•
Rating: Songs: Rating:
The Serpentine Offering 8/9
The Chosen Legacy 7+
The Conspiracy Unfolds 7 1/2
The Ancestral Feuer 6
The Sacrilegious Scorn 8 1/2
The Fallen Arises 8 1/2
The Sinister Awakening 7
The Fundamental Alienation 8 1/2
The Invaluable Darkness 7 1/2
The Foreshadowing Furnace 6
Album Rating:
Moral Rating: 8
Arithmetic Rating: 7.56
Album Review
"In Sorte Diaboli" presents itself as a symphonic black metal album with slight death metal influences. Almost all the tracks on the album are well-crafted: Sagrath's vocal parts are well-conceived and thoughtfully placed within the pieces, matched by the epic verses sung by Ics Vortex which see significant growth in this new work.
Looking more in-depth, we can come across a song which is most likely the most engaging on the album: "The Serpentine Offering". This track reveals an introduction, at first impact, surprising, almost on par with the (instrumental) bridge of "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse", meaning: ABSOLUTELY EXCITING! If we then listen to the wonderful voice of the bassist extending a good 56 seconds of pure thrill (a timeframe never reached before), Shagrath's vocal performance excellently balanced without being excessive for even a moment, and the mini death metal bridges, we can realize that this song reveals itself not only as a great song but also as an excellent lead single to introduce the world to the truly commendable abilities of this group. Of course, the song I referred to in the previous lines is not the only one that should be considered, which is why I’d like to talk about another 3 pieces that have captured my attention and even my heart. "The Sacrilegious Scorn" is a very stimulating track thanks to an excellent vocal performance by Ics Vortex, and the dark, somewhat psychedelic bridge. Unfortunately, this potential song loses points because the second part contains a guitar experimentation in the death metal style that is not well-refined.
"The Fallen Arises" is, in my opinion, the second-best track of the album. An instrumental piece that sets itself apart from noteworthy pieces like "Fear And Wonder", and finds in this detachment its strength (originality). In fact, unlike in other pieces, we don't just find an orchestra of linked strings, but also a simple percussion loop repeated without variations throughout the track’s duration. Once again, Mustis succeeded in perfectly harmonizing percussion with strings, choirs, and electronic effects. Particularly spot-on is the choice to include the neigh of a horse. "The Fallen Arises" could easily reach a 9 if it weren’t for its slight repetitiveness.
The eighth track on the CD is predominantly a black metal song and the death influences do not constitute a flaw. Very stimulating is the introduction: a well-executed very dark Gregorian chant, too bad it lasts only 16 seconds. The rest is quite engaging: the guitar riffs are sharp and Shagrath’s voice also makes a strong impression. If this piece had had a different style of ending, perhaps it might have earned an 8/9 from me.
The rest of the tracks are decent, even though they don't shine with originality. In fact, it is precisely this flaw that I feel compelled to attribute to the album, a significant loss of originality, especially in the pieces "The Ancestral Feuer" and "The Foreshadowing Furnace" where Mustis’s ability to produce symphonic bases that not only harmonize with the other instruments but are also engaging in themselves seems very limited.
In conclusion, I say that "In Sorte Diaboli" is an excellent album slightly more black than symphonic but still will be very much appreciated by both old fans and those approaching this splendid genre for the first time.
ENJOY LISTENING.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Serpentine Offering ()
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
Evoked and entertained through centuries
Wrathful and sullen -- Dormant still
The ferocity pervades everywhere
Waiting to be released at last
Hear my offering
Ye bastard sons and daughters
Share my sacrifice
Share my sacrifice.
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
Reconcile not with the fear of the snake
But embrace it as your own
Inject its venom into your veins
And replant the seed that gives growth
Still shrouded in mystery
Until you arise above perception
A veil of ignorance is in motion
Continuing throughout generations
(A veil of ignorance is in motion
Continuing throughout multiple generations
Let me be the one that deliver you from the deceit
And back into perfect accordance with the laws of nature)
The snake is notoriously tempting
But the snake is fair
What is worse than not knowing?
To live or disappear?
