Ripping melodic and atmospheric black metal band Sacramentum gained a cult following for their lush use of melody without missing the riff-focused methods and intense morbid darkness of traditional black metal.
Skimming the edges of both melodic technical Swedish death metal and Iron Maiden / black metal hybrids like Dissection, Sacramentum built on what Sentenced had done to make a form of music which was mostly black metal with influences from death metal and traditional heavy metal.
Twenty-four years after the release of their masterpiece, Far Away From The Sun, the band have announced their triumphant return:
Hail the ever growing Northern Darkness!
The ancient and infernal spirit of Sacramentum has been dormant for
two decades, In its hypnotic and hysterical sleep it has traveled far
beyond human comprehension. It has been sleeping in the Shadow of
Oblivion and gathered strength and power to erect the black pantheon
of Sacramentum.Now the spirit has awakened!
The Journey continues in 2020 as one of the headlining acts of
Netherlands Deathfest and Maryland Deathfest. But this is just the
beginning! A new masterpiece of true dark art is to be unleashed upon
the earth! Entitled Shadow of Oblivion which was the name of an early
painting made by Anders Brolycke in 1994 and also a part of the layout
on the Finis Malorum EP.This dare we say is the follow up to Far Away from the Sun. In close
collaboration with my long time brother of the mighty Grotesque/Liers
in wait, Necrolord has begun preparations for a new stunning painting.
The artwork will reflect the music just as it did on Far Away from the
Sun.For two decades we have waited for the spirit to awaken… Time has come…
Blood Shall Be Spilled!Mori ego adoremus.
Nisse Karlén on behalf of Sacramentum
January 22, 2020
Tags: Black Metal, sacramentum
I’ve been waiting forever for this moment… please please PLEASE sound like Winger!!!
Winger rules.
Probably gonna be shit, like 99% of comeback albums. Not to mention that the album title sounds very close to the newest Possessed album.
If anyone can pull it off, this band can. One member has stayed prolific in Runemagick, and the others seem to have become above net contributors in other areas of life. They skipped all of the metal revivals and are now dropping in when underground metal is at its least popularity ever, especially since all the emocore stuff has even begun to bore its audience and thus they have fled the underground world. Perhaps they just waited for NWN forum to die? I like the title, too, very Plato plus postmodern oblivion. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and send them all the money I was going to send to #YangGang2020.
I’d say it came at exactly the right time. Given the current resurgence in melodic black metal. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I think it’ll just be a phoned in effort. Also the fact that they’re disregarding their less popular releases and making the “true” follow up to ‘Far Away from the Sun’ is suspiciously telling. Especially since ‘Far Away from the Sun’ has seen some fairly recent gain in popularity. I’m not holding out any hopes for this release. It’d be nice if they’d prove me wrong.
The main argument against the idea you express here, by the way, is that Sacramentum has had plenty of time for a shallow cash-in if they wanted one, and clearly they do not need the money. Their only incentive to return is to make something that will raise the value of the name of their band, and doing that requires a triumph. Compare this to what Beherit, Burzum, and Demoncy have done with their later careers; it is possible to achieve greatness, even in middle age.
They could be in it for nostalgia rather than a simple cash-in. Perhaps they’ve always wanted to recreate something like FAFtS. With age they’ve realized that that time in their career was their most creative and when they felt the most alive. And knowing full well that they have at least once been capable of greatness is another mental bait.
But cynicism aside, this could be great.
Nostalgia that aims for quality might be an excellent thing, all told. If one wants to relive the glory days in their full intensity, it requires quality music executed well. This band has shown uncommon degrees of quality control.
I’m going to counter-argue here that the timing is better than ever. A cheap cash-in earlier could’ve resulted in failure. They’re at the peak of their hype right now. Their incentive to return sounds more like a midlife crisis to me than a desire to triumph. With regards to Beherit and Burzum, there was never the same hype surrounding them at the time of their respective comeback albums. It seemed far more organic. Yes, it is possible to achieve greatness, but will it be a genuine effort. I have no doubt they could churn out a product with enough skill to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes that are hoping for a return to yesteryear. Why couldn’t they do a follow up to ‘Far Away from the Sun’ during their ‘Coming of Chaos’ era? And I actually enjoy that album to some degree.
They’re not even close to the peak of their hype; that happened fifteen years ago. Outside of a few small and ever-shrinking circles, no one was talking about them before they were announced for MDF, and I saw entirely too many people saying “who the fuck are Sacramentum?” on Facebook when they were announced.
They’re getting more recognition now than they did 15 years ago. I see them getting name dropped left, right and centre. Maybe not by the majority of the brain dead Maryland Deathfest crowd, but definitely by people beating off mercilessly to this resurgence of melodic black metal.
For context, however, until the band started releasing a punk rock album every year, “Who the fuck is Darkthrone?” was common on Facebook.
Very unexpected news.
It’s hard to be hopeful, as these come-back albums almost never live up to expectations – but, after reading them say “This dare we say is the follow up to Far Away from the Sun”, it’s also tempting to believe we could actually be offered a work of greatness.
