The band was founded in Milan, Italy in mid 1987 by guitarist Roberto Mammarella and bassist Anthony Duman, who recruited vocalist Mark Westfall and drummer Mox Cristadoro. Between December 1988 and April 1989, the band recorded and mixed the five song demo Musaeum Hermeticum, which was released as a limited edition cassette of 180 copies. Two tracks, "Nostalgia of the Infinite" and a cover of The Dead Relatives' "Nephtali", were selected by Obscure Plasma Records for a split single with the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ in 1991.
Following a brief split, Monumentum were picked up by the predominantly black metal Norwegian label Deathlike Silence Productions. However, before the proposed album could be released, DSP owner Øystein Aarseth (Mayhem) was murdered, leaving the band label-less. The album, In Absentia Christi, recorded and mixed between August 1994 and May 1995, finally saw the light of day through the British label Misanthropy Records.
The recording line-up featured two vocalists, in the form of Andrea Zanetti (of Italian act Iconoclast) and Francesca Nicoli (of Ataraxia, alongside Mammarella ("strings, keys and vibas"), Cristadoro (drums) and Paolo Mauri ("samples, artistic production and wisdom"). The band claimed the album was influenced by the poets Iginio Ugo Tarchetti and Giacomo Leopardi, and included a cover of "Fade to Grey" by Visage.
Activity from the band became sparse until reuniting to record "The Colour of Compassion" for Misanthropy's anti-censorship compilation Presumed Guilty (1998); the line-up for this consisted of Mammarella, Cristadoro, Federico Simonetta (bass) and Daniele Bovo (keyboards). Further compilation appearances included the Death SS tribute album Beyond the Realm of Death SS, to which Monumentum contributed a cover of "Black & Violet". Line-up for this appearance consisted of Mammarella, Cristadoro, Bovo, Max Vaccaro (bass) and Jesuis Qui (vocals); the latter is Cornelius Brastad of Solefald.
Monumentum reunited in 2001 to record Ad Nauseam for Tatra Productions. The line-up had changed again; Ad Nauseam featured Mammarella, Andrea Bellucci on keyboards, Daniele Bovo on guitar and keyboards, Andrea Stefanelli (of Nuvula Neshua) and Alis Francesca Bos on vocals, Diego Danelli on bass and Elisa Carrera on drums, although the latter had to pull out mid-way through recording after getting pregnant.
In 2004 Monumentum briefly resumed activity to contribute to the Tribute To Dead Can Dance: The Lotus Eaters CD (covering "Windfall"). As of 2004, the band has disbanded permanently.
On Perspective of Spiritual Catharsis
Monumentum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I Feel IT, in my daily Actions
I Remove all the Past ILLUSIONS
that GRIP away from my mouth
My Carnal Shape is COMPLETE and Strong
and this is the PURE Human form
the Sounds of Words and Thoughts
of ALL is supposed to be Known
The LIMBO is the Dry Season I BEG for
it Bleed out my dreamy Soul,ALONE and lifeless
Sands cover the last CARESS of Life
no PAIN is concerned to help the REBORN thru my shroud
Hanging in the BALANCE of a perfect Mind
and in the Truth of a NON-SENSE RELIGION
once I fed my HEAD now I BETRAY my Body
it's all I have the LIES carry an entire Existence
The SEPARATION from every New Day
engulfe the Misery of me that still Kill
my SPIRITUAL MOVEMENTS
and the SUPREME desire to be one with the Infinity
have Swallowed not only my PRIDE to live
but the Indifference will rule in my World
THE BLIND MASS CAN'T GET ME
[Lyric:A.Z.]
[A.Z.:vox+R.M.:guitars,bass,keys,accordion+M.C.:brushes,drums]
[Song Intro/P.M.:Samples,R.M.:scissors,Carillons courtesy of Berchis Family]
The opening lines of Monumentum’s song On Perspective of Spiritual Catharsis reveals the singer’s relationship with silence as a “perfect partner.” The silence is evident in their daily activities and helps them remove all past illusions that restrict their expression. The lyrics highlight the importance of cleansing one's mind from any illusions or external factors that hamper their ability to express themselves truly.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer's physical self is complete, and the pure human form is the purest expression of oneself. The lyrics imply that words and thoughts are uncertain and provide no certainty on what is known about the world. The next verse talks about the singer's desire to experience the dry season, where their dream-like soul is bled out and buried under the sand. However, they do not seek any pain but want to be reborn.
