ANTONIUS REX

Too many people who listen to extreme Metal have filled their mouths with Antonius Rex and Jacula without ever having listened to them. Antonius Rex (Antonio Bartoccetti) is a strange character that I have always compared to Arthur Brown only that Antonio Bartoccetti is more extreme and occult. Besides, Arthur Brown was simply a singer ... OK, from a group he was the leader of. Bartoccetti, on the other hand, is also the guitarist, composer and depositor of the band's satanic creed. That said ... What to expect from Antonius Rex? Simply something extreme for 1977 but, today, really normal and a bit outdated. More than on music (a little Hard Rock and a little baroque music) we should focus on the atmosphere. Which do not always manage to emerge, since the recited parts do not hit the mind and seem superfluous/ useless at different times. Interesting the organ in "Spiritualist Seance" which is really effective in transporting us to a Gothic cathedral in a dark night where a human sacrifice is imminent. The part recited (by the talented Doris Norton) is in Latin and is really occult... It makes everything really satanic. "Necromancer", the original opener is a dry and uninteresting piece, the opposite of "Zora", a New Trolls piece but without that magic. Unfortunately, "Zora" would have had another appeal on an album like New Trolls "Ut". But here it is simply long and unoriginal. Even in the Hard Rock parts that seem a little too simple and not very furious, as they should be... In Paratically they are too symphonic. The album closes with a new version of "Death in power" (also known as "U.F.D.E.M"), an extraordinary example of unconventional Doom Metal due to the "evil" structure of the song which is an attack without filters to the corrupt system. Doris Norton's singing is really excellent.

"Zora" is not a difficult album. It is simply an excessive album for the spasmodic search for atmospheres that are only partially created. As O.S.T. of a horror movie would be a masterpiece. As it is, it's just a great album. However "Zora" is listened to with pleasure and, after all, hits the mark.

This is one of the weirdest Italian progrock albums from the Seventies I have heard (1979). The prime mover is Antonio Bartoccetti (guitar, bass, vocals), his almost hallucinating compositions are based upon seances and the cooperation of a medium! Female singer Fiamma Dello Spirito (also flute and violin) sounds like a nice witch, keyboardplayer acts like the alter ego of Christopher Lee with his chilling church organ sound and medium Franz Parthenzy seems to come straight from hell. If you like horror and progrock and you want to sublimate some satanic urges, this CD could be a deadly serious experience!

Antonius Rex is the pseudonym for the adventurous and wayward guitarplayer/singer Antonio Bartoccetti. He started his carreer with the fascinating musical project Jacula, a group musicians that was led by Antonio and Doris Norton (aka Fiamma Dallo Spirito). In 1969 they released the debut LP entitled In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum, in 1972 followed by Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus featuring dark prog with majestic church organ work (blended with ominous female vocals, very special, to say the least! Two years later Antonio and Doris kept on making music as Antonius Rex. In between they released a serie of studio-albums, Ralefun from 1979 is considered as their best from that era.

The music is very alternating, from dreamy and psychedelic to atmospheric and powerful rock. The strong point in their music is de colouring with flute, guitar and keyboards.

A heavy church organ sound and then a tight rhythm in the previously unreleased bonustrack Proxima Luna.

Dreamy with warm vocals and flute in Agonia Per Un Amore.

Powerful rock with fiery guitar and Jethro Tull-like flute in Witch Dance,

Minimoog synthesizer runs and sensitive guitar in Magic Sadness.

And atmospheric with flute and keyboards in the long but a bit unstructured Enchanted Wood.

An interesting project, but I prefer the more captivating and adventurous Jacula.

My rating: 3,5 star.

P.s.: If you like more dark prog, see my social comment here, with a review about Italian prog band L'Impero Delle Ombre (not on PA).

A triumph of modern dark Italian progressive music, `Hystero Demonopathy' sees the return of the charismatic Antonio Bartoccetti, along with his son Rexanthony, medium Monika Tasnad, and even old Jacula/Rex cohort Doris Norton (credited, although I've yet to figure out what role she played in the creation of this work). Although the previous comeback releases `Switch On Dark' and `Per Viam' were effective albums, they positively sound like a practice run in the lead up to this one. This ambitious concept piece detailing a woman tormented and possessed by demons is simply the most grandly and proudly symphonic, varied, sophisticated musical statement of their modern works, and perhaps one of the defining Bartoccetti works to date.

