BE

This truly is a marvelous, ambitious work that may be unprecidented, and it's about as progressive as you can get. Yet I don't really like it. I can admire it, I just don't enjoy it. If you add up the words in the song titles alone it's over 100 ! Almost 76 minutes of music. Well that's not exactly true because of all the sampling and spoken words that make up a good portion of this record. I just think the music has been compromised big time for the sake of the concept. That has been a complaint of mine in the past, and this is without a doubt the best example i've heard, of the music taking a back seat to the concept. Of course there is some good music here but it pales to the previous 4 studio records they have put out.

"Animae Partus" is really different people offering their opinions on how they came to be. "Deus Nova" features more information that is spoken to us over a fairly heavy soundscape. Piano comes and goes. Take away the speaking and this is great. "Imago" is like a medieval folk song. "Pluvius Aestivus" opens with rain and thunder. It ends the same way. In between we get some beautiful piano melodies, and strings after 2 minutes. "Lilium Cruentus" has some nice pastoral passages with heavy sections that come and go. Great track. "Nauticus" features deep vocals and acoustic guitar. Pretty much a gospel song of repentance. "Dea Pecuniae" opens with a non-funny skit. The music to follow is very average. "Vocari Dei" features more spoken words that are directed to God and about God with light music in the background. "Diffidentia" has this slow, heavy rhythm, with vocals to match. It changes as spoken words come in(rapping ?). A pastoral passage after 2 minutes,before heaviness returns. Violins and a pastoral section returns to end it.

"Nihil Morari" is dark and restrained,it reminds me a little of FATES WARNING. It picks up the pace a notch. Nice. Unfortunately spoken words arrive. "Latericius Valete" opens with some beautiful sounding acoustic guitar before piano and violin joins in. Some heaviness before 2 minutes. Spoken words come in. Good song. "Omni" features lots of powerful organ runs and spoken words. Vocals a minute in. The wind is blowing as it ends. "Iter Impius" opens with piano. A full sound 2 minutes in. Some aggressive guitar(finally !) after 3 minutes. A nice heavy ending as well. "Martius / Nauticus II" has some marching style drumming with vocals early. A change arrives after 2 minutes as a mid-eastern sound comes in. It's heavier after 5 1/2 minutes, I like the drumming. "Animae Partus II" opens with some strange sounds coming and going before she says I am. There is then about 3 minutes of silence before a monsterous voice, and then a child saying something silly. Annoying.

I really think someone with a lot of time on their hands could really get a lot out of this. This is deep, and it almost needs to be studied. As for putting on some music for my listening pleasure ? This is not something i'm going to reach for.