Tenebrae In Perpetuum has been revived.
Created in 2001 by multi-instrumentalist and singer Atratus (formerly of Beatrìk), the project released three albums, three split albums, one EP, and one demo before coming to an end in 2010 with the departure of the drummer. Aratus relaunched the project in 2018 with Chimsicrin (drums, Chelmno, Strix, Gorrch…) and the machine started up again, unveiling its fifth album, Vacuum Coeli, on Avantgarde Music in 2025.
Preludium slowly pulls us out of silence and gradually plunges us into anxiety, first with an unsettling sound, then with the help of some percussion that leads into the cold sound of Carmen ad Noctem and its piercing melodies. At first slow and majestic, the sound suddenly explodes, becoming much more raw and aggressive, welcoming terrifying vocals and becoming truly unhealthy before slowly disappearing to make way for Occhio Ardente, Dio del Caos, which is immediately violent. Despite a few breaks, the track is very aggressive, embracing its primitive roots and heart-wrenching harmonics that perfectly match the cries of agony before moving on to the haunting sounds of Mors Triumphans, which develops highly contrasting tones, such as when clean vocals meet distorted ones. The theatrical approach returns on Un Angelo Nero, the next track, where the vocalist explores distress with his macabre screams that complement a disturbing instrumental, using orchestrations to further accentuate the darkness. Inverno, È Stato follows with new chaotic riffs where the leads weave all kinds of strident sounds before the chaos temporarily ends, resurfacing after a moment of uncertainty to intensify. The band allows us to breathe again before drifting us to Sole di Tenebra, where it unleashes itself once more for a moment, then plunges us back into its misty ocean to finally mercilessly assault us with waves. The album reaches its final moments with Vacuum Coeli, which first slowly establishes its occult atmosphere, then sets it ablaze to trap us in it and express itself freely in very different forms and guises before finally dying before our eyes.
Tenebrae In Perpetuum is a disturbing duo that adopts the codes of Black Metal, but shapes them in its own way to make its riffs truly torturous. No one will have a good time with Vacuum Coeli, but the album has something unhealthy about it that compels us to stay until the end.
80/100