The ferocity pervades everywhere
Waiting to be released at last
Hear my offering
Ye bastard sons and daughters
Share my sacrifice
Share my sacrifice
02 The Chosen Legacy ()
Hence I will anoint
And whisper wholeheartedly
The creed of Hades and beyond
As I succumb to inevitable sin
For I can not enslave myself
With imaginary words of salvation
The hypocrisy that surrounds my temple
Is assisted by pretenders to the throne
The winds that blow purity
Signily my chosen legacy
I was born in opposition
A contender to creation
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
For my sins
I will ask no forgiveness
For my sins
They are not to forgive
So never speak of me quietly
Stand by my confession
I voice your rebellion
Against the traitor of the world
I am the first creature of this Kingdom
I will be The One
To outlive His time
With the triumph of free will
04 The Sacrilegious Scorn ()
Have I not
Been too long in the shadows of invention and creation
As I rightfully behold the flesh
Fear of the conscious mind will have you facing away
My word and world holds ground and is real
Your word is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit of different tongues
It all seems like an eternity
This battle between us two
"Good and evil"
Me and you
Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me
My word and world holds ground and is real
Your word is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit of different tongues
You can never corrupt me again
Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me
You can never corrupt me again
I protect every man guilty of sin
The ultimate sin being me
The vapor from the plague
That infested my mind, body and soul
Obscured my view from wisdom
The mist that had me wonder in resentment cleared
And troubles me no more
06 The Sinister Awakening ()
I sense the darkness
The desire overtakes
My devotion endeavors
Habitation changing course
Repentance oh not
No shame or remorse
Will I ever authorize
On this treasured path
I am warm by this fire
And its flaming desire
For what I can not fulfill
My destiny completes
I believe my truth to be
A much greater thing
Than a manufactured lie
Too great to comprehend
Where I come from
There's no higher authority but me
Being my own god
Is all I was meant to be
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
In Sorte Diaboli
07 The Fundamental Alienation ()
My eyes got blinded
And conned by the light
Like a fugitive on the run
I sought perseverance in the night
Deceptive icons were finally
Taken out of my sight
As the contender to origin
I will forever unveil His might
They say I am the cancer
On the back of the Inquisition
I may well be the cancer
In the heart of the Inquisition
They say I am the cancer
On the back of the Inquisition
I am the cancer
In the heart of the Inquisition
Through my years of sacrifice
Evolution came with lessons learned
Respect and fear
Is what I earned
So underestimate not your vision
Or you will be taught
Calculate your intuition
And you will teach
You all have been conned
And I always take the blame
For you do not understand
You are all the same
08 The Invaluable Darkness ()
Fear Tomorrow's Adversary And the wealth of uprising The final storm will be released And the unmerciful will erect Hidden from the eyes of your God I will proclaim original sin And have you all purged and purified From the lies that remain within Cleansed and draped in sulphur linen Black and pure since the Beginning Mercy is not truth Your sins are next to mine Mercy is not truth All your sins are next to mine My soul's ablaze Inflamed with rage and isolated In whirlwinds of hate My soul's ablaze Yet camouflaged in the haze Why did He not see this coming? Why did He not understand? One time forsaken But forgotten I am not I will win this war But never the peace I am my own free spirit Hence I will not rest
09 The Foreshadowing Furnace ()
Sparks fly and fire licks my wings
Tied to this wood - I was born for burning
I rebelled against the flock
Declined to submit to slavery
As a token from my legions of the chosen few
I reveal the secrets to the world's most famous forgery
As flames devour my skin
Flesh melting - peeling off
My days as an earthbound entity
Are outnumbered and have come to an end
I will never be laid to rest
But be free from oppression
Those of my kin - the black flame
Those of my sin - hail my name
Those of us that have been given eyes to see
Will never be laid to rest but be free from oppression
In this hour I finally separate
Carnal knowledge from divine will
In this hour I finally separate
Myself from your tyranny
Still our enemies will keep hiding
In the shadows with betrayal against reason
But with my reprisal I shall endure
And uncover the magnitude of this treason
I will arise from perdition
And let me presence known
I will author a new era
And have my Beast shown
My stigma is of damnation
I am from beyond your God
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Matt7
'In Sorte Diaboli' is a nightmare made dream, it’s a journey through hell.
The music speaks and dispels any doubt about the group’s quality.
By Hell
This CD is crap... it has no soul and its merits, if they can be so called, are a tenth of the flaws.
Almost all the songs aim to capture attention in the first 20-30 seconds, but the rest of the tracks do not turn out to be inspired or convincing.
