HESPERIA · Picenum - True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance | BLACK 2LP

Black double vinyl in gatefold cover.

Background information about 'Picenum - True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance'

HESPERIA returns with "Picenum (True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance)", the natural continuation of "Fra Li Monti Sibillini" that expands its concept to the entire Marche region of Italy. The title refers to the ancient name for this vast area, and the album transports you through the late Middle Ages into the darker corners of the early Renaissance. This is history written in blood, frost and tremolo picking.

The record unfolds in three distinct parts. First, the chronicles and grim legends of the Marche: the Da Varano lords who dared to rebel against the Church by joining the Cursed League in 1375, the haunted Rocca di Pitino with its deconsecrated church and cemetery, and the sinister Roccaccia with its warlord necromancer serving the devil himself. The second part dives deep into regional folklore, with the Marchigian werewolf (lu lupu mannà), the dark sprite Mazzamurello and the witch Sdrega. Here, Hesperus' grandmother lends her voice to narrate these tales, and significantly more Marchigian dialect is used than on the predecessor. The third and longest section closes the circle with a return to the Sibilline Mountains, following the real historical figure Chevalier De la Sale on his actual expedition to the Sibylla's cave, culminating in a twelve-minute closing suite.

Stylistically, this is medieval black metal in the vein of the 90s with added Renaissance passages and touches of 80s proto black metal. Folk and ambient interludes are woven directly into the end of each track, making this a deeply immersive and historically obsessed piece of work.

For fans of:
Falkenbach, Summoning, Moonsorrow, Ulver

Track listing

A1. Ver Sacrum: Picus Martius Picenos In Picenum Ducit (Prologo)
A2. 1375, La Lega Maledetta: I Signori Da Varano Si Ribellano Alla Chiesa
A3. Castrum Pitini: II Castello Sopra La Necropoli Picena E Il Cimitero
A4. La Leggenda Della Roccaccia: Il Necromante Signore Della Guerra
B1. Lu Lupu Mannà
B2. La Sdrega
C1. Il Sentiero Delle Fate, Atto I: L'ira Della Sibilla A Colfiorito
C2. Il Sentiero Delle Fate, Atto II: Le Fate Caprine Non Si Accorsero Dell'alba
D1. Il Paradiso Della Regina Sibilla, Atto I: L'arrivo Del Cavaliere A. De La Sale A Mons Daemoniacus
D2. Il Paradiso Della Regina Sibilla, Atto II: Il Racconto Del Cavaliere Tedesco Che Tornò E Rimase Nel Regno Della Sibilla
D3. Sfere Di Luce Sopra Il Monte Sibilla (Epilogo)

Manufacturer: Hammerheart Records BV, P.O. Box 277, 6300 AG Valkenburg, Netherlands, Contact: www.hammerheart.com