Since early last year, the English based underground label Barghest has been churning out great looking black metal releases, mostly vinyl, and even though there haven't been a plethora of output, it's all been more about the quality – the lineup comprising Luciation and Dødsengel. Now the roster is joined by another northern force named Saligia that is set to release their major debut Sic Transit Gloria Mundi next week.
What Saligia provides here is essentially uncompromising and uncompressed black metal reeking of deepest hells. The sound is indeed quite thin and absent of bass, the driving force being the thrilling, ringing tremolo guitar work. The stripped and natural sound of the production reminds me instantly of Vitsaus' last year Sielunmessu. While the riffs stay in somewhat safe grounds within the Norwegian underground black metal paradigm (a lot of evilness, mysteriousness and very latent melancholy), there's enough fresh hooks in the meandering riffs that are at times almost ingenious. You could think of Armagedda and then you might understand what I mean when I say there's originality in the unoriginality. Musical comparisons are easy to drop to Dødsengel and the similarity is no accident, considering that it's the same person behind the kit. But the familiar elements don't end to the battering: the moans and groans of the vocalist are executed in very similar spirit as well.
The lo-fi, unchanging soundcape absent of dynamics makes Sic Transit Gloria Mundi a challenging listen that simply requires time and heavy rotation so that the dexterous guitar lines show their full potential. Admittedly, there's some material here that seems like a bit of filler, but the stagnation of lackluster material is quite minimal after all. The album is not for all casual black metal listeners out there, but more seasoned ears will realize that we're dealing with a better-than-average black metal album from the current Norway scene.
3.5 / 5
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