Ars Occulta – "Imperator Noctis"

I recently read a writer from some random blog I follow, I forget which one, talking about how Italy is awesome in that it is responsible for so much just downright peculiar music, film, and art. I guess my last few posts here on Magicore only confirm that. This time around it's a black metal outfit known as Ars Occulta. Another no longer active Italian one man black metal band with horrendous production value, another such effort that is just too awesome in its success in such realms.

Ars Occulta, though, operate in more electronic realms and really throw caution to the wind with this demo from 1999 entitled "Imperator Noctis" (which is, also, the alias the sole member has given himself). Originally self released on cassette, which probably only saw 50 copies at best, what we have here is a truly epic - if horribly produced - batch of four tracks, two of which are only a couple minutes each while the other two are over ten minutes in length. Depending on where you're at when you first hit play on this, you'll either find it incredibly corny or downright brilliant. The lo-fi guitars, bass, drums and vocals against the absolute most base keyboard sounds and efforts meld in a fuzzed out blackened room of doom and, for this guy anyhow, equate to pure awesomeness. The musicianship is basic, at best. The tripped out melodic keys and dungeon vocals push it over the top. Watch for the noise at the tail end of this one, be ready on the volume controls. Nonetheless. Truly greater than the sum of its parts, you should check it out if you like vndergrovnd trve kvlt black metal in the slightest.

Ars Occulta - "Imperator Noctis"

- dckr