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Sanguine Relic – Labyrinth Of Nightmares [EP]

sanguine relic – labyrinth of nightmares [ep]

Info

A few years back, Sanguine Relic became, whether intended or not, one of the faces of the resurgence of the (ultimate) crude form of Raw Black Metal. Together with a few other entities and the Skjold label, new life was, successfully, breathed into the most downtrodden variant of Black Metal. Although… success, that’s just how you look at it, of course. All releases were pressed in very small runs and almost exclusively on cassette tapes and vinyl. Via the (now defunct) Nuclear War Now! Productions forum, titles by bands such as Obskuritatem, Unholy Vampiric Slaughter Sect, Carved Cross, Lampir, Orgy Of Carrion and also Sanguine Relic were pushed and fans of these bands fought each other to get the coveted copies.

By now, that frenzy seems to have subsided a bit and we can perhaps talk a bit about the music again instead of the hype – misplaced or not. Especially when Sanguine Relic, surely one of the better bands from that ferocious late-2010’s scene, comes out with a new EP. ‘Labyrinth Of Nightmares’ is a 2-track EP with a playing time that dips just under ten minutes with material that is undoubtedly some of the best work the act has produced so far. Though still raw in nature, the music on this EP is well fathomed, it is not recorded very gritty and that makes for a slightly easier listen.

The mood of the music, largely brought on by the humming keyboards in the background, is now a big part of the overall impression it leaves behind. It provides a nice and bright contrast against the still sharp-sounding guitar tones and the at times fierce drums. However, it’s also the variety and dynamics that really flourish on this EP, the tempo changes and different musical elements come into their own to the fullest and make ‘Labyrinth Of Nightmares’ one of the most memorable Sanguine Relic releases so far. While the musical direction has not changed drastically over the years, the Black Metal now comes across (even) more as a European-based, Finnish to be precise, form of Black Metal where melody is certainly not a dirty word and that benefits from a well-thought-out song structure.

This EP will be released on tape by Sanguine Relic’s long-term associate, Perverse Homage. A vinyl version should be released later this year via Goatowarex, although it is not yet clear what it will look like. Judging by the length of the songs, a 7″ EP (or possibly a 10″ EP) would be the most obvious. But regardless of the preferred physical format, it should be clear, this is a release not to be missed.

Sanguine Relic

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