Italian black metal one man horde Hesperia has just announced the new album “Picenum (True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance)”, which will be released on 28th August via Hammerheart Records. In celebration, the first single “1375, La Lega Maledetta: I Signori Da Varano Si Ribellano Alla Chiesa” is now streaming on all digital platforms.

Listen to “1375, La Lega Maledetta: I Signori Da Varano Si Ribellano Alla Chiesa” here: https://youtu.be/lsuDDj6fFoQ
Pre-order here: https://hesperia.lnk.to/picenum

“Picenum (True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance)” is the natural continuation of “Fra Li Monti Sibillini”, expanding its concept to the entire Marche region (the title Picenum indicates the ancient name for a large part of this region). The album is set mostly in the late Middle Ages but also at the beginning of the Renaissance (here highlighted in its darker sides, experienced through the darkness of the region).

After a brief intro about the region’s ancient origins, the album is divided into three parts:

• The first is dedicated to the history and the very dark legends of the region Marche: the Da Varano Lords who rebelled against the church by joining the Cursed League in 1375; the history and legend of the Rocca di Pitino (Pitino Fortress) and its deconsecrated church and cemetery; the history and legend of the very dark Roccaccia (The Ugly Fortress) and its warlord necromancer, a servant of the devil.

• The second is dedicated to the folklore and legends of my region: lu lupu mannà (the Marchigian werewolf), the Mazzamurello (a dark Marchigian sprite), the Sdrega (the Marchigian witch), before returning once again to the Sibilline Mountains… In this part, Hesperus’ grandmother’s voice (R.I.P.) narrates these folklore legends a couple of times (she knew quite a few).

• The third and longest part is, in fact, a continuation that closes the circle with the previous album, and the part is “Ritorno fra li monti Sibillini” (Return to the Sibilline Mountains), with two tracks focusing on the goat-fairies and the Sibylla, and another two tracks that speak of the geographical novel of the Chevalier De la Sale, a real  historical figure who was tasked with exploring the Sibilline Mountains and understanding what was inside the Sibylla’s cave (thus, not a knight from an epic poem like in the previous album); he truly met the inhabitants of Montemonaco (Mons Daemoniacus) who led him to the vestibule of the Sibylla’s cave (on the summit of Monte Sibilla) and told him numerous stories of those who entered the cave, including that of a German knight who returned because he was not forgiven by the Church and remained there… forever (the last track: the final 12′ suite).

Stylistically, the album has many similarities with the previous record (medieval black metal in the vein of ’90s) but adds some Renaissance parts and some ’80s proto black metal passages. As you will notice, there are folk/ambient interludes as in the previous album, but they are not on separate tracks; they are at the end of each track (incorporated into the tracks even if they appear in the tracklist).

Line up:
Hesperus – All vocals, instruments and effects

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