One thing that stands out immediately is how much Antonio's son Rexanthony has truly stepped up for this release. His keyboards are all over this one, orchestral and epic one second, subtle and restrained the next, constantly bridging the vintage gloom of the 70's releases with modern sensibility and techniques. It's like the father has handed control to the son, trusting his instincts, supporting his decisions and complimenting him when nescessary. I like that - the wicked young apprentice! But Bartoccetti himself is not fading away, in fact he's in peak form, his guitar playing filled with so much renewed and fiery purpose, and he hasn't sounded this good in years.

It's not so much that the album does much drastically different than previous Rex/Jacula albums, it just makes those elements grander, more sweeping and truly cinematic. `Hystero Demonpathy' almost plays out like a horror movie soundtrack, littered with fragments of dialogue and ambient effects. The punchy opening title track is all stomping pomp, full of electronic tension, orchestrated synthesizer majesty and a haunting gothic choir, completely addictive and grabs your attention right from the start. Rexanthony displays great subtlety with the delicate piano and sweeping synth melody of `Suicide Goth', truly heartbreaking and memorable, and one of the most beautiful moments on a Rex album to date. Antonio delivers some appropriately murky bass that slithers around the background here as well. Although starting as a beautiful duet of classical guitar and organ, out of nowhere `Are Mine' blasts the listener with some supremely feral punishing doom- metal noise and some wailing inspired guitar shredding from Bartoccetti.

`Disincantation' is a return to the trademark Bartoccetti recitation, with some lovely orchestral synth and tip-toeing piano that even gently resembles `Initiatio' from the first Jacula album way back in 1969, along with some nimble and stirring acoustic guitar soloing from the Master himself. `Demonic Hysteria' is like a cold, creeping industrial sledgehammer with some dirty electric soloing, wailing vocal desperation, and the battle-cries of a filthy devlish army advancing ever closer. `The Devil's Nightmare' turns to uptempo gothic dance, Rexanthony utlizing his skills from years of performing in the techno genre to good use with pumping beats and dizzying synth soloing.

Pretty sure there's some kind of eerie Mellotron emulation all throughout `Witches', a clever ambient piece that mixes vocal fragments (the memorable `Liars, witches, sodomites and thieves' is used to great effect!), sighing, howling winds and a looping sample of breaking glass into hypnotic percussion patterns. After more raspy narration from Bartoccetti, `The Fatal Letter' spins into a surprising and uplififting remake of Ralefun's `Agonia per un Amore' with soaring synth, pulsing bass and Enigma-like programmed beats.

This is a brief pleasant respite before the absolutely repulsive and foul closer `Possaction', with some seriously unnerving vile torturous female screams, a ranting preacher, chanting mobs and develish monsters over military drumming and imposing church organ. This piece is one of the truly dangerous and deranged pieces ever by the band, full of stark terror and total bleak hopelessness. It takes the album and band to another level altogether, please approach it with severe caution. It will leave you completely altered, and you will never forget it.

With both the vinyl and CD editions adorned in beautiful gothic and esoteric imagery, the Bartoccetti clan should be immensely proud of the grand dark work they've achieved here. It's a superb addition to the Antonius Rex legacy, and another masterwork from the Dark Lord of the Italian progressive genre.

Five stars.

Zora is a flawed, but ultimately fun album by the bizarre Italian outfit Antonius Rex.

