Conscientia Peccati does not stand for just music, their releases have a strong conceptual character. “Culpa Somniorum” is dedicated to dreams and their influence on the dreamer. The music has a clear ritual, sacred character, with a dominant role for percussion, organ and chanting.
The mosty instrumental tracks are pretty varied. Some sound very medieval or neo-classical (‘Prima Lux’, ‘Tanz’), others are more experimental (‘Black Moon’, ‘Traum’) or ambient. Darker martial work is also present, like ‘Mare’, reminding me of The Moon Lay Hidden… Some tracks, like ‘Certamen’, have the original element of opera-like voices, which may take some time to get used to.
A nice album with a mysterious ritual atmosphere and an interesting concept, exploring the magical aspect of dreaming. This German project started in 1994 with a tape release on Art Konkret. Meanwhile, ten years later, Conscientia Peccati has a new album out on Palace of Worms: “Draco Rex”.