Viterbo, Italy based Blackened Death Metallers VOLTUMNA blends great music  with an informed and considered glimpse into their heritage. Most of their music  centres around Etruscan Paganism And Mythology, and sounds great. Off of the back  of an EP and a previous full length, they've managed to garner a small, cult following.  Now, with the release of their second full length, "Disciplina Etrusca", they've  managed to bring both their music, and their veneration of their subject, to its zenith. Opener "Roma Delenda Est" is a powerful, catchy piece of Blackened Death Metal.

This song has everything that is needed to set the listener up for the rest of the record;  thick, tight guitar lines, juggernaut drumming and some dark, varied vocals. It  immediately draws you in and gets you immersed in the music, making it a great  opening gambit. "Prophecy of One Thousand Years", takes a route that is more or  less routed in Black Metal, with some dissonant, atmospheric riffs and brooding  vocals providing the majority of the hooks here. This really builds on the momentum  gained in the previous track, and maintains your attention throughout. The third, titular song on the record is a really catchy, groove-laden Death Metal monolith with chugging riffs, coupled with some harsh, rasping vocals. It's a significantly faster and more ferocious affair than the track before it, which took a more measured and mid- tempo approach to the music, and it really demonstrates the diversity and versatility  within the bands sound. We're also treated to some sludgy, tar-like bass lines, which  work really well when they are utilized. "The Alchemist" is another slab of epic Blackened Death Metal with some really great, melodic lead sections that really sets  the bar for the rest of the record. "Bellerofonte" is, for lack of a better term, crushing. 

It's got some really substantial, rhythmic guitar playing, some amazing drumming,  and plenty of grandiose elements. It's a shame this only ends up being a short instrumental piece that breaks the album up, because it could have become one of the  high points of the record if the band had expanded on the themes on display and made this a full track. 

"Bringer of Light", the track which follows it, sounds great right from the first note. It's tight, technical, gnarly and above all bestial Death Metal that really ups the  ante as far as heaviness goes, without sacrificing any of the components that make it  as enjoyable and accessible as it is. "Tages, Born of the Earth" is a really great track  that opens on a very cold sounding Black Metal riff. Death Metal chugging is used  sparingly throughout this song, and the majority of the song is made up of some really interesting melodic Black Metal. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best song on  the record. "Carnal Genesis", by comparison, is a very straight forward, but  nonetheless good, Death Metal tune driven by punishing drums and peppered with some really effective symphonic parts. "Measure The Divine" marks the point on the record where the epic aspects of the bands sound really come to the fore, especially in its opening motif. The bulk of the music is your fairly bog standard, modern sounding Death Metal, and without the prevalent symphonic nuances thrown in, this track could  have been a lot more mediocre. "Teofagia", with its compelling symphonic opening  hook, is another example of the band edging their way into the territory of Symphonic  Death Metal. The music is blisteringly fast, relentlessly vicious, and flavored here  and there with a few well placed Black Metal flourishes that really turn this track  from a good one to a great one. Then we get a cover of VENOM's classic Extreme  Metal masterpiece, "Black Metal", and it has to be admitted, this is an incredible rendition of this particular song. 

Although you can tell that that it is indeed the song it  is, it is a far cry from the original; the band inject it with their own distinct sound, and  manage to make it their own, which is the mark of an excellent cover. Then it's time  for the albums closing piece, "Tirreno", a great song that brings all the signatures of  their sound together, from acidic Blackened shrieks, to crushing Death Metal inspired  guitar lines, and wrap in a few epic sensibilities for good measure. Although this is  not the best way to end this record, this is a very solid track that leaves the listener wanting more. This album is a very well thought out and measured piece of music. It's clearly rooted in the genres it draws influence from, without straying into the realms of carbon copying the template laid out by more well known acts. No single component of the bands sound is allowed to take prominence throughout the album, and as a result it flows pretty well, and provides something for fans from across the Black and Death  Metal spectrum. The production is fairly polished, but luckily not to the point where it  sounds clinical or bland as a result. This is easily the best thing that this band has  produced, and it lays down the foundations for even more great music to come.