SARGEIST - LET THE DEVIL IN

SARGEIST
LET THE DEVIL IN
MORIBUND

I have already reviewed this album for Currents but since I had done a newer one for another site that wasn’t used I decided to publish it here. Enjoy.

For good or bad Sargeist have always travelled under my radar. Never have I witnessed the grandeur of "Disciple of the Heinous Path" or "Satanic Black Devotion". Never, as far as I can remember, until now.

And what a good way to start! There's not much around as refreshing as a cup of black coffee in the morning as "From the Black Coffin Lair", the third song on "Let the Devil In". Heavy on the mid paced hooks it is. Other highlights are "Nocturnal Revelation" and of course the title track. In fact, it's tough to find a soft spot on this one, the band's third album.

Sargeist, as much as they like to break out in speed everyone once in a while, rely heavily on the midpaced madness. I'm glad they do as this album flows really well from start to finish. Sounds complete and not as much a clutter of songs as it sounds like a book with 10 chapters. Each one fitting nicely in line with the previous one.

They've gone over the most difficult mountain, the sophomore one, and with their third full moon it is obvious that Sargeist is a band that one has to keep an eye out for in the future.

DESULTORY - COUNTING OUR SCARS

DESULTORY
COUNTING OUR SCARS
PULVERISED

Those that listened to Death Metal back in the early nineties will remember Desultory. The ones that didn't probably will not remember them so much as the kvlt never really caught Desultory. Perhaps I'm wrong but I've never seen "Into Eternity" go for crazy amounts on eBAY. In short, it's more likely than not that if you're under 25 this album will be your first proper introduction to Desultory.

"Counting Our Scars" is a fine introduction. No, scratch that, it's a damn good introduction to Desultory. Okay, the album hasn't really settled in here yet but if we just speak about comebacks in general this album ranks up with the best of them. The album is classic Desultory but at the same time "modern". It's classic Swedemetall with a hint for melody that people will fall head over heels for. Well, people that have a soft spot for this, anyway.

In the age of retrogression "Counting Our Scars" stands above many, if not most. Check it out if you want a modern tasting mid-nineties buffet.

BLACK WITCHERY - INFERNO OF SACRED DESTRUCTION

BLACK WITCHERY
INFERNO OF SACRED DESTRUCTION
HELLS HEADBANGERS

The men have arrived! The big men have arrived! This, Inferno of Sacred Destruction, is the third deathstrike of the unholy trinity that is known as Black Witchery and consists of Impurath on bass & vocals, Tregenda on guitars & Vaz on drums.

The main ingredients are all the same really but there are changes. Perhaps most notable right away are the vocals of Impurath. His screams are a bit more rough now than back on Desecration of the Holy Kingdom and Upheaval of Satanic Might. There's no power lost, far from it, perhaps even more power in it. It feels like he's right in your face, and there's a heavy "fuck you all!" feeling in it.

Before putting Inferno… on I was hoping it was a bit more like Desecration… than Upheaval… when it comes to the production and thankfully it is. Upheaval… was chaos whereas this is symmetric violence.
There are changes here and there, small but noticeable, and the cover of Conqueror's "Kingdom Against Kingdom"… Well, it just seals the deal, really.

Black Witchery has always been there continuing what bands like Conqueror, Blasphemy and Beherit began. On Inferno… its like there's a bit more Beherit than before, a bit of the ritual feeling one feels when listening to Drawing Down the Moon. It lies in the background, not upfront. It's in the details.

CRUCIFYRE - INFERNAL EARTHLY DIVINE

CRUCIFYRE
INFERNAL EARTHLY DIVINE
PULVERISED

What we have here is something I would have loved twenty years ago, 13 years old and just beginning to grasping the concept of Death Metal & all things devil worship. OK, I still like it but the love isn’t there. This is good stuff but...

...Crucifyre gives us thrashdeathmetal with enough occult references to catch the attention of the young and aimless. This music corrupts the young. Catchy enough to keep you interested and namedropping enough of the gods mentioned in “The Goetia” to get your riled up in all things black candles and altar.

This band is armed to the teeth with guys that were there in the beginning! When the old gods were young and the Necronomicon had not been used to death in Death Metal! When Venom were one of a kind!

Do you want devil worship Thrash Metal? If you are looking for the exact opposite of what Deathspell Omega seems to be all about then look no further. Horror Movie Satanic Metal ov Thrashing Death is here! HAIL SATAN! BELIAL PRAISE!

SERPENT NOIR - SANGUIS XI

SERPENT NOIR
SANGUIS XI
DAEMON WORSHIP PRODUCTIONS

Serpent Noir is an international conspiracy conspired by, amongst others, members of Embrace the Thorns & Ofermod. I can only imagine that their intention is to channel forth the Draconian Current through the medium of occult Black Metal.

Serpent Noir is all about the mid paced madness. There are outbursts of high velocity like on "Invocation of Sorath" but most of the time it's rather laid back blackish Death Metal.

Although Michayah of Ofermod handles the drums in Serpent Noir and both bands blend together Death Metal & Black Metal, I don't think he is responsible for the drums on "Sanguis XI". According to the band this release has been ready since 2006 and I believe Michayah joined later on.

