Regardless of how stupid you think the name is, Sodomisery excited me back in 2020. Though their debut record, The Great Demise, didn’t blow my mind, I could feel potential there. So, when this year’s Mazzaroth hit the promo bin, I was much excite. If you don’t know the band, these Swedes are an odd group with odd influences. The Great Demise combined Dissection black, Hypocrisy death, and Amon Amarth melodeath to deliver a rollercoaster of intricacies, riff changes, builds, and atmospheres. At times, it worked. At times, it didn’t. As a whole, The Great Demise was missing the fluidity to pull everything together. Now they’re back with a Covid-inspired follow-up whose theme concerns mental health. This concept alone instills high-charged emotion into the album. But how Sodomisery delivers it completely floored me.
Looking through the promo materials, I was intrigued to hear that the band chose to incorporate heavy doses of orchestral atmospheres into their music. Furthermore, the band appeared to surprise themselves. Most likely, fearing the loss of their fanbase with this drastic change, they considered releasing two versions of Mazzaroth—one with all the massive layers of orchestration and one without. After consideration, they determined they could only deliver their powerful message with these additions. So, they took the plunge, releasing a single album version. While the band has always dabbled in atmospheric layers, Mazzaroth pushes it beyond anything they’ve ever done. But, when I say it floored me, is that good or bad?
“Coming Home” embodies this new direction perfectly. And it wastes no time kicking this album off with a black metal intro that morphs into a death metal charge. Traces of melody begin forming as the song grapples with the cliff edge to arrive at the chorus. And it’s no ordinary chorus for Sodomisery. It’s simply gorgeous, providing a powerful vocal approach, passionate instrumentation, and a memorability that surpasses anything on The Great Demise. But the biggest surprise of the song comes on the backend when the distortion falls away, and the clean guitars introduce heartbreaking clean vocals. “Delusion” is also sewn from the same fabric. This time, the band uses Mistur-like emotion, punching vocals, and a chorus that soars beyond the stratosphere. Each chorus repetition strengthens as it nears the end, adding soothing choirs and a passionate atmosphere.
But, as orchestration goes, the largest of the bunch is the back-to-back duo, “Rebuilding” and “Demon in Heaven.” These two tracks up the ante with the symphoblack character of Dimmu Borgir. The first track opens with a black metal assault straight from Borgir’s Death Cult Armageddon. This song is impressive for its three-minute runtime, delivering yet another unique layer to this new Sodomisery sound. The unofficial closer of the album, “Demon in Heaven,” utilizes the same approach as its predecessor. But, as with each song on the record, it refuses to exist as a repeat of another track. It uses the symphonic elements, adding Hypocrisy-esque vocals and guitar tone to drive the angry chorus. To give relevance to the mood, it’s also complete with a crushing thrash lick that’ll have you headbanging at one moment and in tears at the next.
If I had another 700 words, I would point out all the nifty influences in this tight, thirty-five-minute opus. Elements like the badass, Witchery riff in “Psychogenic,” the acoustic guitars and Old Man’s Child key work of “A Storm Without a Wind,” and the title track’s Amon Amarth drive. But, alas, I’m out of time. But I will say, the master is quite pleasant for an album of this caliber, giving each element its rightful praise. Though, for some reason, the instrumental closer is far too loud for mere acoustic guitars. But this ear-fucking issue can be ignored as it does little to mess up the album. When I first heard The Great Demise, I knew something was missing. Did I expect it to be what I found on Mazzaroth? I can’t say I did. But these old bones aren’t complaining, as Mazzaroth will forever be that album Sodomisery will try to top.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Testimony Records | Bandcamp
Websites: sodomisery.bandcamp.com | sodomisery.com | facebook.com/sodomiseryofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 8th, 2023
