Review: A.M.E.N. – The Book of Lies – Liber I

Style: Avant Garde Black Metal, Jazz, Heavy Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Sigh, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane
Review by: Cooper
Country: Italy
Release date: 16 June, 2023

For too long the clarinet has lain dormant in the progressive music scene, overshadowed by its woodwind brethren in saxophone and flute, and for too long have saxophone and flute reigned supreme, content to ride the coattails of the already encumbered King Crimson and Jethro Tull as far as they will go. The time is nigh for clarinet to ascend to the throne of woodwinds in progressive music and put its lethargic predecessors to rest. At least that’s what The Book of Lies – Liber I, the first entry in a planned series of releases, by A.M.E.N. would have you believe with how unabashedly it employs the underutilized reed instrument.

Going into this album, one should expect to hear just as much, if not more, passages featuring clarinet than they’ll hear featuring either guitar or vocals, and much like the other projects (Dawn of a Dark Age, Incantvm, Notturno) of Vittorio Sabelli, the man behind all instruments on this album, Liber I is musically grounded in a rather small area. This means Sabelli, despite the relatively meager 37 minute run time, is able to fully explore the intersection of jazz clarinet, avant-garde black metal, and heavy metal that occurs on Liber I. A delicate balance is struck where each section seems to resolve just as it was beginning to feel boring or monotonous and each section that follows is just fresh enough to re-engage my interest.

As it turns out though, consistently piquing my interest is not enough for me to truly love an album, no matter how intriguing its ideas. In the latter half of the album especially, where the average song length dips below the 2-minute mark, I found my enjoyment waning; it felt as though I was listening to several metal/clarinet proof-of-concepts more than any sort of fully realized songs which is truly a shame because the clarinet does work, incredibly well in fact! Its inherently dynamic and subtle nature juxtaposes the harsh guitars and vocals, and its jazzy melodies brought a sophisticated nature to the music that fans of the avant-garde will certainly love. Despite this though, I still can’t help but feel like A.M.E.N. played it safe on Liber I (I know it sounds crazy calling a revolutionary, avant-garde black metal album “safe”, but I do have my reasons).

For one, once the initial shock factor of hearing clarinet in this context has worn off, there is never another moment where I found myself surprised by this album. Don’t get me wrong; Sabelli is clearly a virtuosic player with damn impressive chops, but I can only hear dissonant staccato attacks and slinky solos so many times before I start to get a little tired, especially when they come at a pace as rapid as the second half of this album. I find myself wishing that Sabelli had dug into the harsher side of the clarinet, embracing the shrill squeaks and squeals the instrument can produce ala Albert Ayler, but Liber I sees Sabelli favoring a sleeker approach – aided by its crystalline production – that would work for a pop hit but leaves this avant-garde black metal ultimately feeling dry and, as I have already said safe. I will say that the production is perfect for the soundscape tracks featuring guest vocalist Erba del Diavolo.

Ultimately though, these complaints are minor in the face of what A.M.E.N. accomplished on The Book of Lies – Liber I, and I am incredibly excited to see what Sabelli and gang are able to cook up in A.M.E.N.’s next installment, provided they push the envelope even more.

Recommended tracks: The Sabbath of the Goat, Dinosaur, Windlestraws, Pilgrim-Talk
You may also like: Salqiu, Dawn of a Dark Age, Incantvm, Demoniac
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook

Label: I, Voidhanger – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

A.M.E.N. is:
– Vittorio Sabelli (all instruments)
– Matteo Vitelli (vocals)
– Erba del Diavolo (Vocals on “The Sabbath of the Goat” and “Waratah-Blossoms”)