Monumentum were formed in Milan in mid 1987 by guitarist Roberto Mammarella and bassist Anthony Duman, who recruited vocalist Mark Westfall and drummer Mox Cristadoro.
[2] 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.
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"), Mox 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).