Were it not for the incredibly charming opener, The Gnome, I'm not sure that I would have stuck it out, but that tune is like a kiddy version of something Goblin might do (and I adore Goblin), with happy creepy synth melodies woven atop driving rhythms. The band adds some pretty questionable vocals to this piece--timid and off key--but since the cut feels a bit like Halloween for the bambinos, the singing comes off as charming rather than inept. The second tune (Necromancer) is acceptable lounge music, but it is the third cut that will probably eject most listeners. On this cut, Spiritualist Seance, Antonius Rex returns to the Jacula approach (the band that was their first incarnation) and discard that formal entity known as "song" in favor of organ music with sound effects and other adornments. This track is intended to be atmospheric, but it isn't for me, mainly because the organ delivers very little--- there's almost no melody and the lines (often held chords) rarely acknowledge a consistent tempo for the major part of its ten minute duration. It's not quite baseball field organ music, but it is close to that and isn't worthy of the hunk of time it devours, or even half that amount of time. Some latin invocations give it some flavor, and the final two minutes actually grow more interesting with some distant percussion and bass lines and wiry guitar and so it is not devoid of interest in its (long overdue) conclusion.

The following cut, Zora, peddles a riff with some strange tuning before exploring some melodic open sections and some new age music, and the final cut is an equally successful gothic/psychedelic rocker that brings Iron Butterfly to mind.

The very enjoyable bonus track Monastery seems to indicate that the sounds of Goblin, Mike Oldfield and new age music were pursued further by Antonius Rex, and so I intend to check out more of their music. This one is uneven, but more good than otherwise.

A side note/request to Black Widow and other record labels:

Please leave some space between the conclusion of the album proper and any added bonus tracks--- a couple of minutes or at least 60 seconds. Considering that I am in now the dwindling group that never downloads music and only buys hard copies, I don't want to lunge for the CD player, nor tear open my bag to get to my disc player so that the album can end where the artist intended it to end. An album has a stopping point, and it should be respected, even if more material is placed afterwards.

I was playing this album in the car the other day, taking my sixteen year old to school, and as she got out she told me exactly what she thought of the music and ended it with "it sounds as if someone is being killed!". I told her that I agreed with some of what she said, but that this was a 5* album if I had ever heard one. The more I have played this the more I have enjoyed it, and it now makes me wonder what I have been missing out on as this is the first of their albums that I have come across. These guys have been around for a very long time, based around Antonio Bartoccetti (guitars, vocals, bass) and released a number of albums in the 70's before coming back in 2005 and this is their fourth since then. Antonio is joined by Rexanthony (vocals, keyboards, synths, piano, digital drum/ orchestra), and Monika Tasnad (whose contribution is listed as 'medium') plus special guests Florian Gorman (acoustic drums) and singers Laura Haslam, Vladimir Leonard and Svetlana Serduchka.

Just a short listen to some of this album would inform the listener that here we have an Italian prog act that is working in the same area as the mighty Goblin, and that the screams and effects work hand in hand with the music to create a soundscape that is beautiful, horrifying, complex, simple, dark and threatening all at the same time. At times the guitars are really in your face, but at others it is the orchestration. It really is an incredible piece of work that will be unsettling for some, as this is not the sort of prog that you would take home to play for your mum. This is music that is designed to be dark and to provide a very real edge to proceedings. Cinematic and visual, this is a stunning piece of work. www.blackwidow.it

"Welcome to our long night..."

What a fascinating work `Praeternatural' is in the discography of the cult that is Antonius Rex. Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton offer an album that takes in all the different sides of the Jacula/Antonius Rex projects, as it moves through the hypnotic, sinister moods of the early days, the experimentation of `Zora', the lush progressive rock/Italian RPI stylings of `Ralefun' and finally heading into the synthesized spooky soundscapes that would soundtrack their modern works...it would just take them about 20 years to get there for that era to be fully realized.

`Praeternatural' essentially makes for a continuous piece of music, like you're moving through a haunted house, each room offering a different kind of psychological, emotional or supernatural assault - take your pick. That mood maintains the whole time, and it provides a darkly ambient soundtrack. This particular album might be a good starting place for newcomers to the band who want to tread carefully. Here the band is more melodic, atmospheric and incorporate a wider range of genres that may make it more accessible and approachable to listeners. It definitely lacks the outright violent and uncomfortable menace of the earlier works, but is never lightweight or totally easy-going.

Howling winds open `Halloween', which instantly tells you what to expect from the album. A dramatic mix of ghostly taunting piano, churning thick orchestral synths and Bartoccetti's macabre guitar riffing. Make sure to listen out for some gloriously murky and slinky bass that murmurs and snakes it's way around the backdrop of the synths and spectral piano about half way through. It's surprising then that, considering the track name of the opening piece, it's the second track `Fatsum et Violentia' instead that more or less rips off the piano melody from the 70's horror movie classic `Halloween'! It's a short brooding interlude with mucky synthesized orchestration and creepy mood effects.

