Sodality: a Roman Catholic religious guild or brotherhood. Also a Polish band consisting of T. Kaos and Mark of the Devil, two members that only share band membership in Sodality and Death Like Mass, but also made their mark on the Metal scene with amongst others Lvcifyre and Cultes Des Ghoules . As 2025 reaches it final stages, the band blesses us once again with a new record, their third born album: ‘Benediction, Part 2’.
Considering that both members are also part of Death Like Mass, comparisons with that band are not only inevitable, they are obvious. For one, Sodality’s music is equally rooted in the early work of especially Mayhem, finding itself somewhere between ‘Deathcrush’ and ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’. Consequentially, the music finds itself somewhere between first and second Wave Black Metal, but without restricting itself to just that genre. There are clear Death Metal elements in the riffs, such as for instance the opening riff of ‘Confession’. And likewise, the music is enriched by spontaneously arising whammy riffs that remind me of old Slayer. But while Death Like Mass musically descended quite far into madness, ‘Benediction, Part 2’ remains more restrained. Sodality embraces a slightly sharper guitar sound and overall stays a bit closer to Black Metal, drawing distant resemblance to the likes of early Samael, Necromantia and comparable bands. One thing that is clear, is that Sodality is different in theme in atmosphere. There is a strong sense of ritualistic indoctrination, often accomplished through main riffs that remains rather constant and a bass that is a clear beacon. Thematically, Sodality distinguishes itself with evangelic samples and choirs that complement the preaching cadence of the unhinged vocals. One thing is for certain: Mark of the Devil is a gifted vocalist, that indeed will remind many people of the better work of Attila Csihar.
Compared to the previous album (unsurprisingly called ‘Benediction, Part 1’), the tracks are slightly more compact, in the range of five to nine minutes. Overall, the pace is probably a tad lower, through at times the band strikes with increased tempo. The biggest difference between the albums is probably that the sense of control is even stronger on ‘Benediction, Part 2’. The music is even more hypnotising with the vocals giving a stronger sense of preaching. A prime example is ‘Heathen Angel Part II’, a grooving track with its pulsating bass and distant angelic choirs. After a bass-led vocal cataclysm, the outcry of ‘Oh Satan’ introduces a pumping increase in pace until a more groove-laden finale with perfectly placed vocal howls preaching an evil gospel. A splendid track, that captures the rather unique vibe of the album in perfect fashion.
‘Benediction, Part 2’ is a fascinating record that gets better with each listen, and those enthralled by Death Like Mass’ excellent ‘The Lord of Flies’ will likely find themselves absorbed by it. There is a constant threat in the music, with entrancing repetition and vile vocals juxtaposed by evangelic choirs and samples. Sodality has an uncanny mastery of creating a preaching sense of seduction, a Black Metal protrayal of the temptation to be lured in by an indoctrinating faith, shown from its darkest side. Or as the band and label put it quite strikingly: Five love songs for the time-ridden, mouldy Catholic cunts.