So, rest assured that Serpent Noir is in no way a copy, or a continuation, of Ofermod. I am sure, however, that the people that have been waiting anxiously for another release from Ofermod since 2008's "Tiamtü" will find the wait a bit easier as both bands seem to go down similar paths both musically and spiritually.

COUGH - RITUAL ABUSE

COUGH
RITUAL ABUSE
RELAPSE

When I first heard about Cough I was pretty sure this was some new wave indie stuff. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered the sludge and filth these guys are all about!

Formed five years ago and already on their second album these guys really capture the drug-filled atmosphere bands like Electric Wizard have become known for. It's not surprising that some call Cough U.S.A.'s answer to Electric Wizard. There are striking similarities but in some parts Cough surpass Electric Wizard when it comes to the filth.

I reckon it's going to be a close call between Ritual Abuse and Black Masses who will get more teens to abuse narcotics while worshiping grim lords. Cough makes it clear that if Electric Wizard is going to keep it's ass on the drugthrone it's going to have to beef up the hits from the bong.

Cough has a split with The Wounded Kings out next month through Forcefield Records. Cough’s side contains a single track lasting nineteen minutes. I’m pretty sure that might be just enough to send a few over the edge.

MOON - LUCIFER'S HORNS

MOON
LUCIFER'S HORNS
WITCHING HOUR PRODUCTIONS

Moon, like anything else the man behind it, Cezar, touches, becomes an institution. A legend of its own. For the last twenty years he has building a tower of Blackdeath and with each release he has added a new brick.

With Lucifer's Horns it's business as usual. Although eleven years have passed since Satan's Wept this album feels like a continuation of what already was in motion, not a new beginning. What Moon gives us here is a glimpse into quality Polish Blackdeath. Fans of Cezar's earlier work will not be disappointed and the newcomers will yearn to know more.

GHOST - OPUS EPONYMOUS

GHOST
OPUS EPONYMOUS
RISE ABOVE

Back in the day the cult of the blue oyster told us that there was no need to fear the reaper. Scorpions told us about the sails of Charon and after the battle a nation of funeral arose!
Those were grim days and grim days often breed ghouls. Most ghouls dwell in burial grounds and live a rather silent existence but it seems this ghoulpack had a different upbringing.

It has been said that when young, these ghouls grew up reading the pages the local pastor thought were unfitting for his congregation. Soon afterwards the congregation started loosing members until only an empty church remained. No priest, no congregation, only defecation. Let's be realistic, even ghouls have to take a shit.

The consumption of the being grants you it's abilities and our ghouls were quick to put this in practice. What better way to attract meals to you than through the medium of popular music? They claim they are doing this for The Devil and so might appear, but I am sure that when the masks come off people will realize that the joke's on them, the exits locked and no way out.

When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth and perform Hard Rock.

SARGEIST - LET THE DEVIL IN

SARGEIST
LET THE DEVIL IN
Moribund

Eleven years into it's existence Sargeist vomits up "Let the Devil In.” An album with a title suspiciously like the title of a movie I just recently watched.

Let's forget about that, though. Let's focus on the music. Let's focus on the filth these corpsepainted hellpriests regurgitate upon the innocent masses.
Sargeist are not the most extreme band out there, their type of Black Metal has an edge but it also has a hook that digs deeper than those of its siblings. "From the Black Coffin Lair" cuts the deepest, followed by the "Twilight Breath of Satan" and "Let the Devil In.”

Sargeist are all about the medium rare Black Metal. Not as raw as the old Warloghe stuff but not as polished as Thyrane's. In short: This is music for people that sleep with their spikes on.

SAD/WARWULF - WALKING THE PATHS OF DESPAIR

SAD / WARWULF
WALKING THE PATHS OF DESPAIR
Thor's Hammer Productions

Releases like these are the reason I more often than not get the feeling that the underground is overcrowded. Two bands, one Greek, the other American, attempt to show us how rude, crude and above all, raw, Black Metal should be played.

Greece's Sad start the split and during "Mass Annihilation" and "Fade to Infinity" the band manages to evoke a bit of interest within these old veins of mine. America's Warwulf, on the other hand, doesn't have the same effect on me. I'm sure a lot of people into technical precision and crystal clear sound will scream out in anger and despair if this hits their senses. After all, Warwulf is raw "true fucking 90's Black Metal."

Occasional glimpses of greatness covered with layers upon layers of sloppy musicianship and lousy production.

OCTOBER TIDE - A THIN SHELL

OCTOBER TIDE
A THIN SHELL
Candlelight

Back in the days of yore, when Katatonia briefly fell into slumber, October Tide arose and three waves fell to the shore. These three waves were supposed to be all that would be heard from the band but things change and, with the departure of Fred Norrman from Katatonia, October Tide is back.

Anyways, what we have here is classic October Tide which in turn is classic Katatonia. This is a popped up version of the second era of Katatonia. Forget the good old melancholic days of "Dance of December Souls" and lean more towards "Brave Murder Day."

All in all not a bad album and a good choice for anyone that thinks good things shouldn't come to an end.

