IN 2002 the talented Italian musician, Damiano Mercuri, unveiled Rose Rovine e Amanti’s self-titled collection of beautiful folk songs, which unveiled such atmospheric and laid-back gems as ‘Il Mondo Non Era Così Stanco’, perched uneasily beside the comparatively harsher strains of ‘Marea’. His present release, ‘Rituale Romanum’, which was suitably conceived among the seven great hills of Rome itself, has found its way into the capable hands of the Cold Spring team. The cover betrays a strongly Christian theme, where a defiant St. Michael the Archangel – sword in hand and clad in armour – stands astride a demonic and recently-defeated adversary. The album is dedicated to the German town of Aachen, which, as I know from personal experience, is a beautiful place steeped in history and filled today with dozens of little cafes and antique shops, but perhaps slightly more famous for being the old imperial seat of the Holy Roman Empire and most notably the Emperor Charlemagne, whose sacred bones have been interred in the Cathedral since the year 814. With their catchy repetition and sustained bouts of monotony, the rhythmic vocals that accompany the gentle guitar-playing of the ‘Intro’ remind me a little of Actus. But with ‘Perso nel Cuore di una Foresta nella Germania (Nature is the Profane of Grace)’ on the other hand, Mercuri’s sweet acoustics and solemn vocals are joined by a traditionally Italian-sounding mandolin. Imagine a crooning 1960s ballad – Scott Walker style – sung at a Mafia garden party. The percussion is very dramatic on this song, with the crashing cymbals and rattling tambourines providing a fantastic backdrop. ‘Soldato Cristiano (Let Us Pray in Silence)’ features vocalist Josef K from label mates Von Thronstahl. The strange accent used here gives the track a very macabre and timeless feel, in places both very soulful and melancholy. In fact it works beautifully and offers a lyrical nod towards the eternal principles of Christian martyrdom and sainthood. Tracks 4 and 5 were unfortunately not indexed correctly on the CD, so there is no break between the songs. The first half of this accidental fusion, ‘La Danza del Colibri (Power is Blood)’, is accompanied by Pamela Gargiuto’s wonderful violin, with Mercuri’s haunting vocals drifting gloriously across the musical landscape like a curtain being drawn across your very soul. But as the final strains of the violin fade away, however, the start of ‘Dersu Uzala (Acqua, Fuoco, Vento)’ does not appear as suddenly as you might expect. In fact, under the circumstances the transition is pretty smooth. This song, no doubt, is a reference to Akira Kurosawa’s 1975 film of the same name, in which a Russian officer – played by Maksim Munzuk – befriends an Asiatic hunter. This time the opening Italian voice sample is followed by a reversion to a more traditional Neofolk sound, although Mercuri’s vocals retain the distinct quality which, thus far, have prevailed throughout the album. Again, the percussion is very original, with the unusual drum samples and yelling voices towards the end creating a powerful aura. The strumming is much slower on ‘Noi non Dimentichiamo (2 Novembre 2004)’ and when the backing chimes are added it sounds rather similar to Death In June, but thankfully without becoming completely identical like some acts I could mention. Dedicated to the murdered Dutch film director, Theo Van Gogh, it’s a jolly little tune with a rousing ‘li-li, li-li’ chorus that is immensely hard to shift from your mind. Moving on, I’m pleased to say that ‘Famiglia!’ features a contribition from, Belborn, one of my own favourite Neofolk groups. Once again, Mercuri adds several layers of guitar, but this is joined by the familiar German vocals of Holger F and Suzanne H, each of whom make a very welcome appearance on the album. ‘Angel Always Stands For Us (Don’t Be Afraid!)’ sees the return of Pamela Gargiuto’s violin, moving beautifully across yet further swathes of passionate vocals which on this occasion are sung in English. Her playing is superb and reminds me very much of Matt Howden and Sieben. Mercuri’s ‘Adorazione dell’Europa (Where is Europa?)’, which is a great cover of the Von Thronstahl song from their 2003 album, ‘Bellum, Sacrum Bellum!?’, opens with cheering crowds and a pounding acoustic guitar before moving up a level and threatening to become an enduring and animated Rock anthem. Our final track, ‘Aachen (Holy Roman Imperium)’, brings us full circle and again utilises the vocal talents of Josef K. By this time, of course, it is quite clear to see that the association between the two groups is more than coincidental. In fact it’s verging on the incestuous. A partial reprise of the earlier ‘Soldato Cristiano’, this perfect ten-minute finale is a whirlwind of German and Italian demagoguery mixed with a dash of French femininity, some deep harmonies and the desire for longevity, notoriety and historical perpetuity. This amazing track represents many cultural and linguistic aspects of the European mindset and is a timeless reminder that our destiny is One. A superb album.
