March 2022 Feature Release – The Fallen Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Fallen has been nominated by Ben. It's 1995's incredibly underrated "In Absentia Christi" debut album from Italian gothic metal/darkwave outfit MonumentuM. I picked this record up upon release & it absolutely blew me away. I don't think I've heard anything like it to this day either & it currently stands as my all-time favourite gothic metal release overall. Can I please ask one thing though, while you listen to it please make an effort to develop an opinion on it's genre tagging as I'm pretty sure we might have a Hall entry on our hands following this feature release. In fact, I'd suggest that most metal fans probably never would have heard of it if not for the fact that it was released on the Misanthropy Records label. 

https://metal.academy/releases/15441

As you probably gathered from my introduction, I've been a MASSIVE fan of this release going right back to the time of release & revisiting it now has proven that it also has the endurance to become one of the elite releases in my life. Is it a metal record? Well... I can see why people might say that as there are certainly some tracks that draw upon doom metal riffs for added weight & support but never as the main focal point of the song-writing. I think it's fair to say that the ethereal darkwave component is much more consistent & prominent & if you like that sound then you'll no doubt gush over this record which amplifies those elements into even more lush & transcendental territories. There's a noticeable "The Dark Side Of The Moon"-era Pink Floyd influence on show at times too which can't be a bad thing. The fairly miserable goth rock vocals might annoy some people but I find them to perfectly suit the atmosphere that's created by the heavily effected guitars & lush synthesizers which don't even sound like they come from this planet most of the time. The consistency of the tracklisting is astounding with almost every track seeming like yet another highlight. I can't recommend this album enough to your more open-minded metalhead. It's nothing spectacular stuff!

5/5

I quite enjoyed In Absentia Christi, but it did present significant obstacles for me, not all of which I was able to overcome. Firstly, there was the male vocals. I initially took against them as they appeared to be no more than those Anne Rice, melancholic, gothic-romantic -(anti)hero male vocals, that are more pantomime than emotional expression to my ears. However, repeated listens softened my stance towards them as they actually felt like they has a bit more to them than the Pete Steele / Aaron Stainthorpe faux-emotional stylings. The nearest comparison I could think of was the vocals on Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium on tracks like Mesmerized and although they are somewhat theatrical, it is in a more Shakesperean way. My second major problem and the one I couldn't surmount, is with the truly awful cover of Steve Strange's excellent synthpop classic Fade to Grey being is placed so early, and hence predominantly, in the album that tries to destroy any positive feelings I felt after the earlier tracks. My issue with the cover itself is that the original is a truly great example of effective minimalism in synthpop that few managed to match (Gary Numan maybe), but what we have here is more icing than cake that just ended up making me feel sick.

The album starts off with a couple of innocuous instrumentals before we get to one of the best tracks on the album, Consuming Jerusalem, with it's Middle Eastern vibe and I really loved the backing vocals, they are similar to those employed by Lindy-Fay Hella on Wardruna's Grá and the track as a whole has a nicely effective atmosphere. Unfortunately this is followed by the previously discussed Visage cover and the band were in danger of throwing away all kudos gained to this point.

The more exotic-sounding tracks are the ones that score the highest with me here - Consuming Jerusalem, ΣελυνηΣ ΑγγελοΣ and Nephtali in particular I enjoyed massively. As to what genre to file this under, well I'll be fucked if I know to be honest. There are a few doom riffs, but are there enough to even qualify as a metal release? I'm not convinced. The vocals definitely come from gothic rock or metal, but is there enough gothic metal? Maybe - there's certainly more than there is doom, From These Wounds in particular sounds like gothic metal to me, albeit with some darkwave bells and whistles - nice track though. I think I'll leave the genre identification to those better qualified than me to decide.

All in all I think this was an interesting release and a somewhat flawed gem that may reveal more of itself the more listens you are prepared to give it. It is yet another in a long line of Italian metal(?) releases that colours outside the lines of conventionalism. I just wish they had left that cover off and saved it for an EP or something and did we really need the last three-and-a-half minutes of the last track, La noia?

4/5

My second major problem and the one I couldn't surmount, is with the truly awful cover of Steve Strange's excellent synthpop classic Fade to Grey being is placed so early, and hence predominantly, in the album that tries to destroy any positive feelings I felt after the earlier tracks. My issue with the cover itself is that the original is a truly great example of effective minimalism in synthpop that few managed to match (Gary Numan maybe), but what we have here is more icing than cake that just ended up making me feel sick.

I can't agree with you there Sonny. I absolutely adore this version of "Fade To Grey" & consider it to be one of the highlights of what I regard as a star-studded album. I have to admit that I had no familiarity with the original when I first heard this one though & wasn't even aware that it was a cover version for a considerable time afterwards either.

I think Fade to Grey is my favourite track on the album. Like Daniel though, I've never heard the original.

I do agree that the vocals are off-putting. I still struggle with them a bit, despite loving the album overall.

It's different strokes for different folks I guess. Maybe a history with the original makes a difference with cover versions. Possibly a whole forum thread to itself right there! Anyway, the original was a classic of the early eighties' synthpop scene (which I wasn't involved with - they were far too concerned with fashion and other meaningless crap, but I did like some of the songs and this was one of the better ones).

I didn't actually say I disliked the vocals other than initially. As I invested more into the album I came to feel that they suited the material fairly well. Maybe I didn't make my point very well - so what's new!!

One other thing - am I the only one who thinks that cover is creepy as fuck?

One other thing - am I the only one who thinks that cover is creepy as fuck?

Nope. It's genuinely squeemish.