Cantata Sangui - On Rituals And Correspondence In Constructed Realities
Season Of Mist

file under gothic metal

Vera: What happens when a band is formed by two bass players? Whether they have a quarrel and split, or they decide to change tactics and use the bass guitar as pivotal instrument. It does not happen often - I can only think of the Bassinvaders project recently, but that’s something completely different - but with the Finnish Cantata Sangui it turned out fine. The absence of usual guitars and related soloing is not missing and there is no hiatus at all.

As usual with most bands in the beginning it was a come and go of many members. Several demos and EP’s were made, but except for some positive reviews it did not upgraded them. Finally the world will have its first encounter early 2009. The debut with the extensive title will be launched. Next to the focus on low-tuned sounds which tickle in your belly, the mysterious aspect leaps to the eye. Lyrics deal with ancient mythology, natural science and philosophy. A kind of mystical aura is created by this.

One cannot ignore the affinity with cultural history. Maybe we can describe this as a medieval touch, united with any sacral feel (look at the band’s name), but if I focus on the music only, this is what I get: like many albums, the intro is quite arcane and minatory. After that bass guitars reign. Tasteful relished with keyboards by Hanna Sirola is ‘We’ll Have It On Us’ a fine introduction in which low, epic vocals of Anna Pienimäki are incidentally interrupted by growling male vocals. These are done by Mika on this album and his grunts may be labelled as akin to Haggard’s Asis Nasseri. After recordings for this album he left the band for familiar reasons and two new musicians were recruited.

Do not fear any monotony. Gothic tracks such as ‘The Seven Liers-In-Wait’ and ‘No Longer In The Eyes Of Aletheia’ (with dark spoken intro) go hand in hand with a snail doom epic as ‘For The Forgotten Ones’. By the way, this is the origin of the band and they still rule within this genre. The quiescent instrumental ‘Reality’ and the beautiful sensitive ‘Sidecast’ (can we call it a ballad?) throw another light on the case. On the other hand, the band surely swallows the bait. ‘Lazarus’ and the accessible ‘Exaltata’ confirm this. I am truly surprised that they are able to bring in so much variation in an album without usual guitar skills. This is exceptional! To occlude in all serenity, Cantata Sangui adds ‘De Profundis’: a sacral sung track (with male choirs) that invokes images of consecration. There is much more to discover than just a gothic album. This is a debut with massive potential for open-minded listeners.

Rating 82/100 (details)

http://www.cantatasangui.com

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Cantata Sangui - On Rituals And Correspondence In Constructed Realities (CD (DIGIPAK))

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