided and abetted by numerous vocalists with a different vocalist being featured on each song. All the lyrics have been written by Angelo Visone except track five with lyrics by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is hard to draw direct comparisons between the sound of Mariae Nascenti and other artists in the post industrial genre though some of the source sounds used in the compositions are easily identifiable and categorized the actual compositions emerge as original.

Morituri Te Salutant is Mariae Nascenti’s first widely available commercial release but it is not the first recorded output by this one man project. Having released seven previous releases in differing formats since 2000 Mariae Nascenti has proven to be quite productive. Though the relationship is not completely clear it appears that Mariae Nascenti is also closely related to the sex / magick / music performance collective known as Black Sun Productions. Both Morituri Te Salutant and Black Sun Productions have released music via Final Musik of Italy in addition to appearing live together in Europe. What is certain and beyond speculation is that Mariae Nascenti has emerged from behind the curtain with the release of Morituri Te Salutant and has left a definitive mark on the post industrial music arena.

Morituri Te Salutant begins with the introductory track “I Am a Whore.” “I Am a Whore” features a vocal performance by Massimo & Pierce the radical queer founding members of Black Sun Productions. Given the explicit title and the fact that the song features the irreverent duo Massimo & Pierce it would be valid to expect an exceptional song. “I Am a Whore” meets and exceeds the listener’s expectations. The song begins with Massimo & Pierce reciting “I am a whore made with sperm and blood and tears lying on the black grass of the Garden of Eden…” Two separate vocal recitals are layered over one another, one in the foreground and the other echoing in the background. Minimal electronics pulsate and chime adding a gentle and non obtrusive background to the dark erotic narrative that Massimo and Pierce supply. The narrative is esoteric and sexually explicit as the boys of Black Sun Productions flesh out the pleasures of homosexual passions and sex in a poetic and esoteric context. Half way through the six minute song the vocals retreat and the minimal looped electronics are appended with rolling static and Gregorian chanting. The music communicates a sense of religious sanctity and sexuality paired with cold mechanical sounds devoid of emotion or passion.

Track four titled Hidden II offers the listener an opportunity to hear Angelo Visone recite some of his own lyrics. Hidden II begins with shivering electronic drones that emanate out of the darkness in cold pulsating waves. These looped electronics are quickly paired with a deep resonating dark ambient drone that randomly changes in moderate pitch shifts. The mood is ominous and bleak communicating a sense of descent and hopelessness. The ambient drone fades leaving the shivering electronics to stand alone as Angelo’s voice recites an illegible and brief recitation behind the music. Compared to the other songs that mostly exceed the six minute mark this short three and some seconds song seems almost like a side thought rather than a full realized offering.

“A Dead Deer” is the sixth and final song on Morituri Te Salutant and it offers a very cryptic and disturbing closure to the album. The song begins with a looped sample of percussive metal sounds that rattle in a simple pattern and a secondary metallic sound reminiscent of the chugging engine of a steam train. After a short interval Paul begins the song with a simple line “Last night I saw a deer beneath the ice flow, he looked directly into my eyes, he smiled at me, and he said something to me I could not understand…” The image of a smiling deer trapped beneath the ice speaking to someone is not only surreal but a bit nightmarish. The industrial sounds that support Paul’s recital churn on while Paul continues his single verse in a repetitive loop. About two minutes into the song the various established looped elements are overtaken by fierce and rapid electronic drumming that hammers the song. This new percussive element is lively and engaging and it drives the song into a domain not seen in previous compositions. The song quickly transforms into a rapid paced rhythmic composition with Paul’s voice returning to recite his simple passage once again. The rhythmic assault varies at different points but remains the prominent feature of the song until close to its conclusion when the industrial sounds that introduced the song return to end it.

I really enjoyed Morituri Te Salutant for its dark nature and its surrealistic and sexual explorations. It is not often that you hear a man discussing giving head on a post industrial album and it is equally rare to hear an artists cultivate surrealistic atmospheres and dialogues without straining or overextending the experiment which leaves the listener feeling as if the artists has tried too hard. Mariae Nascenti has created a unique aural world of dark musings that are intellectually engaging, sensual and at the same time psychologically disturbing. Utilizing simple sound manipulations and courting numerous vocalists has proven to be a recipe for success in the hands of Mariae Nascenti. It is no wonder that this one man project has found himself in the company of Massimo & Pierce and other Coil accolades. If you enjoy dark atmospheres and twisted sonorities that seduce you into their dark clutches with ease and finesse then check out this Italian project.