It's been a long time since THERION have been giving us albums like "Deggial" and this year CREMATORY's album is not something special; so, what happens with the sum of the fans who love medieval choir vocals in the appropriate blend of male growls and dark gothic keyboards? I think that the answer is already found in the name of MORTEMIA and in particular in the face of Morten Veland, known already as the mastermind of TRISTANIA and SIRENIA. MORTEMIA is a Norwegian gothic Metal one-man band that comes to cover the space between SIRENIA's albums, in a way to gain points and satisfy the infidels.

"Misere Mortem" is not about another one boring female fronted album with pompous and gassy guitars, symphonic mastery additions and the whole European familiar gothic touch; the debut album of MORTEMIA has the purpose to combine classical medieval elements, especially in the vocal parts, with the thick and dark atmosphere that symphonic Metal carries on its back since the early NIGHTWISH (or CREMATORY, if you prefer) era. The Inquisition, crimson thick velvet curtains and black freshly-picked roses are the ideal décor for "Misere Mortem" and the manifold Veland achieves to transfer the renaissance epoch in a Metal mode.

Nine tracks, full of mysticism and old-fashioned rites with some smart and original ideas are the main ingredients of "Misere Mortem" that combined to the figure in the artwork showing a monk wearing the mourning hood -who is the story teller here- , compose the total image for what is about to listen to. From the starting "The One I Once Was" (which is also the first video clip) to "The Candle At The Tunnel's End" the songs are quite dramatic, dark and melodic enough while you can find some hooks scattered here and there. Mr. Veland does the growling (reminding me in a way Mr. Stass' vocals), while the rest were done by a French choir, consisting of Damien Surian, Mathieu Landry, Emmanuelle Zoldan and Sandrine Gouttebel- if this sound is familiar to you, you already know who they are. Among my personal favourites you will find "The Pain Infernal And The Fall Eternal" and "The Chains That Wield My Mind" which are characteristic samples of "Misere Mortem" and have a modern musical dynamic that differs from the nowadays music maze. It needs talent and self-knowledge after all, to manage the combination of new and ancient element in music; and Veland seems to have 'em both.

Through leaden darkness and stainless fire, whiting good and pure evil, the only truth stands still; all you have to do is to close your eyes and let yourself into this sweet condemnation MORTEMIA command in simple words in "The New Desire": "A waning desire, All hope led astray/ Now darkness consumes the day".