Sanctus Infernum - Sanctus Infernum (CD)

Review
Fobia Zine
7/10
13.10.2008

Kapela pochází z Ameriky, přesněji se toto uskupení podařilo složit v samotném Kancasu. Jak z názvu napovídá, nebudou to žádní hodní pánové. První disk v jejich diskografii nasadil vcelku slušnou laťku a sám si říkám, jestli jí svým dalším zářezem překonají.

Bez intra se jde rovnou na věc a to velmi přímočaře. Deathík v pomalejším tempu s nádechem těžkých a hutných doomových riffů mě nutí k bedlivému poslechu. Nápaditým kytarovým sólem končí první song, který jakoby pokračoval ve stopě číslo dvě. Mohutný pěkně zabarvený chraplák zdobí každou skladbu, ale nejdou se i pasáže, kde je zpěv čistý. Albem se prokoušu celkem rychle, poslech víc než utíká a já jsem nucen přetáčet kotouček pořád dokola. Začátek The Journey Back, která je třetí na albu, patří španělkám a navnadí sluchovody pro nadcházející peklo, které si dává načas a nikam nespěchá. Velmi chytlavé kousky jsou například God Unto Myself
a Suffer, která si mě získala během prvních 10 vteřin. Těžký hutný riff jaký můžeme znát např. od Six Feet Under, se mi dostal rychle pod kůži. Se zbývajícími songy jsem si ujasnil, že nejlepší z desky bude právě Suffer.

Zvuk placky je slušný, působí hodně „heavy“ a dynamicky. Bicí zde mají skvělý zvuk a do kytarových partií šlapou přesně jako hodinky. Složitost muziky hledat nemůžeme a možná právě proto placka působí tak jak působí. Na mě udělali páni z Amariky dojem. Jen tak dál…

Author: Orbb

Review
Executioner Zine
7.25/10

¿Quién habría dicho unos años atrás que a las bandas americanas las acabarían editando sellos rusos? Sanctus Infernum es un nuevo proyecto que ha montado el señor Mark Anderson (Manilla Road) y donde da rienda suelta a sus inquietudes más extremas.

En este caso tenemos ocho temas de un Doom/Black que me trajo a la mente casi instantáneamente a Candlemass si usasen un vocalista de voz desgarrada y grave, a medio camino entre el registro Death y Black, y con algo más de pesadez en la música. Riffs densos, pegadizos y contundentes, de los que tan famosos han hecho los suecos (o Solitude Aeternus, por no centrarnos en una sola influencia), con ese toque tan característico de melancolía y el pequeño retazo diabólico que siempre está ahí. Y no quiero que esto suene como algo negativo, está claro que son muy parecidos, rozan el plagio en algunos temas (esto se da sobretodo en los primeros, a partir de la mitad se alejan algo de esa influencia), pero al menos están a la altura de los originales.

La diferencia está en la voz, como dije antes, y me imagino que ese punto es el que puede sorprender y, en algunos casos, disgustar, lo cual no ha ocurrido en el mío. Es mejorable, sí, pero pega bastante bien. El tono es profundo pero entendible, bien vocalizado y con feeling, aunque muy frío. Digamos que le da un toque añadido de densidad y oscuridad al conjunto.

Aparte de eso, el trabajo de guitarra es digno de mención, contundente y con el toque justo de melodía y técnica que evitan la monotonía, unos solos épicos bastante buenos y una progresión de riffs que sabe jugar con pocos cambios pero consiguen que no te aburras.

Producción más que correcta, aunque le falta algo que no sé que es, pero vamos, sin pegas, suena bien, y una presentación también correcta. Un CD que no está mal para empezar, pero tendrán que ahondar en su sonido y encontrar como usar esas influencias sin recurrir tan claramente a ellas

