Review: Chaos Luciferi – Carne mutilata alla deriva

Chaos Luciferi is a one-man band from Italy, and it combines Atmospheric black metal with dungeon synth to create a special kind of vibe. This new album “Carne mutilata alla deriva” is a concept album about a famous legend/fairy tale from Venice told by Chaos Luciferi with a horror twist.

So a famous legend, you say?

The legend takes place in the Sotoportego dei Preti in the Castello district, which houses a small red brick heart. The underpass is quite a popular place because the couples who touch the heart together hope that the local legend is true and that their love will remain eternal. Legend has it that a fisherman, named Orio, rescued a beautiful mermaid called Melusina. From their meeting a deep love story was born: Orio asked the mermaid Melusina to marry him, and she agreed with the promise, however, not to meet her on Saturday in the days before the wedding.

Orio didn’t respect the request: on the third Saturday, curiosity got the better of him and at the usual meeting place, the fisherman didn’t find the mermaid, but an enormous sea snake that turned out to be Melusina herself, struck by a curse. The curse turned her into a monster every Saturday, and the only way to end the spell was marriage. Orio decided to marry her anyway: the mermaid Melusina turned into a woman and gave birth to three children, but despite years of joy, the woman died because of an incurable disease.

Left alone, Orio continued to work to support his family: on his return from the sea, however, he noticed that the house was always in order. Suspicious, he decided one day to come back earlier to thank whoever was helping him in secret, but waiting for him, he didn’t find a person, but a snake. Scared and worried about his safety and that of his children, Orio instinctively killed the animal. Only in the following days, finding the house messy on his return, he realized he had killed nothing but Melusina. The red brick heart placed in the underpass wants to remember and celebrate this tragic but authentic love story.

From: 10 legends of Venice: the noir side of the Serenissima | Visitvenezia.eu

The tale has been rewritten with a more horror like twist, but the jest of it stays the same. I like these kind of concept albums because, for me, they give an extra dimension to the album itself. I obtained the lyrics, so that made it a lot easier to compare the legend and the albums version of this fable, with the horror twist.

With effort, I manage to maneuver my boat and set a course towards that creature; she’s a mermaid, with long amber fins, radiant like the moon in the calm after the storm. I load her in the hold and bring her to safety. I’m no longer alone in this infinite sea; I have with me the mother of the entire lagoon.

Translated lyrics from the album.

I like the story and the lyrics are nice as well. They are a bit further apart from the original tale, but that’s okay. The next step is the music on the album. Does it match the chilling story told by the concept of the album?

Carne mutilata alla deriva (Mutilated Flesh Adrift)

With concept albums like this I find it important for my overall immersion that the music truly matches the story, does it fit the vibe the lyrics want to convey to the listener?
The first track starts of with an organ pipe intro that really sets a mood, after a while, some other instruments join in and there is a kind of hymn mixed in with the rest. It really has a dungeon synth vibe which is not my normal cup of tea, but I must admit, so far, I am liking this.

“Incontro durante la tempesta” which translates to the meeting during the storm, introduces the black metal part of the album, and the tempo picks up. The things that stand out the most for me are the drums (not really sure if it’s man or a machine, it’s so fast I think it’s a machine, but I could be wrong) but they do sound nice. The vocals are the other part that stood out. They are very harsh and feel ice-cold, and that’s just the way I like black metal vocals to be. That, of course, is a personal preference, but, but it really matches the vibe of the album.

Another song that stood out for me was “Funerale tra le onde” or “Funeral Among the Waves”. This song starts off very slow and has a more Doom like feel to it. But again, mixed in with the harsh vocals, it really is a great song.

Conclusion

This was my first introduction to the band and I liked what I’ve heard so far. The concept of the album is great and music wise it sounds good also. There is enough change on the album to keep you listening to the album. I’m eagerly awaiting what’s in store for this band in the (near) future.

I give this album a 7/10

You can check the album out by clicking on the video below, and if you like what you hear, don’t forget to support the artist and by the album.

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