The last verse talks about the singer’s betrayal of their own body and their separation from every new day. They are engulfed in their misery and face spiritual movements. The singer desires to be one with the infinite but acknowledges the difficulty of achieving this as the blind masses can't get them.
Line by Line Meaning
The Silence is my PERFECT Partner
I find comfort in silence, as it serves as my ideal companion
I Feel IT, in my daily Actions
I can sense this deep connection with silence in everything I do throughout the day
I Remove all the Past ILLUSIONS
I let go of all the false beliefs and illusions from my previous experiences
that GRIP away from my mouth
which used to hold me back and stop me from speaking my truth
My Carnal Shape is COMPLETE and Strong
I am content with my physical form as it is both fully developed and strong
and this is the PURE Human form
it represents the truest and most authentic expression of the human body
the Sounds of Words and Thoughts
verbal and mental expressions
are NOTHING but the Uncertainty
are simply manifestations of uncertainty
of ALL is supposed to be Known
pertaining to everything that people believe they know
The LIMBO is the Dry Season I BEG for
I long for the difficult and uncertain times of life because it leads to spiritual growth
it Bleed out my dreamy Soul,ALONE and lifeless
it extracts everything from my soul, leaving me isolated and depleted
Sands cover the last CARESS of Life
symbolizing the death of my previous self
no PAIN is concerned to help the REBORN thru my shroud
the pain of transformation is not a concern, as it is inevitable
Hanging in the BALANCE of a perfect Mind
I am struggling to maintain perfect mental balance
and in the Truth of a NON-SENSE RELIGION
my path to spiritual catharsis does not follow the conventional teachings of religion
once I fed my HEAD now I BETRAY my Body
I previously gave more importance to mental/spiritual growth, but now I realize the value of taking care of my physical body
it's all I have the LIES carry an entire Existence
the lies surrounding us are a fundamental aspect of our reality, which is all we have
The SEPARATION from every New Day
the distance I feel from each new day
engulfe the Misery of me that still Kill
this isolation leads me to a sense of misery and emotional death
my SPIRITUAL MOVEMENTS
the actions I take to achieve spiritual growth
and the SUPREME desire to be one with the Infinity
my ultimate aspiration is to reach oneness with the infinite universe
have Swallowed not only my PRIDE to live
in order to achieve this, I must let go of my pride and sense of self-importance
but the Indifference will rule in my World
however, this path might lead to a sense of indifference in my reality
THE BLIND MASS CAN'T GET ME
I will not be swayed by the opinion of the majority
Contributed by Brooklyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Roberto Cossio
In Absentia Christi es uno de los mejores discos del género!!! y este tema es grandioso...
Saraiva Toledo
O melhor ! Viva Europa do Sul !
kripplenoizzesillo
yeah. it's a very good lp..and i had to share it since i couldn't find it on youtube
Saraiva Toledo
You did well, this is probably the album I have played the most from everything I´ve ever listened to in my life ... either this or Coil´s " Horse Rotorvator " ...
Guido Lucchese
questo vinile lo comprai appena uscito e lo facevo girare la notte. Ora lo tengo come una preziosa reliquia e ogni tanto lo rifaccio girare
Fabio Cardinali
ciao peccato mi sa' che nn producono piu' vero?c'e' veramente un alone di mistero e cmq il tuo vinile vale sicuro anche qualcosa!!!
Kraakesolv
@sugarhorse7 Likewise. It's a masterpiece sadly missed by many.
Mingie Muis
In the 90ties I was a fairly well known d.j / organizer of goth parties and I totally promoted Monumentum. It's like more then 20 years ago, but they R still on my Occult playlist (amongst friends, obiously). among Current 93, Coil, Sopor, Eternal afflict, Eliah's Mantle, etc.
It wasn't ment to B funny or Likeble muzak. Just at the edge of dispARE.
Great ARTwork aswell . . . .
Love it !
Delhi Delirium
1st time I´ve ever heard anybody outside my circle of friends referring to Elijah´s mantle . Great band !
Wise Ferret
Then I'm sure you've heard of Dolorian? They're the best.