Search - Christian Death :: Insanus Ulita Proditio Misericordiaque

A magnificent collection of songs!

Josh | Boston, NY USA | 09/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oddly, this collection of outtakes from Valor's Christian Death is among the band's best albums. It opens with the incredible "Sevan-Us-Rex", a dark piece that combines orchestral instrumentation, a male vocal chorus, and Valor's interesting experimentation with sound and voices. This is followed by "Malus Amor", a rock track driven by a wonderful rhythmic bassline and accented by occassional orchestral production. "Tragicus Conatus" is one of Valor's trademark experimental tracks, this time using orchestral instrumentation and production to create a quite haunting piece. "Vexatio" is another great rock track, this time driven by an excellent lead guitar line rather than bass, with a nice experimental interlude section in the middle. Then comes "Somnium", a very beautiful rock track with a chorus that features an emotional string (or keyboard) section. The lyrics are also great on this track, qualifying it as one of Valor's most emotionally stirring light rock songs to date. "Venenum" returns to faster rock, with the welcome addition of Gitane Demone's vocals doubled with Valor's throughout the song. It is well-written, well-performed, and well-produced (with subtle layers of instruments weaving around eachother in the background). "Mors Voluntaria" is another experimental piece that combines orchestration with experimental loops, noise, and a few metal guitar riffs with vocals, leading into "Vita-Voluntaria", a lighter piece that very effectively combines organ with ethereal orchestral and choral backgrounds. The bonus track, "Infans Vexatio", is a version of "Vexatio" with alternate lyrics and vocals (I think) by Rozz Williams...and also a different experimental interlude section. It is a welcome bonus track, actually better than the original album version.Basically, my advice is to buy this album! It is just as good as any Christian Death singles compilation I have heard while also accomplishing the feat of retaining the flow of a proper album. Incredible!"