HESPERIA, the Italian one-man Black Metal project, returns with its eighth full-length album, “Fra Li Monti Sibillini”, released in January 2025 via Hammerheart Records on CD and 12″ vinyl. With 14 tracks and 76 minutes rolling, this album continues the band’s journey through the depths of Black Metal, with a distinctive touch of Folk and Pagan influences that define the style of the band. HESPERIA, active since 1997, has seen its sole member, “Hesperus”, craft an atmospheric and evocative blend of Black Metal infused with organic, earthy elements of Italian Folk and paganism. The album is an exploration of nature and mythology, perfectly suited for those who want to immerse themselves in a ritualistic atmosphere. The album opens with the track ‘Fra Le Nevi De Li Monti Sibillini’, which sets the stage with a dense, atmospheric sound, echoing in the middle of the mountains in central Italy perhaps. HESPERIA has a knack for creating vivid landscapes, incorporating horses, battles, backgrounds and the atmospheres of winter and magic. The vocals of “Hesperus” are raw and impassioned, switching between despairing shrieks and somber chants, adding to the album a pagan essence. I definitely got trapped by ‘La Leggenda Del Lago Di Pilato’, where the band blends Folk melodies with Black Metal ferocity. The result is a sound both melancholic and feral, a perfect representation of HESPERIA’s ability to fuse the two genres. While the music flows between various tempos and moods, “Fra Li Monti Sibillini” remains cohesive as a full listening experience that goes chapter by chapter. There is a haunting beauty in the way the album flows, transitioning from Folk passages into intense Black Metal storms full of magic and paganism while maintaining a feeling of connection to nature and the spiritual forces it represents. The track ‘Jòppe Le Gole De L’Infernaccio’ stands out with its epic feel, marrying the atmospheric and the aggressive in a balance that will resonate within more epic and atmospheric subgenres. We have more tracks in between, but now I’m jumping into the closing with the final tracks ‘Cecco D’ascoli Atto II: L’Inquisizione/Il Rogo’ and ‘Solstizio D’inverno Fra Li Monti Sibillini’, in which HESPERIA leave their listeners with a sense of reverence and awe. The songs weave through hypnotic rhythms and melodies, while riding towards a farewell to the mountains that inspired this opus to emerge. “Fra Li Monti Sibillini” is definitely a journey into the Italian wilderness, full of dark beauty and ancient mysticism. I would highly recommend this album for those who appreciate Black Metal with depth, nuance, and soul. More info here: www.facebook.com/hesperiaofficial, www.facebook.com/hammerheartrecords