Author: Jeroni Sancho

Review
Hardsounds
7.5/10
17.09.2008

Sebbene prodotti da un label russo, i Sanctus Infernum, qui al loro debutto, provengono dalle grigie e desolate distese del Kansas e vantano tra le loro fila la presenza del chitarrista Mark Anderson, che in passato ha militato nella celeberrima heavy metal band Manilla Road. Certo è che non si parla di battaglie epiche e di cavalieri qui: il sound dell'ossimorica band è un lentissimo e ruvido doom/death metal di stampo classico e con una forte componente black. Facciamo delle necessarie precisazioni: la registrazione è ottimale, così come la scelta dei suoni e la composizione dei brani, davvero colta e ispirata anche se gli appassionati del virtuosismo e della tecnica esasperata farebbero meglio a rivolgersi altrove, così come gli estimatori della registrazione spartana e della struttura armonica approssimativa ma "cult". Le coordinate stilistiche sono quelle del Doom Death di scuola classica, in pratica i primi Amorphis e in maggior misura gli Incantation. Quindi nessuna grande innovazione stilistica, solo un album suonato e concepito egregiamente, se può bastarvi. I suoni bassi e saturati della chitarra, che segue a ruota la lenta e inesorabile struttura ritmica di basso e batteria. La solistica è uno dei punti più alti dell'album, essendo caratterizzata da un sopraffino gusto compositivo e grandi melodie, e la monumentale "The Journey Back", lunghissimo brano introdotto e chiuso da bellissimi arpeggi acustici, è la prova che la band è capace di unire in un unico essere un'ottima capacità di creare riff, un gran senso della melodia e passaggi anche piuttosto inusuali. E poi la voce. Il growl bassissimo e sporco di Ricky Vannatta, che incorpora anche elementi black, è quanto di più appropriato e azzeccato ci possa essere per la musica dei Sanctus Infernum. L'elemento Death si fa sentire maggiormente in pezzi come la bella opener "Flesh Without Sin" o "Suffer". Bella anche l'atmosferica e lunga "Let It Be So", brano che gravita tra arpeggi e cupe atmosfere cadenzate. In definitiva, non ci troviamo di fronte a un disco che aprirà nuovi orizzonti musicali o che rivoluzionerà quanto già detto finora, piuttosto un bell'album, che piacerà agli appassionati del genere.

Author: Francesco "Crash" La Tegola

Review
Quintessence
4/6

Sanctus Infernum from Kansas deliver their debut full-length through a label from Russia. I guess that couldn’t be possible say 15 years ago. The world changes, right?
Actually I’m quite glad this album has seen the light of day as this is some proper death/doom metal in the truest sense of the word. Slow, but very heavy riffing done with conviction which leads to songs that invite to bang your head or play air-guitar or at least tap your feet to. Yeah, this is heavy stuff. With the addition of tasteful guitar leads the result is simply great. Nothing really fancy or out of the ordinary this band sticks to being heavy! Due to the vocals I kind of got the idea you can compare Sanctus Infernum a bit to Beyond Belief, but also a band like Lucifer’s Hammer. This self-titled album made such an impression on me that I have to keep myself updated on future releases. Great stuff!

Author: Pim Blankenstein

Review
The Metal Obsrver
7.5/10
18.10.2008

If a band’s name determined its fate on the Metal music scene, it is most likely that the musicians of SANCTUS INFERNUM would be among the most renown acts dealing with dark heavy stuff. Unfortunately the way from coming up with a suitable name for a musical group to becoming a respected and appreciated one seems to be at least very long and covering this distance is rather impossible without any remarkable artistic merits. Applying this in the context of the Americans’ first release, I can say that a good step has been taken by them and a decent effort has been done. No giant leaps here, yet a portion of solid guitar load of atmospheric Death/Doom character.

Right, the guitars play here the most vital role and the composition structure of particular songs relies basically on this specific instrument. Its extremely heavy sound – quite obviously making me recall a certain gloomy band from Birmingham which started their big career at the beginning of the 70’s – is the first thing one is going to notice here. Another one is that they are driven in a pretty absorbing, nearly hypnotic way that may at times result in uncontrollable and unintended headbanging. This funereal tempo guitar feast bears moreover some Death Metal feeling, which surely enough also emerges courtesy of Ricky Vannatta’s vocal performance. Apart from some few moments filled with whispered lyrics the guy does not care about sparing his vocal cords delivering the texts by the well known extreme means, a feature that not only absolutely suit this music but also emphasizes the mesmerizing potential lying in the guitar riffs.

What undoubtedly constitutes the highlight of this record is the awesome soloing crowning each of the eight compositions that parenthetically are maintained mainly in slow/mid tempo. Clocking between three or sometimes even more than ten minutes these songs, although not being specially diverse (it regards nearly everything – the pace, the vocals, riff structures and rhythmic section efforts), manage somehow to keep my attention during the whole CD. The third track on the list called “The Journey Back” is coming forward as a stand-out track if we focus on musical variety on “Sanctus Infernum”. Being the longest one it involves – aside from the already mentioned features – an introduction part with singer’s whispers accompanied by acoustic guitar and an outro lasting for more than two minutes based solely on a pleasant guitar dialogue sounding for a moment somewhat exotic actually. Such a similar song structure can be found also in the closing tune “Let It Be So”.

Turning my attention towards the production matters, I can say this album represents the ranks of the rather unpolished and raw ones, with the reservation that selectiveness is preserved. The organic feel of the whole album adds to its value and reminds at the same time about the roots of Metal music.

Whereas SANCTUS INFERNUM are neither offering anything new to the genre nor even making an attempt at doing so, they still have released a record that will remain one of the most solid musical publications this year. Honestly, many a Metal fans, mostly those into Doom genre, should in theory be completely satisfied with experiencing these sounds.

Author: Sebastian