When I sit down with an acoustic guitar, In My Life is usually among the first songs that I’ll play. I found that album really, really impressive. Their own identity that made them so great was kept. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: Testimony Records | Bandcamp Websites: | | facebook.“The music being made by Dylan, Donovan and Judy Collins had really rubbed off on them, and yet they retained who they were. But these old bones aren’t complaining, as Mazzaroth will forever be that album Sodomisery will try to top. Did I expect it to be what I found on Mazzaroth? I can’t say I did. When I first heard The Great Demise, I knew something was missing. But this ear-fucking issue can be ignored as it does little to mess up the album. Though, for some reason, the instrumental closer is far too loud for mere acoustic guitars. But I will say, the master is quite pleasant for an album of this caliber, giving each element its rightful praise. Elements like the badass, Witchery riff in “Psychogenic,” the acoustic guitars and Old Man’s Child key work of “A Storm Without a Wind,” and the title track’s Amon Amarth drive. If I had another 700 words, I would point out all the nifty influences in this tight, thirty-five-minute opus. To give relevance to the mood, it’s also complete with a crushing thrash lick that’ll have you headbanging at one moment and in tears at the next. It uses the symphonic elements, adding Hypocrisy-esque vocals and guitar tone to drive the angry chorus. But, as with each song on the record, it refuses to exist as a repeat of another track. The unofficial closer of the album, “Demon in Heaven,” utilizes the same approach as its predecessor. This song is impressive for its three-minute runtime, delivering yet another unique layer to this new Sodomisery sound. The first track opens with a black metal assault straight from Borgir’s Death Cult Armageddon. Each chorus repetition strengthens as it nears the end, adding soothing choirs and a passionate atmosphere.īut, as orchestration goes, the largest of the bunch is the back-to-back duo, “Rebuilding” and “Demon in Heaven.” These two tracks up the ante with the symphoblack character of Dimmu Borgir. This time, the band uses Mistur-like emotion, punching vocals, and a chorus that soars beyond the stratosphere. “Delusion” is also sewn from the same fabric. But the biggest surprise of the song comes on the backend when the distortion falls away, and the clean guitars introduce heartbreaking clean vocals. It’s simply gorgeous, providing a powerful vocal approach, passionate instrumentation, and a memorability that surpasses anything on The Great Demise. And it’s no ordinary chorus for Sodomisery. Traces of melody begin forming as the song grapples with the cliff edge to arrive at the chorus. And it wastes no time kicking this album off with a black metal intro that morphs into a death metal charge. “Coming Home” embodies this new direction perfectly. But, when I say it floored me, is that good or bad? While the band has always dabbled in atmospheric layers, Mazzaroth pushes it beyond anything they’ve ever done. So, they took the plunge, releasing a single album version. After consideration, they determined they could only deliver their powerful message with these additions. Most likely, fearing the loss of their fanbase with this drastic change, they considered releasing two versions of Mazzaroth-one with all the massive layers of orchestration and one without. Furthermore, the band appeared to surprise themselves. Looking through the promo materials, I was intrigued to hear that the band chose to incorporate heavy doses of orchestral atmospheres into their music. But how Sodomisery delivers it completely floored me. This concept alone instills high-charged emotion into the album. Now they’re back with a Covid-inspired follow-up whose theme concerns mental health. As a whole, The Great Demise was missing the fluidity to pull everything together. The Great Demise combined Dissection black, Hypocrisy death, and Amon Amarth melodeath to deliver a rollercoaster of intricacies, riff changes, builds, and atmospheres. If you don’t know the band, these Swedes are an odd group with odd influences.

So, when this year’s Mazzaroth hit the promo bin, I was much excite. Though their debut record, The Great Demise, didn’t blow my mind, I could feel potential there. Regardless of how stupid you think the name is, Sodomisery excited me back in 2020.

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