SARGEIST

This one is painful to the ears and threatening to faithfully blind white-lighters, just as you would expect from the first SARGEIST full-length album in five years. The time was well spent, as vocalist Torog and drummer Horns (both of BEHEXEN),and Leader of the Spiritually Bankrupt, guitarist Shatraug (HORNA),have made what is in many ways is a definitive representation of orthodox black metal. More directly, "Let the Devil In" is black metal par excellence and a certainty for placement on numerous year-end top album lists.

Devoid of musical impurities and defiantly oppositional to genre qualifiers most often typified with terms like "death," "pagan," or "folk," SARGEIST's new opus of Christian castigation is nothing but "black" in its most malicious form. The previous statement about its painfulness is not metaphorical or even remotely smacking of hype; it is truth. When played at high volumes through headphones, popular conceptions of tinnitus are laughable; the incessant ringing in the ears from the scathingly treble-heavy tremolo picking, paired with Torog's terrifying shriek, results in not mere annoyance, but decibel-inducing madness. It almost makes THORNSPAWN's "Sanctified by Satan's Blood" seem relaxing by comparison; "almost," as in "not quite". That the only volume level at which "Let the Devil In" realizes its full potential is "high" equates to an all-or-nothing proposition for you, oh discernable listener, which in the end means you're screwed either way.

The album's auditory-impairment aspects are indeed notable and if one were judging the album solely on factors like seamlessness of flow, violence of expression, and lethality of performance, then "Let the Devil In" would get high marks. But judgments that go no further are missing the bigger picture, which is that SARGEIST has attained a compositional maturity that leaves the fundamentals untouched, yet deepens the impact of the work. Though the first half is defined largely by high-velocity assaults, there is more than may initially meet the ear in terms of harsh melody and six-string subtleties. It is during the second half though where SARGEIST occasionally veer, if only moderately, from traditional BM composition, mainly by bolstering the compositions with periodic shifts to a low-register vocal, a noticeable up-tick in groove, and even true blue refrains that offer both immediacy and lasting appeal, as best represented by the unforgettable title track.

In most simple terms, those desirous of black metal orthodoxy packaged with flawless performance and songwriting of some distinction are strongly encouraged to send payment to the Moribund Cult in return for a copy of "Let the Devil In". Fundamentally speaking, it is about as good as it gets.