MALHKEBRE - PROSTRATION

MALHKEBRE
PROSTRATION
AHDISTUKSEN AIHIO

Black arts lead to everlasting sins. It's a proven fact. Back in the days of Varathron & Necromantia I doubt few people would have believed Black Metal to become as perverse as Malhkebre have made it.

On "Prostration" Malhkebre present us with four songs of devil worshiping Black Metal that were originally released on vinyl by Battlesk'rs back in 2006.
These songs don't sound old or outdated. They have as much impact today as they did when they first saw the light of day.

Malhkebre create Black Metal that is dangerous. It stings and goes all over the place, both musically and emotionally. This is music for the people that enjoy the French’s perverse take on Black Metal. This is music for the people that wish they’d had the chance to taste a bit of Dead’s brain.

BLACK ANVIL - TRIUMVIRATE

BLACK ANVIL
TRIUMVIRATE
Relapse

I never heard Kill Your Idols but apparently they were legendary. Why am I mentioning that band? Because the members of Black Anvil all used to play in it, that's why. Kill Your Idols was NYHC and perhaps, if you're like me, images of Agnostic Front, Warzone, Freddy Madball and Merauder pop into your head when somebody mentions that.

Black Anvil are not NYHC, though. No, if I had to peg Black Anvil anywhere I would say they were melodic Heavy Black n' Roll. They offer us a medley of some of the best moments of melodic Black Metal 'til now laced with a bit of groove and bite. If you look hard I'm sure you can find a bit of core there too.

Triumvirate is one of those albums that is good to use if you want to get people to listen to more extreme music than they are listening to at that moment. It's a safe record that will warm every newcomer's heart.

SAHG - III

SAHG
III
Indie Recordings

With albums like "III" no description, however grand, will do them justice. With "III" Sahg have created the ultimate Heavy Metal / Rock N' Roll album of 2010. I'd nominate Olav Iversen as this year's best vocalist, as well.

Sahg have matured since "II", getting even more rock n' roll than last time and creating music that people can and most likely will move to. Without hurting one another.

If you can't start at the beginning start with "Downward Spiral." It's my personal favorite and that organ solo is awesome!

ALGAION - EXTHROS

ALGAION
EXTHROS
Pulverised

Yeah, it's the same Algaion that back in '95 released "Oimai Algeiou" through Full Moon Productions. The Swedes also released an ep and another album through Wounded Love before fading into obscurity around the turn of the century.

They have risen now and with their third album through a third label, Pulverised, which has been picking up a band or two that did good back in the days most don't remember, for one reason or another.

It seems Algaion have forgotten very little in the nine years since their last ep was released. Rather classic & melodic Swedish deathblack is the thing here, although there's a hint of Greece here as well, especially with the Rotting Christ / Thou Art Lord covers this album includes. I will not go so far as to say that the greek influence is ruling here, it shows without a doubt where Algaion come from. Algaion are Swedish and this album shows it clearly. If you can't get enough check it out!

CAUCHEMAR - LA VIERGE NOIRE

CAUCHEMAR
LA VIERGE NOIRE
Nuclear War Now!

There's been a real resurgence of everything Heavy Metal during the last couple of years. Band after band dropping the screeching thunderscreams of Black Metal for more subtle sonic blasts to the old godz of Metal. Gone are the days of The Valknött, enter the realm of fuzz.

Cauchemar probably don't belong to that group but it wouldn't matter if they did, it would change "La Vierge Noire" in any way.

Five songs that pass us by too quickly. "La Vierge Noire" only lasts for five songs. Five songs of nostalgic Heavy Metal doom that go by too fast and leave you wanting more!

What sets Cauchemar apart from most of the other NWoRHM is the fact that they don't sing in English. Cauchemar deliver the hymns in French and as well as giving the young ones a chance to hear how the bands back in the day did it, they also show them that not only the English can do this.

SATANIC WARMASTER - NACHZEHRER

SATANIC WARMASTER
NACHZEHRER
Werewolf Records

Five years after "Carelian Satanist Madness" the Satanic Warmaster returns!
For some of you the Warmaster was never gone, but those of us that only keep track of the albums have had to wait for a long time.

After the intro it's straight down memory lane. Well, perhaps not for those of you that didn't rape the shit out of "Tyrannendunkel" when it was released. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't "True Blackness" all over again. What I'm talking about is the style + feeling I get when the keyboards hit hard in "Satan's Werewolf", that primordial, germanic feeling.

The sound & style of Satanic Warmaster has always been compared to LLN bands and it's still there. More than once while listening to this album I've had to resist the urge to go look through my old FMP catalogues searching for old Vlad Tepes ads.

Satanic Warmaster is more than a mere copy of what has already been done. Paying homage to what you like isn't bad as long as you put something of your own into the mix. Does the Satanic Tyrant Werwolf manage that and once again slap the faces of his detractors? Yeah, I'd say he does.

If you still have reservations about Satanic Warmaster or just don't want to check this album out for whatever reason, so be it. However, if you are new to the game I'd say "Satan's Werewolf" and "Utug-Hul" are good haunts to hang out in.