Track By Tracks: Lamantide - Carnis Tempora: Abyssus (2016)

Before we start analyzing it track by track, We want to spend a few words about the process behind our second record. First of all “Carnis Tempora: Abyssus” is a concept album: we tried to investigate the theme of alchemical process from a less trivial point of view than the usual one of many other “extreme” bands. Alchemy in this perspective is nothing else than a metaphore of the discovering of our inner self and of the world that surrond us. In addition to that we wrote this EP all together starting from a white paper; the majority of the ideas came out in our rehearsal room. The result is the perfect representation of our idea of what hardcore should be nowadays: a strong attitude and an open-minded approach to the different influences that can bring something new in our musical style. 

1. Caro Salutis Est Cardo: 

It's the opener of our work, where the descent into the abyss starts. It begins with a vocal/drum duet, which is a novelty for us, and then suddenly erupt in a heavy breakdown. It's clear since the first steps that we as a band are moving our sound to other territories, different from the ones in our debut record. The title means “flesh is the hinge of salvation”, it's a quote from Tertuliano, an ancient philosopher. We used this title for its literal meaning more than for its philosophical interpretation. The inspiration for this lyric also came from the italian performer Gina Pane, an extreme body artist. 

2. Io, Caronte:

The second track recalls more our fist work: a fast composition that proceeds tirelessly to the only short breakdown and then it starts again with a short and fast part. Here starts the listeners' route to the abyss. This song is another step down to the abyss, to our deep and dark inner lands. Our eyes now sees the reign of chaos, turbid as muddy water. 

3. Di Bui E Terre:

“Di Bui e Terre”'s lyrical content is the natural prosecution of "Io, Caronte". Our view became clearer and prefigures the union of opposites. This is the oldest among “Carnis Tempora: Abyssus”' tracks and we can consider it, from the writing point of view, the first signal of discontinuity with the past. The composition starts with a mid-tempo and never get as fast as our old tunes used to do and it rather leaves space for melodic openings and very peculiar atmospheres. 

4. Stagioni Di Carne:

“We're seasons of flesh, regulated by cycles of hope and despair” the unstoppable succession of seasons looks in every aspect like the human life cycle, made out of profound deeps and high peaks. This song has a very strong symbolic value to whom is heavily bounded the choice of cover illustration: in fact it represents a crow (first stage of the alchemical journey) and a child (first season of the human life). Musically it's perhaps the “oddest” track of the EP. In “Stagioni di Carne” we experimented again with very different inspirations from raw blast beat to “jazzy” break-down to a desperate vocal/guitar duet. 

5. Immortalis Lapis: 

Universal archetypes are sedimented inside us; these are signs and symbols belonging to the humanity who preceded us. Their knowledge is the Stone, the ultimate goal of the inner journey to self-discovery. It seemed to us that this track, with its furious start and long slow diminuendo part, could represent the ideal mean to lead the listener to the conclusion of our work.