1. Sitra Achra
2. Malaise
3. L'Ange du Meridien
4. Bitter Sagacity
5. Sonnets to Orpheus
6. Leaden Horizon
7. Schlußstück
Look out world, the demons from New Zealand, Barshasketh, are back and this time they take anything and anyone that stands in their way by a vast quantity. Flooded by filth and raw production these demons are roaring their way at an unstoppable pace. Tremulous chaotic guitars, dirty screeches, hard hitting drummage, and more is what you get by the New Zealanders.
On to the music, Barshasketh surely defines the way of black metal with its top notch musicianship. While continuing a traditional black metal rhythm, these guys add their small ingredient to the mix. You can surely here many influences here. I'll let you be the judge on the influences though. Starting with the title track, this engulfs your very soul. Starting off a bit mellow but then becomes a mid paced melodic force with some evil guitar parts and what not. Malaise follows with its incredible bedlam and riveting guitar picking. You can feel the cosmic energy bursting out with demonic madness. This track will have your head banging for sure. L'Ange du Meridien with its Bathory-esque vibe, well to me anyway, is one of my favorites of the album. The drumming of BH is very well done and noticeable here. You can feel the energy he brings along with the guitars of GM & Krigeist. The exemplifies a nice viking-ish sound but only for a moment as its once again turns into a black metal frenzy of sorts.
And thus the madness continues with Bitter Sagacity. Geez, don't these guys ever slow down and relax for a bit? Hell no, not these demons! Sweeping across the lands this maelstrom is ramming every force with power, speed, and vengeance! Not sure why this is, but the next track, Sonnets to Orpheus, brings back reminisce of the legendary Immortal to me but still mixing it well with there continued rapture. It must be the guitars I reckon. Speaking of guitars lots of aggressive and nice riffage on this track. There are some somber moments towards the middle with some clean guitars, but it is only the calm before the storm and then strike! Leaden Horizon continues the bands uproar with various tempo changes and beautiful guitar melodies throughout. Finally, Schlußstück, end this opus with the band putting the nail to the coffin, well for the moment anyway. Once again a nice flow of destruction takes its toll. Need, I say more! The track has a nice build up and gets better as its longs to the end in a very nostalgic fashion. Wow, just wow.
So I am looking at the screen and trying to find a way to end this. Really I have gone blank from all the chaos Sitra Achra has induced on my very soul. I am trying to gather my thoughts. I can feel my heart beating and the adrenaline is still there even after a quiet tense. For me, the band has prevailed yet once again spreading their word of extreme metal. This should be a favorite for fans of traditional black metal with chaotic elements and more. I now urge you to go to the bandcamp page of the band and download the 2010 full length, Defying the Bonds of Cosmic Thralldom, which is just as good. Enjoy it! Cheers.
Rating: 4/5
Website:Barshasketh
Review by Freddy Garcia
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