The title track opens with slightly off acoustic guitar over some razor sharp, cutting and disorientating electronic effects and brief repeated narration before immense and booming glorious church organ over a stop-start drum pattern and searing electric guitar soloing from Bartoccetti. But most surprising of all - wait until 6 minutes in, when the drumming suddenly becomes more uptempo, almost dance beats, and Doris Norton doubles on jazzy piano soloing and fiery Mini- Moog noodling that would be more at home on an album from Canterbury Scene legends Caravan or romantic proggers Camel! It sounds like nothing else the band has done before or since, and it's really infectious and quite upbeat. Both Bartoccetti and Norton sound really full of joy and life on this piece! Then Antonio joins in with some driving guitar, before a truly baffling end - the track just stops, no fadeout, no big finale, just grinds to a halt. One minute he's wailing away, and then it's gone. A serious letdown to a very memorable and unique Rex piece.

Side B's `Monsegur Legend' is another shorter interlude/bridging piano/acoustic guitar distraction with unpleasant dark ambient backing. `Capturing Universe' builds a repetitive or trance-like effect around dark and ominous deep groaning male choir vocals looped over and over amongst snarling lead guitar chugging hellfire from Bartoccetti. `Invisible Force' ends our journey with another Rex/Jacula trademark - the stalking and hallucinatory sound collage/experimental piece. This one is full of wicked devilish children's voices, creaking doors, scratching and footsteps interspersed with a maddening tiptoeing piano melody and unnerving groaning synth orchestration. It ends with an oddly triumphant and grand organ finale, which means we've either made it to safety, or perished and crossed over to the other side...

The LP reissue from Black Widow looks stunning, from the horror comic-book styled front cover, to the eerie photos of Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton surprisingly dressed in psychedelic hippie colours on the inner sleeve! Especially intriguing are some additional photos of gothic ornaments and bedchambers.

While it's not a true classic in their catalogue, I do think `Praeternatural' may provide a perfect `sampling' of the many faces of Jacula/Rex for the new fan. They'll get an instant and fascinating overview of the different directions the band experimented with at various points in their career, and they can decide which album they might like to look at next. To my ears, it's also very successful at creating several uneasy and haunting mood pieces, an extended supernatural journey which is exactly what you want in an Antonius Rex album.

Four stars.

Although looked down by some Jacula/Antonius Rex followers for being something of a compilation of unreleased pieces, different takes and reinterpretations of earlier works, taken on it's own merits, I think `Anno Demoni' is a perfectly adequate horror soundtrack-styled work, full of convincing dark arrangements and drizzly atmosphere. It was the first Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton album I bought, so I might go a little easier on it than others because I'm somewhat nostalgic about it, for it led me to search out and immerse myself in their other work.

After a brief typical Rex organ introduction, `Gloriae Manus' instantly falls away into a slow distant rumble that borders on dark ambience, before hypnotic piano and that vile hammering drum similar to the first two Jacula albums looms heavy over the listener. Doris Norton then doubles on imposing gothic organ alongside maddening harpsichord that gives it that B-grade schlock horror movie comic book sound.

`Jacula The Witch' is a very moving and sad lullaby with a haunting wordless female vocal along the lines of some of the 70's Goblin albums. Gentle yet ghostly chimes float along in the background before being joined by a very reflective and somber piano melody soft Mellotron wisps. Easily the best piece on the album, and a shame that it's so short.

The 12 minute title track has eerie synths, macabre organ and plodding acoustic guitar playing over Mellotron, electric violin and tribal percussion. The middle section has a very jarring electronic looped pattern with oppressive cold synths that invade the mood - I'm reminded slightly of some of the darker keyboard sections of Pink Floyd's `Animals' album here. The finale diverts into an oddly Tangerine Dream-styled floating electronic piece. Vile taunting voices call from the distance throughout the piece, with a spitting and biting quality that gives them a highly sinister and threatening tone. This slow and gradually unwinding piece compliments the long ambient piece `Enchanted Wood' that concluded the `Ralefun' album.

