Tenebrae in Perpetuum - Onori Rituali Funebrari
ATMF
Black Metal
13 songs (54:24)
Release year: 2010
ATMF
Reviewed by Goat

Taking the original 2002 EP and 2003 album and putting them into one limited digipack, ATMF have here done a service to the Black Metal world, as far few people are aware of these excellent Italians. Tenebrae In Perpetuum may not have an original sound, a MySpace or a massive fanbase, but what they do have more than makes up for it; the ability to play genuine Black Metal that rips the spines from weaklings with vigour and glee. Made up of members of other little-known but still excellent underground bands like Beatrik and Absentia Lunae, Tenebrae In Perpetuum play the sort of Black Metal that's generally dismissed along the lines of 'Transilvanian Hunger sped up', and whilst that would be a good way to describe their music at face value, anyone that takes the time to investigate further will see that there's a great deal more to the band than mere clonery.

My colleague Charles reviewed the band's 2009 album at the end of last year, and I'm going to diverge a little from the path he took to say that Tenebrae In Perpetuum simply rule. Just like Darkthrone, the Italians have that all too rare ability to know exactly what riff sounds good next to what drumbeat, and whilst to the untrained ear it may all sound random and chaotic, the Black Metalhead who knows his shit will be overjoyed with Onori Rituali Funebrari. Take the opener, the title track, starting with speed and screeching and soon switching to an upbeat gallop, guitars jangling in the background - there's a fair amount of tempo and time changes to keep you listening, but the chances are that you'll be headbanging too hard to notice, especially when the breakdown comes in, and I don't mean of the deathcore kind. The following Al di là della Nebbia slows the pace down a little, before kicking into high speed towards the end, and so the album continues, a sea of well-done Black Metal enhanced by intelligently-placed interesting moments.

Of course, don't expect anything too out of the ordinary, but do expect a fun ride. Although it's not as spooky and transcendental as the fantastic artwork may suggest, Onori Rituali Funebrari does have buckets of atmosphere, and given the closed-eyes-and-headphones treatment this album is a real treat. It's impossible to argue with its authenticity - vocalist/drummer/guitarist Atratus' howls and Ildanach's screams sound genuinely raging and quite mad, and there's a great deal of skill in the precise if unshowy instrumentation. A bit of Monastic clean singing on Quegli Occhi and Nero Dominio is about as out-there as the album gets, overall, yet it's all deeply satisfying if you're in search of some traditional Black Metal to blast. And that, ultimately, is what this is all about, a satisfying if plain meal that does exactly what you want and does it well, which is sometimes all that's needed.

Killing Songs :
Onori Rituali Funebrari, Al di là della Nebbia, Verso L'Apocalisse, Anime Silenziose, Quegli Occhi
Goat quoted 76 / 100
Other albums by Tenebrae in Perpetuum that we have reviewed:
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio reviewed by Charles and quoted 85 / 100
0 readers voted
Average:
 0
You did not vote yet.
Vote now

There are 4 replies to this review. Last one on Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:30 pm
View and Post comments