SARGEIST
Feeding The Crawling Shadows
Review + Stream

Label: World Terror Committee

I’m not going to lie: I really liked the direction of the last offering from Finnish Black Metal stalwarts Sargeist. Let The Devil In was a most decidedly melodic album, with catchy riffs and hooks galore. Songs like “From The Black Coffin Lair” and “Discovering The Enshrouded Eye” were instant winners and undeniably great in that Sargeist were able to express their doctrine of black extremity through melodic channels unheard theretofore and were able to do so without really sacrificing much of their trademark sound. It was still Sargeist, just catchier.

Fast forward four years and the trademark sound they engineered on their debut album is back in a big way on Feeding The Crawling Shadows. Whereas its predecessor was but an interesting take on that sound, this is an all-out return to form and then some.

And I’m not complaining one bit.

The band’s devotion to reaching the darkest depths of the soul is made abundantly clear on the opening track, with grim riffing that towers above, percussion that thunders below, and bass that pulsates within like an unholy heartbeat. The strikingly straightforward, grandiose composition wouldn’t be complete either without Hoath putting forth his most demonic sounding vocal performance yet. His low, yet rather clear, enunciated declarations grab you by the balls and take on this tonality at different times throughout the albums 48 minute running time, proving most effective on the aforementioned opener and “Snares of Impurity”.

From the outset of the second track, “In Charnel Darkness,” you get a swift taste of the brilliant melodic riffing we’ve all come to know and love from Sargeist that sweep you up into a realm of dark profundity where evil reigns supreme. The feeling of power and majesty evoked is unmatched and as always, supplanted with Hoath’s classic shrieks that send you ever onward into the eternal chasm of morbidity.

Despite the raw production values, each instrument shines through like never before, as one does not have to grasp in vain to hear the subtle, hair-raising undertow of the bass, for instance. The harsher elements have been accentuated while the band’s melodic tendencies are scaled back and therefore more rewarding when they do take center stage. The masterful interplay of brutality (definitely the heaviest Sargeist yet), melancholy, and captivating, soul stirring riffs plays out this way throughout the album’s rendering, giving Sargeist their most varied, well-composed album to date and is truly an amazing rekindling of the flame for Shatraug and Co.

All in all, Feeding The Crawling Shadows may not appeal much to fans who became acquainted with Sargeist via their last output, but should hit a home run with Black Metal die hards that favor the ways of the old school – for Feeding is a black art inspired 180 that sees the band returning to their roots in a big way. This is one the Traditionalist cannot afford to pass on in 2014. Full support.