`Soul Satan's is a slightly rubbish Italian prog/pop song with slight disco beats (which started creeping into Rex albums from 1977's `Zora' onwards) and awful ragged strained male vocals. It's not unusual for Italian prog albums to have boisterous and passionate vocals, but Antonio (if it's him who is singing, because he's the only one credited to vocals on the album) sounds like a drunk pirate on this one! But it's worth hearing for the endless murky soloing dirty bass mixed so loud playing all throughout the song.

`Missanigra' is full of spooky keyboard effects, chanted Latin voices, bat noises and creepy synth patterns but no real melodies to speak off. Just more of the same - somewhat undeveloped and uninspired horror ideas without actually being unlistenable.

The main album concludes with the perfect soundtrack for a haunted house movie, `Ego Sum Qui Sum'. Frightening harsh white-noise electronic orchestration constantly swirls around creeping violin dueling with more of that dirty melodic upfront bass from `Soul Satan' and dancing harpsichord . It's nice to hear the band step away from all the booming organ and find other ways to build their malevolent soundscapes, and it's quite an experimental piece for them.

The wonderful vinyl reissue includes a bonus 7" single with two shorter alternate pieces, `Morti Vindent' and `1999 Mundi Finis' from (I think) the `Zora' album. Probably more interesting to new listeners who haven't heard them on previous albums, although there are slight differences that Rex fans will pick up on.

`Anno Demoni' is only really disappointing from the perspective of comparing it to the other Bartoccetti/Norton albums. On it's own it's a perfectly successful horror themed prog album with decent playing, gloomy atmospheres and haunting dark melodies. Many of the other albums from their vintage period offer a lot more depth and emotion than this one, but it's still works well on a surface level. There is a somewhat nagging feeling of `same old', but even added elements like the violin give it a unique sound in the Rex discography.

Three stars.

Described by Antonio Bartoccetti himself as a "techno experiment", the 1992 release of a short 8 minute 12' single under the Antonius Rex name is a truly baffling and horrible lapse of judgment by the duo of Bartoccetti and Doris Norton, with help from their son Rexanthony. Although the previous album twelve years earlier from 1980 `Praeturnatural' contained slight dancier elements worked into the usual gloomy atmospheres and nightmarish horror soundscapes, `Pig In The Witch' is a repulsive commercial dance/club track with virtually nothing to associate it with any of their other works, not the vintage 70's albums nor the comeback releases much later in 2005. I'm all for an artist trying something different, but to put out a dance track with all the moronic and inane top 40 dance pop stylings and cliches that makes that sort of music such garbage is too much to defend.

Beginning with Bartoccetti's growled call of `Pig in the witch!' (which doesn't even make any sense), pounding commercial dance beats pound the listener over the top of a promising programmed electronic loop of a snorting pig, over and over. This short burst of potential is soon eradicated with a wailing sultry female dance chick urging the "Party people" to "Get this party started" - I KID YOU NOT. We then get a four minute `dance floor anthem' full of pumping techno bass and eventually moronic blasting tedious keyboard melodies, along the lines of the `Mortal Kombat' movie theme tune. There's very brief traces of Doris Norton's piano, but it's so incidental and unimportant that it makes no impression. The second side remix is virtually identical, with less female wailing but still plenty of calls for the "party people". God help us...hmmm, considering it's Rex, maybe not.

If the band had tried for a more industrial hard dance sound, perhaps like the early Nine Inch Nails releases, this would have allowed them to retain their dark horror with a more contemporary and modern sound. At least they would have kept even the barest shred of dignity and credibility.

At least the LP cover is decent - big blood red lettering and a photo/illustration of Bartoccetti in the centre that compliments the rest of their albums perfectly. At least it creates that illusion, until you play the damn record.

I read a comment elsewhere on the 'Net that called this random release `A short joy'. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we should be grateful that the Rex clan never attempted anything like this ever again. The later Rex albums `Switch On Dark' and `Per Viam' saw the band morph into a dark synth-goth group that successfully merged programmed electronic beats with their usual darkly classical moody soundscapes, so perhaps this failed experiment was necessary for Bartoccetti to figure out how to include these elements appropriately in their later comeback work.

