Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sargeist - Dead Ravens Memory (2006)


Eight months after the release of their sophomore effort, Disciple of the Heinous Path, Sargeist broke their silence with a split album with Bahimiron. This review will focus solely on the Sargeist material, as the other band is of no consequence. Recorded at the Boneyard during the previous spring, "Dead Ravens Memory" was finally released by Obscure Abhorrence Productions, in May 2006.

This song is very much in the same vein as the material from the last full-length, and would have fit in with those songs, nicely. It maintains a fast pace throughout, though it does feature some variation in tempo. Torog's tormented voice compliments the mournful and haunting guitar riffs that bleed forth from Shatraug. Horns does a good job keeping the pace, without detracting from the rest. The production is similar to Disciple of the Heinous Path, though it retains an added sense of rawness that, likely, comes from not being properly mastered. Though this track is six minutes long, it simply is not enough to satiate the hunger of the band's loyal following. Even worse, it would be the last that anyone heard of Sargeist for two and a half years.

This is essential for any Sargeist fan, as "Dead Ravens Memory" is on par with most of the material that had been released, up to this point. Why the band bothers to do split albums with unworthy partners is beyond me. That said, ignore the other song and seek this out.