That claim at least shows the band recognises that ‘Far Away from the Sun’ is the one to measure up to, rather than the second and third albums.
well they’ve had 20 years worth of writing from nerds on the internet talking about how that’s their only good album to guide their efforts. so you know this is going to be a tryhard pandering mess of rancid cadaverous vaginal secretion smeared across the stall partition of a mental institution restroom but hey that’s what sells these days so fuck it, the horse carcass hasn’t been flayed to a withered skeleton yet and that’s the fault of optimists like yourself so hopefully that CD shatters when you’re trying to open it and sprays shrapnel fragments that slit your skinny wrists so we have one less supporter of bullshit retread comeback albums on this hellhole planet.
but yes it would be nice if they put out a decent album, even if it’s only as good as the cumming of chaos at least that’s a comfy listen.
I can’t recall but till what age does this phase last? I know a few balding fatfucks who still talk like this but generally this is done by 18-22 tops?
the phase you’re in unfortunately will probably last the rest of your life. there is no medication or surgery to fix a broken sense of humor besides the classic doc kevorkian treatment.
Raping the ass of Christ and posting GNFOS to 4chan are lifetime pursuits.
Seems you misread my comment.
I’m far more sceptical than I am optimistic about this album turning out to be great, but will reserve judgement until I hear it.
actually YOU misread MY comment. i was just typingl a bunch of bullshit to amuse myself and you took it too seriously.
Satan – Life Sentence
Celtic Frost – Monotheist
These are the only ones I can think of tbh. I am sure I am missing some……
It’s not their only good album though. The others went in a different direction, more speed metal. I think the band felt that between the EP and the album, they had stated their melodic black metal piece for the time being, and moved on to their influences.
More than that, based on statements on the band’s old website from the “Thy Black Destiny” era (where they were panning other black metal bands for being soft and wimpy), I think it was a reaction to the time. When the big things in black metal were riffless “ambient” black metal and ball-less “melodic/symphonic” black metal, the clear way to create a different path was to create a riffier and more violent form of music. Now that we’re in war metal NWN land, things are more fertile for a return to the more melodic style of the first EP and album.
Other bands did something similar too: Immortal’s At The Heart of Winter was roughly from that period, and Darkthrone had just decided to continue Celtic Frost’s career.
Black metal is cheesy anyway, and I only listen to it casually when I want to LARP and pretend I’m 20 years old again.
I don’t do anything halfway. Most of the best parts of life are cheesy, like love and stuff.
What is the best metal comeback record with at least 10 years between albums?
Beherit – Engram.
WRONG
it’s either
Satan – Life Sentence
or
Divine Eve – Vengeful and Obstinate
Both good albums. Does Demoncy Enthroned in Darkness count?
http://hugeblackcocksintinypinktwinks.com/
No it does not you fucking clown. DMX…REVIEW IT
“Hail the ever growing Northern Darkness!
…
For two decades we have waited for the spirit to awaken… Time has come…
Blood Shall Be Spilled!”
Say no more.
This is stellar news! I thought all three of their albums and their EP were solid. They showed that they were able to master different genres while also adding their own unusual signature sound to them.
Good band, haven’t heard their last one from 1999 and don’t think I’m going to check out this, but their 3 first releases was all good.
don’t forget sedes impiorum. it’s better than the last two full – lengths.
I would listen to everything. Nothing falls below the B line here.
cringe woke shit all these bands do to hype up their shit. See see we know the good shit from the 90s bruh. Yeah whatever not the attitude tho. This is gonna suck nerds. Just saying
yeah no shit
We’re extending faith in them because of what they have done in the past.
People aren’t equal. Many metal bands may sell out for 23 pieces of solidified goat semen, but not every metal band.
It’s our way out here in metalfandomland of saying that we believe they can do it, and that we’re interested if they can pull it off.
The band knows that if they do not make a great album, they effectively disappear.
Morons will buy anything if theres enough hype behind it.
You about to get a belus dropped smh
Belus was the result of a band shifting audiences, in my view. Burzum saw its old audience depart, replaced by fans of the new flowing black metal styles, and attempted to create something in that vein. It seemed to satisfy them, but as I predicted at the time, was quickly forgotten despite the many fanbois of the NWNprod forums swearing that it was the best black metal album ever.
Unlike a lot of people releasing comeback albums over the past two decades, Nicklas Rudolfsson is still actively pushing himself to make good music (with Runemagick). At the very least the motivation for this isn’t a cash grab or to “get together again and have some fun”. I’m cautiously optimistic!
we need more oldschool death thrash on DMU. like hellcannonnoniski and hellwitchski
“The less alone I am the more alone I feel.
Still hoping to final something of my kind.
Melancholy shadows fills my heart and eyes,
and a flame from the past burns my soul.
As shadows in a world of this betrayal light
a world which was never meant for me.
In a deep dark forest,
In solitude I’m having my rest.
In the deep dark ancient,
where my blood not will be frozen,
In my lonely mortal wondering,
darkened by burdens.
Emptiness is ruling
the sombre mind of mine.
When time cease to be,
my soul it can be free.
Kept alive be hatred, all alone.