The music of Antonius Rex is often meant to be frightening and depressing, but this single travesty completely changes the meaning of those words.

One star.

Probably one of the more controversial albums in the Antonius Rex catalogue, `Zora' is a messy, incoherent and unfocused album that still manages to provide several exciting pieces of horror tinged music. It's easily the band's most varied and colourful release, jumping back and forth between uneasy comic-book style horror schlock, dark gothic moody passages and more traditional Italian prog. It's got a bad reputation for being a bit of a dud, but I've always found every Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton Jacula/Antonius Rex work stands on it's own unique personality, and this one is no exception.

With it's pounding beat, tinkling hallucinatory piano, eerie synth solos and sound effects, opening track `The Gnome' sounds like almost no other Jacula/Rex piece the band ever worked on. Worryingly the beats are quite disco-oriented! The piece is highly kitsch and has a very B-grade horror/sci-fi sound, probably complimenting the album cover perfectly. Melodic but mumbled male vocals throughout make the track sound like a poorer version of `In Einsteinesse's Memory' from the later album `Ralefun', but that was a lot more pleasant and sophisticated than this one. Lively acoustic guitar and grooving bass amongst howling winds in the middle is the highlight.

While Antonio's typical Jacula/Rex narration and deep chanting opens `Necromancer', it's full of thick spacey synths from Dorin Norton that gives the track a very floating quality. After some passionate Italian sung vocals from Bartoccetti, we're back to more strange disco percussion with some quirky and very insane guitar melodies. The track then diverts into truly bent jazz directions, with some loose and upbeat piano soloing from Norton and both wild ragged electric guitar playing alongside clean crisp melodic runs from Bartoccetti. Like `Pactus' from the previous album, once it gets going it sounds almost nothing like the sort of gloomy music the band are usually associated with.

The beginning of the unnerving `Spiritualist Séance' is similar to the previous album's `Devil Letter' - full of theatrical horror movie sound effects over low-key musical accompaniment. In this case, Norton's lonely and moving church organ, which even has a slight Rick Wright/early 70's Pink Floyd-like quality to it. This track even seems to have a very murky sound quality that gives the piece an even more unpleasant touch. The organ gets more wild, messy and downright violent as the piece progresses. The final few minutes are a vile storm of crashing percussion, glistening psychedelic keyboard effects, echoing flute, dirty wailing electric guitar and tormented possessed female cries before a very abrupt and uninspired fade out. Truly a dark piece that makes you feel like you're losing your mind.

The title track is a surprisingly tasteful, sprightly and almost upbeat Italian poppy prog rocker, with pleasant passionate Italian vocals and warm acoustic guitar more along the lines of P.F.M. The beginning and end sections have repetitive and maddening clean guitar riffs, ghostly washes of stylish synths and frantic piano solos. `Zora' would not have sounded out of place on the wonderful `Ralefun' album, which is the one in the Antonius Rex discography that comes closest to `traditional' 70's Italian prog.

Beginning and ending with a vile scream, `Morte At Potere' is a remake/new interpretation of the track `U.F.D.E.M' from the second Jacula album. This time the piece is more deeply psychedelic, with supremely thick and dirty electric guitar, wilting flute and foul organ, while Doris Norton records another take of her throaty tortured lead vocals from the first version. There's enough differences to make it interesting enough to stand on it's own.

The bonus track `Monastery' that comes with the CD version is a long floating synth/piano piece that almost sounds like electronic music in places. Programmed percussion pumps alongside swampy country acoustic guitar and bluesy electric solos. The beats make it fit with almost dancier synth pieces like `Angels and Demons' on the more recent Rex albums many years later. Although a welcome bonus, I don't think it's fair to consider this part of `Zora', as it not only sounds nothing like the rest of that album, but it clearly comes from a later recording session as well.

Special mention must go the astounding vintage 70's comic book erotic horror album sleeve! Sadly this album is the `black sheep' in my collection, it's the only album from this artist I have on CD, and it's the one I truly would have appreciated on vinyl due to that front cover! Sadly, even the vinyl reissue from a few years ago I stalled on getting is long since sold out and commands a lot of money.

