Monumentum ‎– In Absentia Christi (1995)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Battesimo: Nero Opaco 02:38
2. A Thousand Breathing Crosses 02:06
3. Consuming Jerusalem 04:51
4. Fade To Grey 05:06
5. On Perspective Of Spiritual Catharsis 07:40
6. ΣελυνηΣ ΑγγελοΣ 04:13
7. From These Wounds 07:07
8. Terra Mater Orfanorum 03:40
9. Nephtali 04:27
10. La Noia 09:01

Monumentum is an Italian atmospheric dark Rock band that was formed in 1987 in Milan 

by Roberto Mammarella (owner of the Avantgarde Music label) and Anthony Duman.
With the intent to create dark music inspired by the likes of Celtic Frost and Christian Death, a demo was recorded in 1989. Although only a limited number of copies of this cassette were made, it impressed the underground metal scene 

and became a cult item, regardless of this fact, the band broke up for a short period of time in 1990.
In 1991 Obscure Plasma Records (subsequently Avantgarde Music) picked two tracks from the band's demo

 and released a split single with Rotting Christ - this release garnered particular acclaim in Norway 

where the band was set to sign with Euronymous' Deathlike Silence Productions for the release of their debut album, unfortunately Euronymous' murder made any record deal impossible for the band.
The album, recorded and mixed between August 1994 and May 1995, 

finally saw the light of day through the British label Misanthropy Records. The recording line-up featured two vocalists, 

in the form of Andrea Zanetti (of Italian act Iconoclast) and Francesca Nicoli (of Ataraxia), 

alongside Mammarella ("strings, keys and vibes"), Cristadoro (drums) and Paolo Mauri ("samples and artistic production"). The band claimed the album was influenced by the poets Iginio Ugo Tarchetti and Giacomo Leopardi, 

and included a cover of "Fade to Grey" by Visage and a cover of "Nephtali" by The Dead Relatives.

The Memory link is for the 2009 reissued version and contains one bonus track "In Misery Front Row", 

recorded in Milan in 1997, with Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) on vocals recorded in Sweden in 2008.

Memory