Released on June 1, 2022, Missa Innominata, Darkwave’s second full-length album, explores a concept rarely touched upon in the metal scene. Its title – Latin for “Unnamed Mass” – suggests both a connection to tradition and a deliberate departure from it. Rather than merely resurrecting an old idea, the album seeks to infuse it with fresh, personal nuances, adding new layers to something often perceived as rigid and monolithic.
This sense of ambiguity is no accident. The open-ended nature of the title stands in stark contrast to the album’s structured foundation, which follows the well-defined order of the traditional Roman Catholic mass. Yet, Missa Innominata is not a conventional liturgical work; it is a deeply personal interpretation of something ancient and enigmatic, yet undeniably spiritual and richly multi-layered.
As an instrumental album, Missa Innominata conveys the emotional and spiritual weight of the liturgical elements – be it the solemn reverence of Kyrie and Agnus Dei or the ecstatic energy of Gloria and Sanctus – entirely through the language of metal. A genre often seen as profane, even unholy, here becomes the medium for something profound and sacred.
The cover art, once again created by the talented Dávid Ujhelyi, reinforces this concept, emphasizing the eternal dance between darkness and light. Gazing towards the sun – a universal symbol of hope in Western civilization – it captures the essence of Missa Innominata: the search for meaning within contrast, the collision of the ancient and the modern, the sacred and the unconventional.
Track listing
- Introitus (8:29)
- Kyrie (9:28)
- Gloria (9:15)
- Sanctus (7:15)
- Agnus Dei (10:43)
- Postcommunio (7:21)
Total playing time: 52:34