Sargeist - Feeding The Crawling Shadows |
Published April 02 2014
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Feeding The Crawling Shadows |
| Genre | Black Metal |
Hoath Torog
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Vocals
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| Tracks | 10 |
Shatraug
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Guitar
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| Running time | 48 Min. |
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Guitar
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| Label | World Terror Committee |
Vainaja
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Bass
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| Release | 31 March 2014 |
Horns
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Drums
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| Country | Finland |
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Keyboard
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| Producer | --- | ||
| Similar artists | Horna, Behexen | ||
The core essence of black metal most fans would agree are the feelings and emotions invoked in the listener. The feelings invoked by Sargeist's music have evolved along with the music over the years, from the conventional melancholic darkness of 'Satanic Black Devotion' to the uplifting triumphant sound of 'Let the Devil in'. On their fourth full-length 'Feeding the Crawling Shadows' the emotional aspect of Sargeist's music has taken yet another devastating twist and turn.
On first listen influences of all the bands previous efforts will be found on 'Feeding the Crawling Shadows', particularly in the riff section. The first spins had this album pinned as the band taking a step back in time combining the riff style from 'Let the Devil in' with those of their earlier days all centered around a fairly lo-fi messy production. Then something started to happen, patterns emerged and emotions were invoked. Not a coherent set, but mixed and changed throughout the album.
Starting with despair and hopelessness, relief and a glimmer of hope is given for a moment, before the listener is plunged back into utter darkness once again. Then hope, then chaos and utter madness and so on. For 48 minutes 'Feeding the Crawling Shadows' is a journey to hell and back where the listener is thrown into a chaotic chase, possibly by the hooded gentleman on the cover, escapes for a brief second only to get all hope and dreams crushed in the next. All this culminates in 'The Shunned Angel' where the entire song is a struggle for your soul, life and existence. The song title 'Inside the Demon's Maze' kind of summarizes it. That is what this album feels like, being lost in a veritable hell, desperately trying to find your way out.
Luckily, the last notes of the album end with the final escape, but at its very peak this album conjures feelings of despair and abandonment few albums have managed to. Had it not been for the impossible time line I would have been convinced that this inspired Leif Edling to write the lines "I'm sitting here alone in darkness... please let me die in solitude".
So how do Shatraug manage this from a musical point of view? Well, it is rather difficult to pin something in particular down, it is rather a combination of factors. Combining the triumphant riffage of 'Let the Devil in' with more conventional tremolo heavy black metal riffs with a masterly flow is one such factor for sure. The skilful use of subtle twists and hooks in the guitar play is another. Not immediately notable, these are used with finesse to steer the listener into the right state of mind.
On the more notable side, Hoath Torog's vocals has taken yet another interesting turn on this one alternating between the conventional high-pitched screams of 'Let the Devil in' and deep grunting growls, the former giving you hope and the latter crushing it. This conclusively sets Hoath Torog as one of the most versatile vocalists in the genre, just listen to his development in Behexen.
Compared to the as-clear-as-black-metal-goes production of 'Let the Devil in' this one is rather messy and lo-fi, yet brings out details surprisingly well. It seems almost calculated and guides the listener with utter perfection. The riffs and vocals take turns to be partly crystal clear and partly withdrawn in the mix. When subtle details are brought forward to set your mind it seems entirely intended. The only aspect that does not work full time to conjure the emotional twists and turns is the drumming which is somewhat buried in the mix and flows with the guitar work rather than going out on a limb of its own.
'Feeding the Crawling Shadows' sees Sargeist taking their heritage and refining it on an emotional plane. The riffs, hooks, turns, vocals and song writing mostly reach the same level of brilliance as their earlier efforts apart from a few filler moments in the latter half of the album. In the end, it may not reach the musical tops of its predecessor but that says more about the brilliance of Sargeist's sonical legacy than of this album's qualities.
When it comes to the emotional journey though, 'Feeding the Crawling Shadows' is the jewel in the Sargeist crown. When listening to this album in the dark for the first time, two thirds in I found myself in fetal position fighting the urges to call on the wife to help me out of that dark and relentless abyss, yet I wanted more and more still of the torment and suffering.
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Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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7 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
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Summary
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8 chalices of 10 - Tengan |
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