MELENCOLIA ESTATICA - Melencolia Estatica on sale

MELENCOLIA ESTATICA - Melencolia Estatica
Melencolia Estatica is a weathertorn flag fixed atop the highest tower on some long forgotten redoubt. It flutters on the whispers of the dead and flaps on the storm rage of those soon to join them. Stained by futile hopes, time has rendered it to gauze but as it billows you sense it will still be there in a hundred years.

The name of the band tells you all you need to know about what style of Black Metal they play; outwardly fragile but possessed of a hidden strength like that of the lame when necessity in the face of impending doom means they have to get up and run. The first track streaks off like the tears of someone forsaken who has just been betrayed into wilfully jumping from a cliff top. Though it is fast, the riffs are brittle and threaten to shatter at any time. This expression of woe continues throughout this d but, the pace frequently subsides to that of someone walking a tightrope, faltering until the end is within reach and then a mad rush to beat the inevitable loss of balance.

The wane of the faster sections leaves all manner of emotional detritus littering this treacherous shore, a rich bass mocks the listener with a rounded tone that sings to you suggesting rescue then laughs as the next tide washes over you. The limited information about the band on the label website hints that the music of MELENCOLIA ESTATICA is provided by a woman, this makes sense as there is the merest insinuation of a caress to these songs. The vocals however sound most definitely masculine whatever the gender of the originator. Snarls of contempt rip from their throat, raging over the despondency evoked by the instrumentation.

With no lyrics to accompany the album you can match the music to whatever turmoil you are experiencing, not that you have to be wracked by misery to enjoy these songs. There is an ethereal air to these tragedies, mournful melodies lifted on the dry wind. The bass often counterpoints the velocity by playing at a slow doomy pace and then raising to a solid rumble when calmer waters sweep in. The drums are quite capable of a levelling when the pace is up but restrain themselves on the slower parts to punctuating the introspection, though the bass drum often gets a pounding whatever the speed.

With such a name, you would expect melancholy to play a part in these songs and, of course, it does. Without the need for keyboards, the guitar picks out emotional refrains, none more so than at the beginning of �Meditatio IV,� this melody seems very familiar to me but I can't place what it is or what it reminds me of. The final track is the one that is poised on the brink more than any of the others. It follows the hearse for the most part but, as with other tracks, the bands dynamic range dictates faster parts rush in like a summer squall.

Draped in enigma, as is the origin of the composer, Melencolia Estatica is something of a delight to listen to. Ostensibly delicate, this album has hidden teeth and bares then frequently. Tedium is never a factor and the crafting of these songs shows a love of the art. Who cares who (or what,) produced this album when it sounds as good as this.