Imaginarium

Imaginarium is the sixth full length from one of the most prolific Portuguese metal projects, Antiquus Scriptum. The project has been around since 1998, gaining only moderate notoriety in the underground scene, despite a high level of consistency and musicianship throughout the band’s history. Though additional members have come and gone, Antiquus Scriptum could be viewed as the sole vision of multi-instrumentalist Sacerdos Magus, who performs all vocals and instruments (minus keyboards) and programming on this album.

Those who have followed Antiquus Scriptum through the years should know exactly what to expect: lengthy tracks of progressively-tinged blackened metal with loads of folk-ish instrumentation and symphonic flourishes. It’s a sound that’s certainly hard to pigeonhole, yet it’s one that is instantly recognizable as Antiquus Scriptum once you familiarize yourself with the band’s output. The album proper features three tracks which clock in around or above the ten minute mark and one feisty five minute instrumental track, all sandwiched and book-ended by melodic interludes and skits. The album closes off with a handful of cover tracks (Darkthrone, Rotting Christ, and Running Wild) which, much like the album proper, are surrounded by interludes. The result is a lengthy affair, clocking over seventy-two minutes across fourteen tracks, but Antiquus Scriptum has never been one to skimp on album length or number of tracks.

The interludes do add some nice atmospheres, like the Elder Scrolls Dovahkiin chant at the beginning or the babbling brook and folk instrumentation of “A Tear for Atægina (Trova di Tristezza ; Movimento I),” but the true standouts on the album are the three proper metal tracks, “Aljubarrota 1385,” “A Moment of Clarity,” and “A Sea of Doubts.” Funny that a fourteen track album (aside from the covers of course) only has three proper tracks, but, digressions. That being said, the those three tracks kick some serious ass. Moving from primal first wave black metal into thrashy riff-centric movements into symphonically charged, trem-driven black metal, into folk-ish soirees, and back again, Imaginarium covers a ton of ground. Despite the constant shifting of sounds, Antiquus Scriptum keep things engaging and cohesive, with the main thread being Sacerdos Magus and his fantastic riffing. Granted, this may be a little rough around the edges for the average commercial metal fan (read recent Satyricon and Dimmu Borgir fans), this shows the band at their best in an already strong discography.

The three included cover tracks are worth mention, as well, as the band belts out great versions of Darkthrone’s classic “Transilvanian Hunger” and Rotting Christ’s “The Fifth Illusion”. The riffing and vocals sound really cool, while the programmed drums seem a bit rushed and monotonous. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the album is the cover of Running Wild’s “Raise Your Fist”, which is a freaking blast. It’s fun and energetic and I’m pretty sure the drums are even done by a close relative of Angelo Sasso. The cover tracks at the end of Antiquus Scriptum have come to be expected, but this marks my favorite batch of covers included to date.

Imaginarium shows Antiquus Scriptum continuing to grow while retaining a sound that is certainly all their own. While it’s hard to pigeonhole the band’s sound because of all of the different influences, it manages to sound cohesive and is plenty enjoyable. Progressive/symphonic black/folk/thrash might sound like a bit of a stretch, but Sacerdos Magus makes it work somehow. With all of the interludes and long songs and covers, the album’s run time is a tad cumbersome but it’s certainly worth the effort.