– February 28th, 2024 –
Record To See Release Next Month On Metal Blade Records
Photo by KEYGEN CHURCH
Stream/watch KEYGEN CHURCH’s “Nel Nome Del Codice” HERE
As KEYGEN CHURCH prepares to release its stunning Nel Nome Del Codice full-length on March 22nd via Metal Blade Records, the second single from the record – its essential title track – has been issued in both audio and visual formats.
KEYGEN CHURCH is the brainchild of technologist/songwriter Victor Love (Vittorio D’Amore). Love, also of 8-bit phenoms Master Boot Record (MBR), is a one-person outfit, writing, and recording via undisclosed real-time stream events, where the dedicated (and lucky) bear witness to KEYGEN CHURCH‘s spontaneous creative process. Like previous alt code/text art-titled albums ░ ▒ ▓ █(2022) and ░█░█░░█░█░█░ (2022), Nel Nome Del Codice is a modern-primitive love letter to doom/gothic/black metal with foundations in Baroque-era Classical and Romantic-era music. This time, however, Love has refined his sonic tool kit – “the complete set of sounds,” he says – the aftereffect of which is computerized big-hall libations like “La Chiave Del Mio Amor,” “Nel Nome Del Codice,” and “Lode Al Disco Sacro.”
Sputnikmusic once noted, “they successfully managed to ‘dehumanize’ classical music. Just imagine: Bach found a time machine and traveled to the present time, releasing an album with church organs while in the background an old computer was booting from floppy,” while MetalSucks likened KEYGEN CHURCH‘s sound to “the sinister score for an epic Castlevania movie.” 100% Synthesized. 100% Dehumanized. Nel Nome Del Codice is KEYGEN CHURCH disincarnate.
In advance of the record’s release, KEYGEN CHURCH today unveils the title track to Nel Nome Del Codice, stating, “The church of Keygen is open and the choirs are leading accompanied by piano arpeggios and pipe organs until the calm is broken by waves of synth metal doom. In the name of the sacred code.“
Watch a visualizer for KEYGEN CHURCH‘s “Nel Nome Del Codice” HERE.
Stream KEYGEN CHURCH‘s previously released single, “La Chiave Del Mio Amor,” at THIS LOCATION.
KEYGEN CHURCH‘s Nel Nome Del Codice will be released on CD and digital formats as well as gatefold LP in the following color variants:
Ruby Red (US)
Black w/ White Edging (US)
Red (EU)
180g Black (EU)
Transp. Red/Black Dust (EU)
Find pre-orders at: metalblade.com/keygenchurch
Watch for further updates on KEYGEN CHURCH‘s activities surrounding Nel Nome Del Codice to post in the coming weeks.
Love got his start in music through technology. He was a tech at his father’s computer business, where hands-on experience with hardware and software cultivated a jump to sysadmin at university. From there, the Italian fell into digital marketing and trendsetting. When the KEYGEN CHURCH architect was exposed to pirated software, the intro – called “cracktros” – music was pivotal to the “key generator” culture. The scene (aka “demoscene“) that evolved out of that caught his metal-attuned ears and gadget-oriented mind. Master Boot Record and KEYGEN CHURCH are the products and expressions of a bygone bootlegging era thrust into the present through different genre lenses. Suppose the former is inspired by death metal. In that case, the latter is symphonic black metal, and Nel Nome Del Codice is not unlike Arcturus‘ La Masquerade Infernale or Elend‘s The Umbersun if envisioned by Japanese 8-bit composer Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest).
Love’s work in KEYGEN CHURCH is homage and innovation. He’s a fan of ciphers – astute fans will have to figure out where they’re used on Nel Nome Del Codice. The logo is ASCII art, a “graphic language” created by bulletin board system (BBS) users in the early days of the Internet. While the cover may appear minimalist initially, the 1-bit pixel art by Germany-based illustrator Valenberg (Perturbator, VirtuaVerse) signals KEYGEN CHURCH‘s ascent to their final form. If the metamorphosis is complete, Love’s journey to Nel Nome Del Codice has been inspiring. The refined craftwork of “Lode Al Disco Sacro,” “Sulla Via Della Gloria,” the nearly eight-minute closer, “Sempre Nel Mio Pensiero,” beholds darksome liturgical majesty, the likes of which we’re hearing/experiencing for the first time at our respective pews.
KEYGEN CHURCH:
Vittorio D’Amore – everything
https://www.facebook.com/keygenchurch
https://twitter.com/keygenchurch
https://www.instagram.com/keygen_church
https://keygenchurch.bandcamp.com
