CoC : Dementia Ad Vitam - De Gaia, le Poison... : Review

Dementia Ad Vitam - _De Gaia, le Poison..._
(Naturmacht Productions, 2010)
by: Chaim Drishner (8.5 out of 10)

Dementia Ad Vitam, "madness for life" or "eternal lunacy" in Latin, is a French unheralded dark neoclassical band that plays a deeply spiritual and overall beautiful music; easily the closest thing to the mighty Elend's creation this reviewer remembers hearing. Not as unsettling and nerve-wracking as Elend's early recordings (especially referring to the phenomenal _The Umbersun_), but nonetheless esoteric, ethereal and brooding. Not as bombastic, theatrical or larger-than-life as Elend's passionate, somber and tragic circus, Dementia Ad Vitam's music is much more personal, subdued and intimate: it leans heavily on piano interludes, violins and acoustic guitars; the vocalist's shrieks are kept to a minimum, but when he wakes up from his dormant half-whispered vocal treatment, his voice transforms into something not quite human, a creature from the pits of hell itself. But these moments are rare on this recording. Most of the time the drama is minimal, insidiously tranquil and malevolently quiet. The musical plot juggles between chamber music, quasi-classical minimalism and martial grandeur, pushed forward by militaristic rhythms: it lulls you, it disturbs you, it fascinates you; it does all these simultaneously. Anyone into quality neoclassical, martial-industrial or neofolk music, tinged with a bit of metal and a touch of electronica, would be a fool not to pick this modern masterpiece up. Remember, _De Gaia, le Poison..._! Indeed, a poison you'd want to inject into your rotten blood vessels again and yet again...

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/dementiaadvitamband

(article published 31/10/2010)

ALBUMS
9/10/2014	C Drishner	8	Dementia Ad Vitam - L'Éloge de l'Origine