Sargoth - Mörkrets Anlete (1995)

Sargoth was a short-lived band that existed for a time in the mid-90s, releasing only one demo and one full-length before vanishing. Their first offering was the Mörkrets Anlete demo, recorded in 1995, which is rather typical-sounding melodic Black Metal from Sweden. 

Fortunately, though this demo showcases the typical sort of melodicism that one would expect from Swedish Black Metal, yet the rougher production helps to keep it from becoming too much to stomach. As well, the vocals are fairly ugly, which also assists in offsetting the potential "beauty" of the melodies. Ignoring the intro and outro, Mörkrets Anlete really consists of only four tracks. Songs like "Barn av Natt" and "Christian Blood" feature cold and sometimes gloomy tremolo riffs that would not be out of place on the debut albums from the likes of Sacramentum and Vinterland, that followed in 1996. 

Mörkrets Anlete is rather average for the time it was released. It cannot be considered a 'hidden gem' by any means, but it is definitely worth tracking down for those that are into this style of Black Metal. Though, don't bother with anything else from the band. By the time of the Lay Eden in Ashes full-length, a few years later, Sargoth had shifted their sound just enough to be considered a generic Dark Funeral clone. All in all, a rather forgettable band, but a couple decent songs here.