Caverna delle Rose - Elysian Chants

Though they are genres that I hardly have the time to write about, dark folk, ritual, martial industrial, and other associated genres are ones that I hold near and dear to my heart. The very foundations of my time on this site are rooted within those genres as I've reviewed plenty of them when I first started on Brutal. But that dry spell has now ended as I have been introduced to the wonderful act known as Caverna delle Rose. Partnered with Slaughter in Art for the release of their debut album, the project consists of AimA (Les Jumeaux Discordants, Allerseelen), Evor Ameisie (NRTHGTE, DDeM Label, Camerata Medoilanense), and David Cinquegrana. Their main goal is to take ancient and contemporary themes that all of civilization understands and morph them into modern ritual. What I get with their debut album, "Elysian Chants", is a brilliant and powerful mix of dark folk and ritualistic tendencies. 

"To Dionysius" begins the album. Soft drums and horns begins the track alongside whispered vocals and drums slowly kick in the rhythm of the song. Eventually, the songs transforms into an otherworldly and spiritual practice with choral cries and evocative hymns. The only part on this song that I found to be somewhat annoying was that the drums would double-up on their hits every so often; like a skipped heartbeat, it didn't sound right. 

The following song, 'To Night', utilizes piano, ambiance, and an echoing effect to good measure. Like walking next to a lake on a chilly night, this song crept through my bones as it played out. 'To the Furies' is one of my favorite songs on the album. War drums pound as chants are brought out in full force. Like the Furies of myth themselves, this song is powerful and enchanting. In opposite effect, the chimes on 'To Sleep' gave way to a rather delightful song that was beautiful. The singing on it quite captures the moment the song is trying to give out. 

'Hyle The Chant of Creation' utilizes samples to great effect, leaving shattered remnants in its wake. With the help of spatial ambiance, this song also brought me into a ritualistic mood. Though, I will admit, it was a bit bare bones to the other songs on the album comparatively. I love the dual vocals on 'To Corybas' and overall found the stretched out theme to be fitting. However, like the previous track, I did find it to be a bit bare bones in comparison to some of the other songs on the album. 

The dreamy atmosphere of 'To the Fates' is absolutely brilliant as well. It made me feel as if I was falling down a pit with no end in sight. The shouts to the heavens gave a sense of urgency to the track, as if Caverna delle Rose were calling out to someone in a plea for help. The stark and dark synths backing the track gave way for a much moodier piece, as well. The final track on the album, 'To the West Wind', is quite honestly gorgeous. What sounds like the sea rumbles in the background as hymns are cried aloud. Piano works with the ambient effects to create a rather gorgeous and melancholic beat. Well done. 

Caverna delle Rose's debut album, then, is a wonderful ritualistic piece. Tribal spells brought me nirvana while listening to the album, even if a couple of the tracks weren't as engaging as others. What's best about the album, however, is that they do not pull any punches even in the conclusion. I have seen many other acts within the genre cop-out on the last song by giving a mediocre final performance. But Caverna delle Rose ended it off on arguably their strongest note. This is an act I'm looking forward to hearing again in the future. Seven-and-a-half out of ten! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Nov 22 2021