Day: April 7, 2015

The genesis of Filii Eliae is to be sought far back in time: it was in fact the ’80s when the brothers Maurizio and Roberto Figliolia took their first steps in the metal scene of Campania with their band monikers such as Mayhem and Enslaved, which were then made famous in other latitudes. After a long silence, the new creature, which takes its name from the Latinization of the surname of ours, manifests itself with the excellent Qvi Nobis Maledictvm Velit, an album capable of gaining unanimous critical acclaim. The newfound creative vein of Martirivm and Ossibvs Ignotis (stage names adopted by the two) leads the band from Salerno to produce, less than a year later, a new work, Cimiterivm, which sanctions in all and for all the undeniable value. The sound of the brothers from Campania, who avail themselves of the help of Vastvm Silentivm at the bass, can be defined with good reason as black doom, since the first assimilates the rhythms in the fastest passages while the second mainly draws on its ability to be solemn, epic and at the same time heavy as a boulder. In the same way, it’s not too much to see in Abysmal Grief a noble influence as far as the funereal traits of the album are concerned, marked by a rather similar use of keyboards, as well as a minimum debt towards the master The Black, if only for the use of Latin lyrics, even if, it must be said immediately, the style of Filii Eliae is much more composite and rich in nuances. It’s no coincidence that Martirivm reveals himself as a musician of great depth both when he weaves macabre atmospheres with keyboards and guitar, with which he lets himself go with welcome frequency to solo passages full of melody, and with a growl scream Sakis style, never superfluous and always incisive even in the difficulty of interpreting the texts in the ancient language. To understand what the intentions of Filii Eliae are, it’s enough to listen to the first track, the instrumental Introitvs, which turns out to be anything but a usual intro, constituting instead the first of the three beautiful instrumentals that explain, without leaving any doubt, the compositional skills and the uncommon melodic taste of the band from Salerno. The following title track is the virtual departure of a ritual that will unfold through a series of compelling songs, various and perfectly performed (even by a rhythm section that performs its task in an essential but effective way); the occult metal of Italian school and a substantial sprinkling of black in Mediterranean sauce are the basic ingredients that make Cimiterivm a great album. Among the tracks (each one of excellent level, no filler is even mentioned here) I would like to point out the furious Tabvla Rasa and the best of the lot, Odivm Aeternvm, an episode with rhythms that captivate appearing a hypothetical and wonderful fusion between Rotting Christ and Satyricon of K.I.N.G. but resulting, instead, the icing on the cake put on the album by a band with very personal traits as Filii Eliae.

2015 – Independent