Lupercalia is a neo-classical/folk act from Italy. Their music is like other bands in this genre for a great part only known among a gothic audience. “Florilegium” is their second full-length album. After some delay, first it was announced as a World Serpent release, it will now be availbale through Equilibrium Music from Portugal.
The music on Florilegium is partly in the neo-classical style and partly more folk orientated. The folk songs are the best parts on this album. Some of the neo-classical songs are at times a bit too long and the soprano voice can a get a bit too much after a while. The folk songs on the other hand are very lively played Balkan inspired tunes. The tracks that stand out on this album are ‘Aegypto ad Siciliam’, ‘Praga’ and ‘Axe’, with their mix of Balkan folk and neo-classical elements.
For now Florilegium is a nice release, but maybe for the future Lupercalia should write and play more of these folk inspired songs. Perhaps they could possibly even appeal to a broader audience then…