Carathis – The Haunting of Sablewood (Spooky Tube Sock Black Metal)
Holy shit what in the hell was this guy doing before this point? I mean, hey, I appreciate some of the genre-mashing Carathis was engaging in in his dark past, but this, I mean this is truly something else. Hell, last time I reviewed a band from Austria was like three years ago and trust me I’ve received several promos from that region. It takes a lot to get my attention but this, this, just something else, truly something else. Once you scope that promo photo of dude in a loose fitting tie-dye shirt and tube socks you know he’s bringing something different and doesn’t give a shit about exterior superficialities.
Any time you hear the word “spooky” in reference to black metal, and not as a joke, you probably cringe a super cringe, but not this time. Carathis has some serious bangers in previous work, but for The Haunting of Sablewood every track is going to bite deeply with a classic vampire cape and ghosts rattling chains all about. There’s a clear feeling of spookiness, but in the silent film era sense. The keyboards, the power-metal fashioned riffs (at times), the OSBM frost vocals delivered lo-fi, it’s black metal noir. The man is an absolute genius at crafting memorable riffs, and with the combined keyboard and multi-genre power, you won’t forget it. The vocal delivery may be too consistent and typical, at times, for some, but trust me when he varies it as he does it won’t matter to you anyway. Please more of this in the future?
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Carathis – The Haunting of Sablewood
Personal Records
Cover Art: Digital Sorcery
4.6 / 5
