It may be their newest, but Häxan Sabaoth feels like UK’s “kvlt”-est album. All but gone are the band’s early Immolation-isms of dense, brutal OSDM chuggery. Picking up where Teufelsbücher left off, the focus has shifted to more complex, layered compositions of half-dissonant, writhing riffing. The band always kept their production on the rawer side, and this is no exception, gritty and unpolished as ever. Yet there’s something about the tone and mix of the guitars in particular that rings at one end with rich echoes and the other with crystal clarity that one might prima facie associate with black metal, and which lends solos a brilliant, wailing insistence (“Cuatro Velas de Cebo Infantil,” “Our Almighty Chthonic Lords”). That, and the integration of spooky synth work, cavernous atmospheres, and sparse spoken word, give the album an overtly, and appropriately, occult vibe. UK also foreground twisting, mournful, wailing, and even beautiful melodies that appear and disappear just as erratically, adding further urgency and dynamism.
Häxan Sabaoth’s strength lies in how satisfyingly its creepiness, musical intrigue, and straightforward gnarliness come together. Grounded in repeating iterations of chiming, climbing riffs (“Lamia Sucuba,” “Back to the Mother Hydra and Father Dagon”), skittering percussion (“Hexennipel,” “Dno Hna Formula”), and synth (“Teufelsbücher”), the music flits between doomy and solemn marches, and frenzied dances. Not only does this make it incredibly dynamic, it makes each of the styles, whether gloomy and creeping or hair-raising and savage, pop with immediacy. Licks of high, shrill guitar strike with electricity that goes right down your spine (“Lamia Sucuba,” “Cuatro…,” “Our Almighty…,” “Teufelsbücher”). Bass plucks stalk with increased ominousness, (“Lamia Sucuba,” “Hexennippel”) in brief breaths filled with whispers or strokes of cymbal, before, with a whoosh of synths (“Teufelsbücher”) or a tumble of drums (“Our Almighty…,” “Dno Hna Formula”) the music moves on into circular tempos or another sharp, wailing solo. Tension and dread are thus built up effectively, and released in a flourish.
In this way, UK succeed in making music that could be very inaccessible quite accessible. Due to the fluctuating energies of the songs, that nonetheless return to key refrains, and variations of them, each is engaging, and the whole album slips by without you noticing. Plus, some of those guitar solos are just lovely, in a very evil kind of way (“Cuatro…,” “Our Almighty…,” “Back to…”); you can always rely on some slick, nasty riffing to get you, and the album, moving. When UK do dial it down and turn up the atmosphere, you get more of a sense that they’re experimenting, although they do pull it off brilliantly in the haunting chasms of plucked refrains and organ synth that open on final track “Teufelsbücher.” Speaking of synth, however, as spooky as it can be, starting every track with synth and spoken-word gets a bit tired. It’s not too egregious, though, given the strength the remainder of the songs possess.
With its creepy atmosphere, gnarly drum and guitarwork, and more overt melodicism, Häxan Saboath begs for repeat listens very easily achieved. It’s nasty, it’s exhilarating, and it’s got bags of personality. UK’s evolution has reached an exciting new phase wielding some of the best aspects of death and black metal with a fresh flair. It’s possible Häxan Sabaoth is their best album yet.
Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Iron Bonehead
Websites: ukulten.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ukulten
Releases Worldwide: February 2nd, 2024
