Review by Jeger
Hesperia – Picenum (True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance)
Record Label: Hammerheart Records
Year: 2026
Rating: 8.5/10
From deep within the heart of the Marche region of Italy and from alongside its Ports. From within its humble Villas, a spirit of history and culture permeates the keep of the Metropolis, past the hills and beyond into the hush of the Woodland, where myth, lore and legend reign. Awakening from its own Aeonic bestial slumber – the Lycanthrope as it stirs beneath Crimson Moon – howling its bloodcurdling Lunar call into the mists. The rebellious Da Varano Lords, the Cursed League and their stand against the Church in 1375. And the local folklore of Le Marche: its fabled creatures, mythical beings and ghastly monsters all detailed with fervor here in Hesperia’s forthcoming LP, “Picenum (True Marchigian Black Metal Renaissance)”, set for an August 23 release via the venerable Hammerheart Records.
Hesperia
To experience Black Metal of this kind is to revel in the violent nature of the Middle Ages, to relinquish yourself over to the power of ritual and to lose yourself in the lush cinematic moments that constitute epics like the intro, “Hesperia – Picenum Le Origini” and various parts of “Hesperia – La Leggenda Della Roccaccia”: cool running water, a woodpecker toiling an oak and the distant howl of the regal Wolf somewhere out in the expanse of the Countryside. Musically, “Picenum” is a minimally layered, rigid & frigid work of BM formidability during some parts and a saturated piece of tonal harmony during others: Medieval vibes all day… And the horses ride, the warring steel clangs and the townsfolk rouse each other into a state of torch/pitchfork-wielding lynch-mobbery on this cursed eve when not even the holiest of blessings can protect, not even the most formidable of swords can victor the night and left to the multi-layered assault of “Hesperia – Lu Lupu Mannà. Pale winds gust, ancient Daemonic rites whispered over candlelit altars and Daemonic possession takes its grip. A highly visual piece that really adds some depth to what has already been a substantial album.
There are a wealth of cinematic parts that make up a portion of the album; brief mood-enhancing pieces that strike up imagery of vast storm cloud-covered Marchigian Countrysides – rustic and wholesome – teeming with an ancient evil just beneath the developing tempest. But not without a sense of romance in the form of the brief but elegant intro to “Hesperia – II Sentiero Delle Fate Atto II”, which quickly gives way to this abstract sort of power in progression where all phases converge into a wind-gusted cacophony of Black Metal ruckus: twisting, complex and power-based.
Hesperus really goes out of his way to bring us the most immersive experience possible and the proof is in the above-mentioned cinematic elements, but also in the layered construct of each track: acoustic guitars intertwining with heavily distorted tones, often giving way to dramatic spoken-word parts that further enthrall the imagination. And the children play… Just outside and unaware of the evil that lurks. The townsfolk celebrate nothing more than the blessed sanctity of the eve while dark characters meet in shadowy places, Wolves howl, Horses gallop and more than anything else, the sound of true Marchigian Black Metal fills the atmosphere. Like experiencing the magick of Elder Scrolls or getting lost in one of your favorite Dragonlance novels and outside of these many superlatives, you’ll find very little to scoff at. “Picenum” is a taxing affair; one that requires your undivided attention, which shouldn’t be an issue. Around every corner it seems you’ll discover something utterly mystifying, or deeply contemplative but always done in dramatic Marche fashion.
What a remarkably nuanced yet ultimately grande offering of Black Metal. True to its core and done traditionally – in homage to home, to Country. Hesperus has proven to be an astute Artist whose understanding of Black Metal is only superseded by his love for and knowledge of his Homeland. An album for both Hesperus and Hammerheart to be proud of.
Hesperia – 1375, La Lega Maledetta: I Signori Da Varano Si Ribellano Alla Chiesa (Official Audio)
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