Considering the standards set by
earlier 2011 releases from Saturnian Mist related personnel (Arvet,
Charnel Winds, Verge), the pressure for this group's major
full-length is tangible but, as expected, the band does not fail on
Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan, the debut work finally unleashed. Those already
familiar with the band's music (most probably from Repellings EP or
from their energetic live shows) know not to expect anything else
than deeply Satanic, harsh and mysterious black metal.
Compared to the previous EP's epic
soundscapes, this album kicks off surprisingly bare, as the simple
and almost thrashy power chords of ”The Regicide” suggest. The
rocking feeling is even more increased by Zetekh's airy, hardcorish
screams, but other than, Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan is a tad more regular
in black metal aesthetics, meaning mid to high paced evilness via
tremolo and blast beats. In spite of saying that there's 'regular'
black metal on this album, it doesn't mean it's done half-assed, not
at all: there's quite much to discover here, a lot of melodies that
don't get caught to your ears at the first spins. There's plenty of
solos, interesting vocal ideas utilizing clean singing, and then
there's the oppressive ”Aura Mystica”, the album's true highlight
that incorporates female singing to a heartrendering level of
greatness. Behold one of the best black metal songs in a while! The
sheer chaos at a certain poin in ”The Watcher's Feast” (4:12 to
be exact) serves as an opposite to previously named song's despondent
atmosphere, and I think this certain moment of piercing violence is
also one of the sweetest moments I've experienced within black metal
in some time. The eponymoys ”Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan” ends the album
with sweet addition of wistful organs on top of the black metal,
which equals awesomeness as well.
While I find that the best ideas of
Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan reside on the latter half of the record, there's
nothing wrong with the A side either, so the albums works beautifully
as a whole. I sense quite a lot of Funeral Mist here (Maranatha in
particular) and it is praiseworthy that Saturnian Mist doesn't fall
to the easiest melodies of regular Finnish black metal and, instead,
delivers a strong whole of authentic black metal. Production-wise,
you can hear the investment that has been put into the album's
recording, but the sound isn't however polished in any way.
Everything is enough audible and enjoyable to ears.
Anyone who's even a bit familiar with
the band's lyrics or interviews knows that Satan worshipping is a
level more serious than what you're used to come across in
contemporary black metal: occultism is what this band exhales and
inhales hundred percent. On topic of Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan, the title
already reveals a lot of the album's theme, translating into 'those
capable of knowing the Accuser”. To me the album seems to be a
massive feast on realizing the true meaning of Satan, dropping His
mask of mere meaningless violence, the importance of creation through
destruction, and revering His genuine essence - in other words, understanding Satan. The booklet is filled
with a lot of additional texts accompanying the song lyrics in more
or less direct ways, so there's a lot to read, and not only in the
additional pages but also some of the actual lyrics are really long
as well, like on the quite special ”Sacrifice of Faces Unbroken”,
a theatrical dialogue between a thief and a magician spanning on two
pages.
So in addition to the well-done black
metal, you're in for some exceptional lyricism. These two combined I
can not but to give a rather praising score even if not every second
of Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan shine with brilliance and ingenuity, but I don't know many,
if any, recent records that I'd find 100% perfect. Someone who's not
interested in the lyrical subject matter may find the album less
inspiring than me, that I do admit. Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan is a
successful bookend for 2011, and here's to hoping they return soon
enough with another record of same, or even higher, quality.
”Wars, murders, tortures, diseases,
natural disasters... The beautiful language of Satan. Ah, how
marvelously from these acts of ravage emerge always better forms,
better civilizations, better men – both spiritually and physically,
stronger cells... and everything that is worthless will vanish thanks
to our Master.”
4.5 / 5
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