Sammath – Grebbeberg

Dutch warmongers Sammath are back with their 7^th album which is an unmitigated assault that can been seen as a showcase of the growth of an act later in their career. I’m not saying that albums like ‘Verwoesting / Devasatation’ or ‘Dodengang’ are mediocre albums, but the rising of quality since ‘Godless Arrogance’(2014) has given Sammath more notice and wider range of underground audience. Also the ‘Fuck all’ attitude of Jan, Ruud and Wim does work very well to achieve this, of course.

The concept of the album is the heavy battle of Grebbeberg (Netherlands, Rhenen (near Utrecht)), which was in May 1940 and lasted for 3 days as part of the German invasion during World War II. Jan’s great-uncle fought at the Dutch side and is buried at the Military Field of Honor of Grebbeberg, which gives this album a personal touch.

‘Grebbeberg’ is a collection of violence and rapid fire combined merged into Black Metal once again, taken the musical attacks of the last couple years as standard, and developing further. Sure, at a bar explaining it quickly to an ear, one will easily drop the Marduk comparison due the fast riff-like artillery and war samples, but it doesn’t do justice to ‘Grebbebergen’ as a whole. Bestial Warlust, Sadistik Exekution, Angelcorpse, Marduk, Infernal War, Zyklon-B…you can mention them, but Sammath makes it something of its own. An absolute banger of its own.

But don’t think it is almost 40 minutes of sheer brutality in the 5^th gear, as it has also has a lot of epic moments created by tremolo riffs. Within songs like ‘Last Gasp of the Dying’ and ‘Crushed, Shattered and Destroyed’ you will definitely hear proof of that and gives this album something extra as well.

At the moment, ‘Grebbeberg’ is the most listened 2023-release for me so far. Incoming!