Review: Lamentari – Missa Pro Defunctis [EP]

Style: symphonic black metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Behemoth, Carach Angren, Fleshgod Apocalypse, over-the-top insanity
Review by: Andrew
Country: Denmark
Release date: 25 March, 2020

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the March 2020 Pt. 2 edition of The Progressive Subway.]

I am no stranger when it comes to completely over-the-top, bombastic, symphonic excess.

Lamentari takes this two steps further.

Missa Pro Defunctis is the debut release from Danish symphonic blackened death metal band Lamentari. Self-described as “a ritualistic grand mass,” Missa Pro Defunctis truly is a grand ritual, and a sight to behold. Featuring a live ensemble of strings and trumpets, as well as fantastically clear production, Lamentari undoubtedly pulled out all the stops for their debut. Coming in at a mere 26 minutes, Missa Pro Defunctis is a relatively short venture; however, Lamentari packed the 26 minutes with more than most bands can fit in an hour. 

The first track, “Introitus,” serves as an introduction to the EP. Despite being calm and orchestral, it provides a glimpse of the onslaught of symphonic goodness to come. Then, “Dies Irae” wastes no time getting started. Beginning with an epic choral/orchestral introduction, the track quickly becomes an assault on the senses, but in the best possible way. There’s no doubt here – Lamentari is a black metal band. Insanely fast tremolo riffing and harsh vocals typical of black metal demonstrate Lamentari’s metal prowess. Throughout changing tempos and riffs, the symphonic backbone never once leaves the scene. Horns, strings, and choral vocals are present throughout the chaos in the foreground.

The next track, “Lacrimosa”, continues the trend set in motion by the previous track. Kicking with a riff heavy enough to crush basically anything and more brutal vocals, “Lacrimosa” briefly calms down to let the orchestration take the forefront before the metal returns with a vengeance. This is a common theme throughout the album – a brief calm before the storm. The frequent contrast between light and heavy absolutely highlights Lamentari’s uncanny ability to produce not only ball-blasting black metal, but also beautiful orchestral music in an almost classical style. A brief piano interlude appears halfway through before the riff from the start returns behind a fantastic guitar solo. This might be one of my favorite sections on the release, just because of how absolutely bombastic it feels. 

“Lacrimosa” leads directly into the closing track, “Confutatis.” Coming in at well over 12 minutes, “Confutatis” is epic in every sense of the word. The closer continues the trend of hard-hitting black metal over epic orchestration. I must admit, it begins to blend together at times. But there are plenty of sections that change things up – tempo switches, mood switches, new riffs – that it still feels fresh despite the formula remaining the same. “Confutatis” especially demonstrates this with the very calm section halfway through. The strings impart an ominous mood that comes to head when the metal kicks back in.

Despite only lasting 26 minutes, Missa Pro Defunctis definitely feels like a complete piece of music. My only qualms with the EP are the occasional feelings of sameness, but these feelings are fleeting and quickly replaced by something new. Missa Pro Defunctis is a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to see what Lamentari does next. 

Recommended tracks: Dies Irae, Lacrimosa, Confutatis
You may also like: Aquilus
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

Lamentari is:
– Emil Holst Partsch (guitars)
– Max Uldahl Pedersen (keyboards, orchestration)

With guests:
– Jon Elmquist Schmidt (drums)
– Thomas Fischer (bass)
– Chris Tedesco (trumpet on tracks 2, 5)
– Francisco “Furan” Fuentes (vocals, lyrics)