Sol Invictus - Trieste - 2000
intro
It is never too late to present you one of the greatest musical propositions of the 90´s. To speak of Sol Invictus is to speak of Tony Wakeford, former member of the mythical Death in June and one of the most restless minds in the current European cultural scene. Their particular vision of life, religion, philosophy and of the idea of the return to the great Europe has made him be labeled as Nazi, Satanist, etc... (I don't believe any American is accused of being a Nazi for defending a great and united USA). Musically Sol Invictus has been classified in different contemporary movements as dark wave, Gothic, etc.
review
Well, Sol Invictus -the same as other bands like L´Orchestre Noir (with the own Wakeford), Arcana, Ataraxia, Rosa Crux, Elend, etc, are part of a European cultural movement that is based on old cultures, Gnostic religions, and other many mystic and philosophical elements of a culture that has more than 5000 years of existence. I won't speak now of the whole Sol Invictus' work, as I will soon present you a biography in progVisions... I just want now to comment briefly on the last two releases of Sol Invictus, "The hill of crosses" and "Trieste", a CD of 60 minutes of duration, recorded in the Italian city of the same name in a totally acoustic format and with a trio lineup that includes, Wakeford, Matt Howden and Sally Doherty.
Sol Invictus' music grows in a spectacular way in these acoustic versions, where the nuances of the voices of Wakeford and Doherty are supplemented perfectly with the instrumentation of acoustic guitar, cello and violin. Seventeen pieces of a beautiful frame and delicate execution amongst which we can find old material of the band ("Against the modern world") and all the classics of this mythical and veteran band as "Amongst the ruins" or "In Europa". The whole material of the band transports us to a past and dark time, in which we can find all kind of compositions; from monastic and solemn pieces as "O Rubor Sanguinis" to more dreamy pieces as "In a garden green" or "The widow" (beautiful), going into melancholic moments as "Remember & Forget", "Media", or "The fool".
conclusion
To extend too much the review of "Trieste" is a loss of time. "Trieste" is just music made by a genius that, instead of being just satisfied with creating pieces aimed to easy success, devotes himself to explore the roots of our European culture (have I told you that it is more than 5.000 years old?) and to offer a music full with beauty, feeling, memories and echoes of the past. If you followed my advice with Ataraxia, here you have other appetizing dish to satiate your hunger of musical art. Indispensable.