The album describes the long journey and the battles lived by the Christian knights from 1096 to the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, known as the first crusade.
The sound is melodic, epic unblack metal with large amounts of Arabian folk.
Exultet is more of a project than a band, formed in 2003 by Farz (all lyrics, vocals, guitars, bass & synth) and the drummer Argoth, in Italy. The band name is taken from the scroll of papyrus, diffuse in southern Italy, used in the Christian functions of XI Sec. The Exultet (Easter Proclamation) is the hymn of praise sung by the deacon, before the paschal candle during the Easter Vigil in the Roman Rite of Mass.
Their first outing ‘Urbs Felix’ (2004) was a concept album describing the ancient Sicily battles between Saracens and Normans in the year 1000. This was followed by ‘Requiem Of A Dream’ (2006) and ‘Constantinopolis’ EP (2008). The latter described the fall of famous Roman Capital of the Middle East in the year 1453.
The latest album ‘I Soldati Della Croce’ (2011) describes the long journey and the battles lived by the Christian knights from 1096 to the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, against the Islamic army, known as the first crusade. The sound has been described as being melodic, epic unblack metal with large amounts of Arabian folk.
The starting point was a request for assistance from the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos to Pope Urban II for aid against the Turks. Urban presented this request at the Council of Clermont and the seeds of destruction were sown. It ignited attacks against Jewish communities in Europe and would ultimately lead to the slaughter of Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem. Controversially the city had not been under Christian control for 461 years, and the crusader army refused to return it to the control of the Byzantine Empire.
The album is meant to transport you back to the battlefields and harsh desert where the crusader & Turkish armies faced each other. There are exerts of battle cries, horses charging and the sounds of swords clashing. All the lyrics are in Italian and the vocals are in a black metal style.
Musically it is an excellent album. However, personally I am uneasy about promoting warfare in the name of religion.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby
Tracks:
Intro
Il Concilio Di Clermont (The Council of Clermont)
I Soldati Della Croce (Soldiers Of The Cross)
La Resa Di Nicea (The Siege Of Nicea)
La Battaglia Di Dorileo (The Battle Of Dorylaeum)
I Monti Anti-Taurus (The Anti-Taurus Mountains)
L’assedio Di Antiochia (The Siege Of Antioch)
La Conquista Di Gerusalemme (The Conquest Of Jerusalem)
Bandmembers:
Argoth (Vincenzo Insinna), Drums
Farz (Fabio Randazzo), Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
