Aegri Somnia "Ad Augusta per Angusta" reviewed by The Headbanging Moose

"A compilation of Iberian popular folk songs from the late 19th and the early 20th century, where Spanish oral traditional music is mixed with the harmonic eccentricity typical of musical styles such as Black, Folk and Experimental Metal."

https://theheadbangingmoose.wordpress.com/2017/03/13/album-review-aegri-somnia-ad-augusta-per-angusta-2017

Whenever metal gets blended with any other type of music

in the world, in special with more traditional styles and genres, the result is

always beyond interesting, transpiring creativity, passion, feeling and

entertaining us all in a different way than our usual metal bands. That

encounter of the fury and darkness of heavy music with distinct non-metal

sounds is exactly what you’ll experience in Ad Augusta per Angusta, the debut

full-length album by Madrid-based Black/Avantgarde Metal project Aegri Somnia,

where Spanish oral traditional music, unknown even for most of Spanish people,

is mixed with the harmonic eccentricity typical of musical styles such as

Black, Folk and Experimental Metal.

Aegri Somnia are Cristina R. Galván (also known as Lady

Carrot), from the Castilian folk music world, and multi-instrumentalist

Nightmarer, from the Avantgarde Metal scene (As Light Dies, Garth Arum), who

decided to form the project in 2012 in an old ghostly house located in a

northern Spanish valley, surrounded by loneliness, silence and the smell of wet

earth. And it didn’t take long for the duo to give life to Ad Augusta per

Angusta from the harmonious union of their skills and backgrounds, offering the

listener a compilation of Iberian popular folk songs from the late 19th and the

early 20th century, a travel through the rural and magical Spain with its

lights and shadows, and a gaze into the abyss of the black and tenebrous Spain

with the inner cruelty and brutality of human beings. Featuring a stylish

artwork designed by Cristina and Nightmarer themselves, Ad Augusta per Angusta

will certainly redefine the way you see folk and metal music.

Serene acoustic guitars and the delicate voice by

Cristina kick off the folk composition Seran, full of traditional Iberian

elements and showcasing a steady, melancholic atmosphere. Furthermore, all

additional instruments played by both Cristina and Nightmarer are necessary to

the music, never sounding out of place. Aegri Somina offer heavier guitars and

a rousing vibe in the excellent and classy chant Señor Platero, presenting a

great performance once again by Cristina on vocals while Nightmarer brings the

word “metal” to the musicality in a perfect balance between extreme music and

Iberian folk; followed by La Culebra, a song that’s at the same time tailored

for a dancing performance and for a metal concert. Not only Cristina changes

her tone a bit in this song, sounding more aggressive than before, but also the

song’s symphonic elements enhance its darkness, cohesiveness and taste.

La Deshonra, the longest of all tracks, transpires

melancholy through the beautiful acoustic guitars by Nightmarer and the

passionate vocals by Cristina, and despite the music not having any breaks or

variations, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great song. In fact, its constant

rhythm is what makes it mesmerizing. In Molinero – Vengo De Moler, the fusion

of metallic guitars and the classic sound of unique instruments like spoons,

clamps and stomps, among others, creates a fantastic ambience for Cristina to

declaim the song’s lyrics, filling all spaces in this exotic and fun

composition, whereas in La Niña De La Arena, one of the best tracks of the

album, the duo speeds up the pace and delivers sharp guitar lines, both

electric and acoustic. This is indeed an intricate chant displaying several

different instruments and layers, with nuances of modern folk music to spice it

up a bit. And exhibiting a softer side, Cristina and Nightmarer focus on the

more gentle sounds of their instruments in Romance De Santa Elena, generating a

calm atmosphere where Cristina beautifully tells the story through the song’s

poetic lyrics.

Ronda De Mayo brings Iberian folk with hints of modern

Hard Rock, Folk and Progressive Metal, feeling like part of the soundtrack for

a dark movie, with its percussion and synths working really well, keeping the

music flowing smoothly. Then we have Rondón Del Enamorado Y La Muerte, another

dancing tune full of clapping and acoustic lines keeping up with the Spanish

traditions, with Cristina going back to her sharper vocal lines while

Nightmarer does an amazing job with his unstoppable guitar, and Charro Del

Labrador, where Cristina continues to showcase her tender vocal lines, with the

musicality in this case being denser than usual thanks to the heavier beats and

louder folk instruments. I personally think this experimental composition

should sound very interesting if they record a full metal version of it. And

Veneno, the last composition in Ad Augusta per Angusta, offers the listener

atmospheric passages and a high dosage of melancholy, and albeit not being a

bad composition, it’s in my opinion slightly below the rest of the album in

terms of creativity.

It’s extremely easy to know more about Aegri Somnia and

their music. For instance, you can listen to the full album on YouTube, where

you can also watch an amazing video by Cristina herself speaking about the

traditional percussion instruments used in Ad Augusta per Angusta and other

details about the Iberian oral tradition (with subtitles in English available).

You can also follow the duo on Facebook, and purchase Ad Augusta per Angusta at

their BandCamp page, at the Symbol Of Domination’s BandCamp page, at the

Satanath Records’ webstore or at Discogs. And if exploring new music is part of

your life, then you’re more than welcome to join Cristina and Nightmarer in

their voyage through the darkness and light of the rural Spain.