Outstanding Black Death from the Ukraine, their second album. They got really weird later on in their career but hell, this one slays!
Satanic, misanthropic black art that transgresses morality and aims to destroy this rotten christian world. Satanogenesis is a well crafted album that boasts great production and innovative song writing.
Second album of great Satanic black-death metal band from Ukraine. Recorded in famous Hertz studio (Poland)! Super Blasting stuff!
Before starting to explore that second album by Ukrainian prolific and changing band Semargl, I was able to measure the gap between their first release Attack On God (2005) and their eighth full-length, New Era (2018). The beastly creature that annihilated everything and everyone in its path fifteen years ago has mutated into a metallic dancefloor freak, practicing what its creators called "Satanic pop metal". Remember The Kovenant's shift from In Times Before The Light (when it still was called Covenant) to Animatronic ? Well, it's far worse here.
Don't get me wrong. I'm an enthusiast of The Kovenant, whatever the genre in which they evolve, and it may be the same with Semargl, once I get the occasion of deepening my knowledge about their latest albums. I'm not afraid of stylistic boldness, I can even say most of my favourite artists wander in weird zones more often than not. No, by "worse", I meant the huge trench separating both entities, the one responsible for the first four albums, and the other, the band that will probably have divided (understatement !) their fanbase since 2012.
Satanogenesis is not here to cleave at all, but it does constitute a wonderful cleaver. Indeed, I don't see how that fantastic (no more suspense, sorry, you saw the title of the review anyway) piece of formidably inspired black metal could disappoint those who loved the well-praised Attack On God . Let's put it that way : it's hard to remember an album or a band capable of displaying so many guitar hooks in so short a time lapse. Though they do remind the likes of Dimmu Borgir or Emperor (I even thought about the mighty Myrkskog at one moment, in a slower version), never would we be tempted to point our fingers at those eastern aesthetes with an accusing grin on our faces. Their personnality is just too strong, their talent too obvious and their songs too nicely-built.
This is exactly why I am confident about the fact I will probably dig their new stuff : when brilliant artists choose to evolve, to fork, to make sweeping changes for whatever reasons (bore, new ideas, wrong choice at first, growing maturity, concrete block fell on the head, etc), I tend to follow them blindly, no questions asked. I'm generally even excited with such u-turns. Of course, it doesn't work as well when it's the other way round : to sum up, when an intelligent and innovative band becomes lazy and starts to get in line.
Anyway. Listen to those dissonant, Machievellian, catchy-as-hell, melodic, irresistible riffs, let the snake in charge, Rutap, soothe you with his raspy vocals, dive headfirst into those marvellous tracks, that could surprise you by the way ("Prayer Of Purifying"). You don't like surprises ? No problem. "Devil In Me" will set things straight : this is a perfect black metal mid-tempo hit that will force you to headbang all the way, despite your recent trampoline accident. Satanogenesis is doubtlessly one of the seven wonders of... The year 2006, and certainly more.
Sample:
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