Band:	Consummatum Est
Album:	Hypnagogia
Style:	Funeral doom metal
Release date:	July 01, 2010
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Dolls And Ravens
02. Hypnagogia-Prospectus
03. Consummatum Est
04. Vertebra

Consummatum Est, the last words of Jesus on the Cross before releasing his spirit, what a brilliant name for a funeral doom metal band. If I were Christ I would be very proud because these Italians definitely know how to do it! Five years after the release of their debut album, Funeral Procession, they return triumphant with a momentum of sadness, Hypnagogia, with this being a state of consciousness between being awake and asleep. Even the cover breathes doom, utterly expressive, an abandoned place/room, only a cradle lies in such a horrid place; whether it's a doll inside, a dead or soon perish newborn child under the shy stare of the sun, I live it to you.

The production is actually very good with a sense of echo that caresses both vocals and instruments making them surround the listener, the traditional mist that veils most of the funeral doom releases is not apparent, for good this time. The atmosphere is always devout, whether it evokes horror or doleful emotions, even an epic, ecclesiastic feeling at times! Yes, you know what you'll find here, downtuned guitars marching at a very slow pace, creating walls of sound with their heavy distortion, deep grunting vocals or more black metal oriented ones filling the place with horrifying sounds and a rhythm section in the same pace as the guitars, doing not much, just anything required. The real magic in Hypnagogia lies in the ethereal female vocals, the piano-driven passages and the atmosphere-evoking keyboard serenades that unveil slowly in the background to unfold all over the place. There are moments when everything turns to silence and there's only the piano/keyboard and the female chants, pure poetry.

All four compositions are brilliant, lending to your ears 50 minutes of omnipresent beauty and threatening soundscapes. And there's a very special guest on "Consummatum Est" as well if this tempts you, Greg Chandler of Esoteric, transporting you to the core of the earth with his interpretation. The doomestic policy found this album guilty of bringing doom to the ears of innocent listeners.