SARGEIST – Feeding the Crawling Shadows (2014)

Genre: Black Metal

Label: World Terror Committee

Rating: 9/10

This year is going to be an awesome year for new releases, and already has been, to an extent. New Sargeist! What's more, Sargeist keeps up the quality. Read on to find out what I thought.

The first track on this album is the title-track. From the very first verse, one can feel the gloom. The vocals are different on this album; they're more, sort of, shouted roughly and deeply than screamed with full vocal distortion, though not all the time. Third section features a great, dark riff with a fitting lead over it, however, that lead is difficult to hear. In fact, due to the production on this album, the guitar parts are all difficult to distinguish on most songs. It took me three sets of speakers (my car's, which are a pretty nice custom job, and two sets of headphones) before getting the clearest picture (to say nothing of the multiple listens). At any rate, next up is “In Charnel Darkness,” which, according to Sargeist, is Shatraug's favourite track from the album; it is also mine. It's got almost this “Black Fucking Murder” feel. The darkness seethes through every riff. It is an evil song. The main riff can easily get stuck in your head.

Track three is called “Unto the Undead Temple,” and is a despairingly malefic song. The intro riff, which appears again around 2:30, is the best in the song. “Snares of Impurity” starts with a very Sargeist riff that also serves as a chorus. The lyrics are likewise profane and highly sacrilegious, to all of the songs. Song number five, “Return of the Rats,” sounds as do a lot of these songs, like they picked up where Let the Devil In left off. If “In Charnel Darkness” weren't on this album, this number would be my favourite from the album. The riff at 2:57 is insanely addictive, and carries out the song. Track six, “The Unspoken Ones,” is at first a bit blasé for Sargeist, but the verse makes up for the intro. The guitar at 1:48 is of particular note.

“The Shunned Angel” has a great set of chord progressions in the verse and chorus that are decidedly evil, as is the lead over the rhythm guitar tracks. The lead that starts at approximately the mid-section of the song is, as they say, pure gold. “Inside the Demon's Maze” is murky in the most classic sense. Track nine, “Kingdom Below,” sounds like you expect a Sargeist song to sound. Cut it, and it bleeds black. There are some great leads to be heard in this song, as well. Finally, in closer “Funerary Descent, it is on the catchier side. The riff that starts at 1:27 and the lead that goes over it are priceless, and part that comes afterward is equally awesome. The outro is killer, surprisingly melodic.

Overall, this is a fantastic album. I highly recommend purchasing it, which you can do here The only reason I deducted a half-point from its score was the production; I understand it is Black Metal, but everything was perfectly audible on Let the Devil In. However, for all I know, Shatraug didn't like that about LDI. Anyway, enjoy!