Italy’s Fides Inversa (which includes some highly-experienced names from the Extreme Metal scene!) debuted in 2009 with the Osmose Productions-released full length Hanc Aciem Sola Retundit Virtus (The Algolagnia Divine). Since then, there were no more official releases, but Fides Inversa played live all over European soil. Now, finally, it is time to experience this band’s second opus, and their debut for top-label World Terror Committee aka W.T.C. Productions.
Mysterium Tremendum Et Fascinans was recorded by Omega A.D. (vocals and drums) and Void A.D. (bass and guitars). The album has a total running time of more than fifty minutes and differs a little from the debut. That first album was hugely inspired by the Swedish trend, somewhat in the vein of Nifelheim, earlier Watain, Funeral Mist and the likes, but those elements have gone almost completely. I said ‘almost’, because there are still some hints of that lovely scene. What still remains is the atonal and discordant structure of the compositions, combined with epic melodies and little sludgy pounding structures. With ‘epic’ I need to mention the guitar sound in some tracks (like II; indeed, the tracks are called I up to VII), which has something of earlier Hades (pre-Hades Almighty, Kampfar and Desaster, or even very early Satyricon and Borknagar; but this will lead us too far, for Fides Inversa have not that much to do with the Nordic Viking-Black scene)… Anyway, there is quite some variation, despite the blasting structures: sudden hooks and loops, varying vocal lines, dissonant guitar lines and prolific-abundant drum patterns (like in V); and what to think about additions like the ethereal chants in the middle of IV; or the funereal atmosphere in V (what a cool outro on that song, by the way!); or even the lyrics, heavily contrasting with the average misanthropy / blasphemy / suicide-themes?…
Imagine Wormreich covering a Gorgoroth-piece, or Svartsyn and Misteltein joining forces with Deathspell Omega, and you might have quite an accurate idea of what Mysterium Tremendum Et Fascinans stands for.