Entrancement spread across the experiential demesne of the endless dark finds no lumine borne from foreboding aphorism and rare doctrine incanted, an impassible iniquitous reality which frames the heady spiritual gush of Egersund, Norway-based blackened death metal quartet SHAARIMOTH‘s exposition with diabolic liberation, a confrontation which is unexpectedly direct to psyche yet nonetheless corporeal in its impact. A physically electrifying whip through finesse-loaded death metal of the highest order the band’s third full-length album, ‘Devildom‘, is at once a brilliant standard and a third hinge upon which they pivot their devotional craft where boundaries are less important than the impact of defiantly personalized, singular craft. Surreal yet readably riff-packed and hauling a refined yet impactful payload within each piece this album delivers well beyond the norm in both serious blackened death entertainment value and its own high-substantive authorship.

Shaarimoth formed as a duo circa 2004 after vocalist R. Andreassen and guitarist/bassist F. Ramsland had reflected upon roughly five years spent experimenting with pagan black and death metal sounds in Antarctica before taking matters into the Devil’s hands, focusing on what we could broadly describe as occult blackened death metal sounds. To the musicians this is described variously as ritual, a serious approach to anti-cosmic/chaos-gnostic ideas translated into spiritual death metal which is intense and certainly esoteric no matter what era of Norse death metal is considered. And they were ready with it soon, bringing in a few guests to ensure their debut LP (‘Current 11‘, 2005) was delivered with impact far more profound than their previous band’s work. An illumination that’d stand on its own for over a decade, that first album was a surprise at the time as the expectations were for something more brutal a la Zyklon or Myrkskog but the style, pacing and such was closer to the (then) very popular ‘Demigod‘ from Behemoth (or perhaps closer to Arkhon Infaustus‘ third LP) which translated to something less “blackened” than expected with a focus on arabesque rhythms and incantations from the Sumerian cosm (via Chaos-Gnostic ideation) wherein performative dark ambiance set the experience apart.

The long period of death that followed foundered no side-project, no self insertion into the zeitgeist, and no insistence upon iteration in the twelve years beyond, only just resurfacing a wizened form circa 2017 with the imposing ‘Temple of the Adversarial Fire‘ LP when a more ritualistic, occult death metal sound called for it. There was no considerable rust in Shaarimoth‘s work and in fact their compositional skill, blister-handed performances and intense focus generated within the intoxicating call of their muse. A new, far higher-set standard was established therein as every detail of the production and arrangements available to that album were meticulous in generating both atmosphere and almost unrelated compositional flexing which set ‘Current 11′ as nigh barbarism by comparison in hindsight. We don’t find any particular maintenance or iteration upon their second album in the greater thread hewn on ‘Devildom‘ but another paradigm shift, a perspective clarified in observation and generation of the Devil’s muse through music. Rather than provide a sleekened uncertainty between occult black metal deviation and death metal wrought aggression, as was given portent on their contributions to the ‘SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn‘ (2021) split LP, we are greeted with a surrealistic vision of death metal upon introduction to this third album.

Declarative and fuming upon the shore as if a ship set afire “Call to Prayer” pricks the ear with intriguing synth for moment before declarative vocals and the commanding push of French drummer CSR (Ruïm) guides us toward a growling reception, an introduction which tramples the path flat and establishes an unreal atmospheric loft to start. “The Midnight Sentinel” which comes next is perhaps the most unexpected wrenching of the skull from Shaarimoth to date as the intense virtuosic talent of the rhythm section (completed by Semjaza of Thy Darkened Shade on bass guitar) light an otherwise celestially source scene in flames. What characterizes this song so immediately is the specific use of lead guitar effects and the tempo map which is nearby the effect of Mithras or more recent Lantern releases where rattling blasts, ‘Covenant‘-esque grooves and declarative vocals create a surreal and broad sensation of echoic space set awhirl. Rather than iterate and rush up to that satisfying headspace once more “Blood Covenant” takes that same level of detail and focuses deeper on extended groove-built phrase, almost sounding like Bølzer in the process of developing half-speed verses with spoken-sung cadence. These are of course considerably detailed and technical to perform feats but we’re given no sense of struggle or interruption to their flow and as such there is a natural ease to their distribution.

In combining the well-tested sensibilities of engineer/mixer M. Zech @ Church of Sound and mastering from V. Santura @ Woodshed Studio the atmospheric reach of Shaarimoth is extended as a major feature of ‘Devildom‘ without sacrificing the brutal potential of their death metal rooting. Having made such great use of the extensive reach of their drummer this means that what is intentionally ominous, looming and seething in its faster-paced blustering movements descends with intricate striking moments rather than brazen bluntness and no matter how much momentum is built that descent feels thoughtful, finessed to a beauteous degree. “Blade of Malediction” is a fine example of this as its odd shifts in meter and technical twists, which are less showmanship and more challenging feats of the wrist for the sake of ever-darker turns, unleash in multi-layered reveals which uphold a stoic daemonic presence despite the harried violence intended. So, in this sense the production values applied here feel like an elite classicist crew at peak personalization rather than the razor-cut balking strikes of early 2000’s built brutal death metal references where we should not feel any desperation from their assault but rather possession and menace buried by the absolute grandeur of it, a feeling which swells to a slow-mounding peak on “The Impulse of Rebellion“.

The knowledge passed down the chasm, shouted and severe in its final shroud cast comes with restlessly tragedian ebb as album closer “For His Eyes of Judgement are Forever Upon You” reinforces the sensation, built across the full listen, that even with a series of introductory and interludes throughout Shaarimoth‘s directive includes never wasting a moment of their time as ‘Devildom‘ spins its yarn. I would go as far as to suggest that this album has paid even -more- attention to its details, not just the moment to moment note-share but the dynamic immerse available to each song considered overall, compared to their prior work. Yet at the same time I am compelled to suggest this is more of a death metal record proper than ‘Temple of the Adversarial Fire‘ wherein each of the ~six four-to-five minute pieces here prey upon the ear rather than dance around it in ritual curse. That said, the sensorially rich essence of past releases is not lost upon this record as their idea rich process demands repeated listening for both the finer details of each performance and their inspiring riffcraft which sustains its command throughout.

Of course most all releases from W.T.C. Productions pay some close attention to their art direction and this is no exception with the cover imagery from Vamperess Imperium invoking our eternal muse in gift of fire and knowledge as well as a booklet design from the brilliant hand of Khaos Diktator. Not only are these combined efforts suitable for the label’s standards but they’ve done well to distinguish ‘Devildom‘ at a glance, representing the innards with creative framing and evocative illustration. This goes to show that a choice illustrator with a developed hand can do wonders for an artist they’re prone to best understand, a personal touch that endears and glorifies the energy of a record. Also, it just looks like a cool-as-shit black/death metal record with a neatly balanced compositional read at a glance… and maybe that’d be the best endorsement up front, that Shaarimoth have delivered a record full of thrilling and punishing death metal sounds which veer into the otherworldly, the virtuosic and dramatically surreal as they blaze past. I’d found the greater sensation and satisfaction derived from listening only intensified with each pass as it’d become an obsession here in the second half of the month. ‘Devildom‘ achieves a rare standard at any rate and the fact that their work is actually quite approachable despite its substantive execution only endears more over time. A very high recommendation.

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