(written by Islander)
As another largely abysmal week in global events draws to a close, we’re premiering an animated lyric video for “Abyssus“, a song by the Italian extremists Insania.11 that draws its inspiration from Nietzsche’s famous quotation about what happens if we stare for too long into an abyss.
More specifically, the song “stares at the concept of Cupio Dissolvi, the fierce desire of self-destruction”. The lyrics, mostly in Italian, “are archaic and primordial invocations directed towards an Immortal Mother whose embrace is hard-edged.” To quote further from publicist materials we’ve received:
She’s the primigenial entity who’s ready to tear apart “questa prigione di carne” (this prison of flesh) with her “falce affilata” (sharp sickle)…. According to Insania.11’s protestation, this is the process of self-destruction necessary to be thrown again into the endless spiral of reincarnation.
The song progresses heavily step by step like an unstable, tortuous, dissonant and lacerating organism to harvest and transfigure the lessons tought by “Bardo Thodol – The Tibetan Book of the Dead” and extract from it a corrosive essence of sounds and images.
In the video, the song’s protagonist abases himself before the wicked (and voluptuous) goddess, and after a sexual encounter his wish is granted, as he is gutted, dismembered, and de-fleshed by the divinity and her demonic handmaidens, his life ultimately rendered into smoke.
The song itself combines heavy, brutish grooves, crazed, dissonant riffing, and monstrous vocal madness. In line with the song’s theme, the music is seductive and lustful but also venomous, tortured, and ruinous.
The music’s brutishness derives from hulking rhythms and muscle-moving battering-ram blows. The madness flourishes through bursts of furiously hammering drums, abrasive guitars that manically throb, dart, squirm, and squeal, creating a twisted and head-twisting experience, albeit with dismal undercurrents.
The bass-work is less obviously crazed, but still a pleasingly noticeable, nuanced, and nimble prog-minded presence throughout the song, and the drumming gets increasingly inventive too.
Meanwhile, the vocals may be the most insane feature of a thoroughly demented song. In gritty tones they roar, howl, bay at the moon, and splinter apart in terrible screams. Even when they change into fervent spoken words they don’t sound sane.
The track is sung in both Italian and Latin, but the video includes subtitles which provide a non-literal translation into English.
“Abyssus” is the first single from Insania.11’s forthcoming album Il mondo aldilà, and the single will be available on all digital platforms beginning April 13th. The new album follows the band’s 2016 EP Di Sangue e di Luce and their 2019 debut full-length L’Orrore. Musically, it is far distant from the band’s initial thrash(core) incarnation as Insania between 1989 and 1997. The band now consists of Samaang and .Ethrum.
For more info about Insania.11 and the upcoming album, follow them at the locations linked below.
INSANIA.11 ONLINE:
Website: https://www.insania11.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Insania11/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insania11_deathmetalband/
Bandcamp: https://insania11.bandcamp.com