SACRAMENTUM |
| Swedish black/death
metallists come back for more with an album as uncompromising and fantastically
brutal as anything to hit the scene in recent years. “Thy Black Destiny”
is certainly nothing to look forward to from a personal sense but when
we’re talking about this latest bloodbath put to music from these sick
and twisted Swedes, you’ll welcome the concept with open armed enthusiasm.
In fact I didn’t, until about the third song in which was “Shun the Light,” but I’m critical to begin with as there are just too many of these accursed leather clad speed freaks darting at us from all angles carrying a fresh stack of repetition and overblown imagery to handle ‘em all. While even the best can’t escape from the bowels of two such unpopular fixations from time to time, they possess the authoritative skills and technical vision to rise above. Does this imply that all acceptable black metal artists must now follow a gothic path or discover new melodies to accompany what once was a strictly brutal profession? No, but those that will, that can survive, know how to pull it off—indeed there is some skill involved at making heavy music, wouldn’t you say? Sacramentum however, does neither and they don’t have to. They are as brutal as it gets where extreme velocity and power are concerned and make quick work of their guitars, where if you listen real, real closely, you might even hear the poor things moaning in pain as they get every last drop drained out of them! Sacramentum’s nocturnal onslaught might strike you blind but won’t give you anything too involved to latch onto aside from a few clever time changes placed there and about. “Thy Black Destiny” is Sacramentum’s third full-length recording and features many moments where it’s okay for you as a listener to just step back and clear your head from the increasing punishment you’re bound to take. Starting off innocently, some might say, with “Iron Winds,” they’ll gently blow you right into a metal storm where you’d be best advised to take cover as—come on, you knew it was coming— “The Manifestation” grows quickly, consuming the very fiber of your being. Then by the time the “Demonaeon” and “Overlord” present themselves, the “Death Obsession” becomes imminent and thus it’s too late. Your soul’s just been sucked clean out of your existence and your body’s left to crumple under what you thought was a “Weave of Illusion” but in actuality, Sacramentum’s just introduced you to your Black Destiny… This CD is released by Century Media Records. USA 1453-a 14th Street #324 Santa Monica, CA 90404 Phone : 310 574 7400. Tel : 310 574 7414 mail@centurymedia.com GERMANY Schaeferstrasse 33a 44147 Dortmund Tel : +49 231 8297 0 Fax : +49 231 8297 101 Email : dortmund@centurymedia.com Website : http://www.centurymedia.com Review by vinnie Apicella |