IN CAUDA SEMPER STAT VENENUM

Let's start with a correction about the album's title. I've seen that other reviewers have translated it as "The Venom is always in the end". But "Cauda" in Latim means tail, so it's a reference to scorpions, insets stings and nice stuff like this.

As I have already written in my previous Jacula's review, there is a bit of humour as Jacula was the main characer of a porn comics of the 70s, whose name is a mix of "Dracula" and "Eiaculate". (the J in latin is spelled "i": like "ian" instead of "John").

Even if released as second, this is effectively the first recording of Jacula, later transformed into ANTONIUS REX. The album has been remastered and its first true release is dated 2001. Further releases and reprints followed, thanks to the Black Widow label. Respect to Tardo Pede... the operatic vocals are absent, and it's Antonio Bartoccetti's voice that's sometimes heard, like in "Magister Dixit" (The master said).

It's mainly dark baroque church organ, closer to neo-gothic than to prog if it wasn't for some effects. The speeches are about a magician who freed a vampire. It's a sort of grimoire read by a lecturer. The horrorific and satanic environment is more explicit in Triumphatus Sad. This track is opened by a heavy distorted guitar. Triumphatus Sad is an English grimoire of the late 17th century about witchery. I don't know how much of this track has been overdubbed above the original, but this is a heavy metal track with no doubts, even if the keyboardist makes a great work in a Keith Emerson style.

"Veneficium" (Poisoning) returns to the church organ stuff in the intro, Luckily the guitar takes its duties with an unreferenced harp. It's possible that the harp has been added later during the remastering. It really sounds like SENMUTH.

On "Initiatjo" the vocals don't sound like Bartoccetti's voice, it seems female but it may even be him. A choir instead of a single singer would have been fantastic. A suggestion for a cover. Musically speaking this is the best album track. There's something similar on CAMEL's The Snow Goose, but less dark.

Finally, the title track. The initial speech isn't very interesting. A guy is in a wood in the night watching the Moon and joked by a fairy. The alternance between church organ and speech is a bit boring. I mean, one Italian speaking can be curious the first time as it's like listening to a story, but the second time it's just boring.

Remastering and publishing this early work is interesting as a document and there's at least one good track, but documentary apart, I can't suggest it. It's an ancestor of black metal, but mainly a neogothic thing.