Scarab
Blinding The Masses

To revisit the lessons of the Sacred Monsters, refine one's musical approach, and create a Death Metal album that stands out in the saturation moment brought on by file sharing that has affected the genre in recent years (this should not be read as a criticism of this phenomenon, heavens forbid), impossible? No, the Egyptians Scarab succeed in all three objectives.

Formed in the land of the Pharaohs in 2006, after a very convincing EP of three tracks in 2007, the Scarab hailing from Cairo brought forth in 2009 "Blinding the masses", an official self-produced debut (but they have recently signed with Osmose Productions, hopefully in anticipation of the follow-up) mainly influenced by Nile and Morbid Angel; the mark of Karl Sanders' band is evident in all themes focused on the culture and spirituality of their motherland, the Azagthoth combo which had already heavily influenced Nile (in fact, a kind of more brutal Morbid Angel of the 2000s) brings to the table above all the composition of sinuous and never banal riffs, a precise and combative rhythm section, and a cavernous and powerful voice.

In terms of execution, the qualities are certainly not at Nile's level, but the desire, passion, and abilities are well conveyed by the intertwining of brutal riffs, epic and oriental solos, powerful blast-beats. A more specific mention is however deserved by the vocalist, Sammy El Sayyed, capable of recalling the David Vincent of past times.

"Blinding the masses" is a successful product also, and above all, because it doesn’t linger, doesn’t "get lost in chatter": 7 tracks plus a mood-setting intro ("Into the dunes"), a compact, homogeneous death metal concentrate that never gets lost in noise for its own sake; tracks like "Valley of the Sandwalkers" (one of the best death metal tracks heard in recent years that knows how to assimilate all the elements of the song form), the complex and frantic title-track, the engaging "Eye for Sanity" or the driving "Leaders of Agony" are definitely the most impactful and violent pieces of this colorful mosaic.

A mosaic that also presents more thoughtful, more curated elements, with a good taste for melody. Just think of the long and reflective introduction of "Ankh" which anyway leads to the death massacre of the finale; the same goes for the beautiful "Devourer of the Unjustified" with a small intro that builds tension for the splendid start of the actual piece and its cadenced refrain (also highly appreciable is the bass work which stands out especially during this track); even the concluding "War To End" is part of that more complex and less impactful section of the album, again with a soft introduction only to still end up embroiled in a highly convincing death metal played and interpreted with true mastery.

Releasing a truly noteworthy Death Metal album these days is a rare thing; Scarab probably (but I wouldn't take it for granted) won't be remembered in the Death Metal annals ten or fifteen years from now (always hoping that Death Metal, the real one, will still be around), but they nonetheless have a dedication to a genre that has always been anything but fashionable over the years (no matter what the Norwegian blacksters say), definitely worthy of reward.