Via Ad Mortem was formed to celebrate death.
Hailing from Italy, the band is a trio led by Santamuertero Sinister (vocals/keyboards, Kintsukuroi, Wendol, former Afraid of Destiny and Solitude Project…), Hiems Silens (guitar/bass, Wings of Nowhere), and Gibil (drums, Evilizers, Ghostly Aerie Coven, Stealth). Signed to Northern Darkness Records, they released their debut album, Requiem I: Through the Path, Over the Ruins, in 2026.
We step into darkness with The First Steps Towards the Unknown, a chilling and mysterious introduction where sounds drift slowly before colliding with piercing Old School riffs and macabre screams that haunt the shadows of Through the Path… It’s impossible not to be swept away by the haunting, abrasive sound that forcefully surrounds us, pushing our minds to lose themselves in its soaring harmonics while the violence remains ever-present, just as on Worshipper of Death, whose intoxicating melodies immediately take over to complement the roars. Once again, the coldness spreads like wildfire and settles within us, weaving its heavy intensity as the vocalist lets loose, but a saving break comes to pull our heads above water before plunging us deeper, leading us to Muchita, Night in Lima, a track quite different yet one that easily sweeps us up in its own dance. The tone is lighter, more ethereal, and concludes with a clear sound accompanied by an owl’s call beneath a few growls before the distortion resurfaces with a touch of doom on Into the Bardo, the next track, which is rooted in a melancholic vibe that’s felt just as much in the lively passages as in that apathetic ocean where the growl emerges from the depths. The power of the reprise is amplified tenfold, almost majestic, as the riffs tear through us to lead into Voragine di Luce and its almost soothing introduction before a new torrent of biting riffs, sometimes impressive yet knowing exactly where to break to let us catch our breath. The sample keeps us immersed in this ambient sorrow, making the blazing riffs a natural continuation barely disrupted by energetic drums before moving on to Over the Ruins, which advances laboriously and explodes only when the blast beat demands it. This frantic rhythm fits perfectly with the distress of the riffs, but also with the hoarse growls that seem almost out of breath, suffering just like us from this visceral oppression before being delivered by Rib for a Rib, a track that starts out fairly minimalist but ultimately proves far rawer than the others. The heart-wrenching vocals wander through this desolate landscape, joining a sampled voice before letting the rhythm ignite and burn itself out with intoxicating touches, until The Grace of Gnosis takes up the torch to make this final track an almost epic conclusion, even offering dreamlike and unexpected guttural choruses that almost put us into a trance before the final charge that will lead us toward a final veil of gentleness, then into silence.
It is not uncommon for us as reviewers to discover unique projects, but it is far rarer to experience such intensity. Via Ad Mortem does not play Black Metal on Requiem I: Through the Path, Over the Ruins; it rather weaves a truly macabre veil, imbuing it with an ethereal breath.
95/100