Sargeist - Satanic Black Devotion
Moribund Cult
Black Metal
9 songs ()
Release year: 2003
Sargeist, Moribund Cult
Reviewed by Tony
Archive review

Originally a side project of Shatraug, the braintrust of Horna, Sargeist have established their own identity since forming in 1999. They are a band which provide typical Black Metal fury, but intertwine well written melodies to add another dimension. 2003's Satanic Black Devotion does well to show the listener their intention and defines the sound Sargeist are seeking. There are few things more boring than a Black Metal band with straight chords and blast beats. Sargeist maintain a certain heaviness but do well to throw in leads that really work with the rhythm guitar and drums.

The song opens up with a brief intro, before the title track explains my description of melodic heaviness. The first riff, set to blast beats has one guitar playing rapid fire chords, most likely minor power chords, while the lead plays a simple but well structured rhythm to open the song. I have 3 favorite songs from the album, but the winding road of leads, the interesting drum patterns, and the simple but potent riffs really shine on Satanic Black Devotion.

The only true issues raised about this album is on some songs the vocals seem to be a bit too raspy for my tastes. They sound fine, don't get me wrong, but they are just too inaudible on songs like Black Fucking Murder . It also seems that sometimes the drums are louder than other times. The bass drum is hard to hear even when the bass in my car is tuned loudly. Being a part time drummer, who has an obsession with great bass work, this is probably the biggest detractor that this album has.

Satanic Black Devotion is a solid album that I have spun regularly for about a year now. Just something about those mid pace melodic runs through the fretboard are really enjoyable. While it's no classic, it's a good album sure to please many Black Metal fans

Killing Songs :
Black Fucking Murder, Sargeist, Satanic Black Devotion
Tony quoted 88 / 100
Other albums by Sargeist that we have reviewed:
Sargeist - Death Veneration reviewed by Alex and quoted 90 / 100
Sargeist - Unbound reviewed by Alex and quoted 86 / 100
Sargeist - Feeding the Crawling Shadows reviewed by Alex and quoted 88 / 100
Sargeist - The Rebirth of a Cursed Existence reviewed by Jared and quoted no quote
Sargeist - Let the Devil In reviewed by Tony and quoted 92 / 100
To see all 7 reviews click here
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