Listeners unfamiliar with Bartoccetti and Norton's work should certainly not start with this album. I think even collectors of this artist should leave this until last - and even then approach with caution! It's an album that's severely underwhelming and confusing on first listen but eventually proves to be a worthy release in it's own right, and even compliments some of the later `Ralefun' album. As I always point out in my reviews, each of the Rex/Jacula releases has it's own identity and sound - `Zora' is psychedelic, colourful and schizophrenic, and a real one-off in their fascinating and worthwhile discography.

Three stars.

The first album of Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton's music to appear under the Antonius Rex name, `Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex' is full of the same plodding gothic church organ and downbeat guitar work found on the Jacula albums, however some of the emotional hypnotic and trance like elements present on those albums have been replaced by a wild, unhinged and very deranged doomy sound. After the second piece, most of the tracks flow into each-other, creating one long nightmarish soundtrack. It's an immersive and haunting work, full of passionate playing and wild original experimentation.

As striking as Bartoccetti's guitar playing is on this album, the album truly belongs to Doris Norton's endless variety of darkly classical piano, trippy Moog workouts and spacey synth effects playing all over the top of her dominating organ playing. Special mention must also go to Albert Goodman's baffling drum-work, full of strange busy fills and over-powering random aggressive attacks. The combination of all these players creates a very dizzying, colourful and occasionally messy sound that perfectly fits the music.

Side A's title track has a creeping suspense dominated by Doris Norton's spectral organ and piano that floats amongst howling winds, Latin chanting and long drawn out heavy guitar riffs. It's a slow and unwinding piece that constantly builds in tension and uneasy fear, with a trademark wailing guitar solo from Bartocetti over unrestrained and oppressive organ in the finale. The organ has an occasionally flat and bent sound on `Pactus' that, while starting off as a typical Rex track, suddenly diverts into a lovely jazzy fusion styled 70's Santana-like piece with evocative lead guitar dancing around spacey keyboards and gentle percussion. The track is very tastefully played and surprisingly loose and restrained for this band - even subtle! It's actually one of my favourite overall pieces of music by this artist, even though it sounds very little like anything else they ever performed. Beginning as a creepy haunted house sounding piece, `In Hoc Singo Vinces' has lovely ghostly piano tip-toing around sinister organ, before Bartoccetti launches into some supremely sludgy guitar riffs over some of the dirtiest murmuring bass pushed way to the back trying to break through the mire. Stabbing organ notes and hard drumming smash down on the listener in the wild violent finale.

Dizzying synth solos throughout create a disorientating sense of feeling throughout Side B's `Non Fiat Voluntas Tua' with very addictive descending downbeat guitar riffs and booming percussion. Doris Norton sounds literally possessed on this one, with her endless swirling piano, stalking church organ and psychedelic moog solos. The centerpiece of the album might be the highly disturbing `Devil Letter', an experimental piece that alternates between dark music and evil story- telling. Chasing footsteps, creaking doors, pounding walls, tormented wailing and most frightening of all, a gnashing snarling devilish beast are interspersed with a lovely gothic choir and grand organ themes at the start and end. This exceedingly unpleasant piece is fascinating and quite original, very surreal, and gives this section of the album a breathless and predatory tone. Finale `Aquilla' is merely more of the same Black Sabbath/Iommi riffs with some slightly more dramatic piano and busy drumming before a shredding Bartocetti guitar solo. It does have quite a successful tension, but doesn't really offer much different to earlier parts of the album, and it ends very abruptly.

Fans of the earlier Jacula albums and doomy atmospheric gothic music will be right at home with this one.Others who don't like those albums will know to stay right away. I personally find all the Bartochetti/Norton releases endlessly intoxicating and daring, full of grand musical themes. Each of their albums stand as an original and unique statement, and I'm constantly drawn to the moody soundscapes and gloomy ambience of their work. Even though I don't have as strong an emotional response to this one as I do the first Jacula album, `Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex' is still another highly satisfying and moving work all the same.

Four stars.