Rating: 8.0

Country: Netherlands

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Folter Records

Track list:
1.To Hell
2.Ravager
3.Dodengang [mp3]
4.Ashes to Ashes
5.Imminence War Death [mp3]
6.Stalingrad
7.Oblivion
8.Merciless

Band Website: Sammath

Sammath - Dodengang

Jan Kruitwagen - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Koos Bos - Drums

Fuckin hell, it's about time I heard a new album which sounds like this. It's becoming increasingly rare to hear a perfect balance between primal savagery and majestic melody in black metal these days, since everyone is either trying to out-violent Revenge or out-oldschool Darkthrone (and in the really bad cases, trying to out-gay Dimmu Borgir). The Dutch band Sammath have avoided these traps by crafting an album based around a very martial feel conjured up by extremely catchy tremolo-driven guitars, heavily distorted bass, fluently quick drumming and rasping high-end vocals. Obviously this ends up being quite reminiscent of bands like Abigor and early Setherial, but Sammath are less speed-obsessed than either of those examples. The riffs are often quite “fluttery” for lack of a better word, soaring in and around the concrete foundation of crushingly dense bass and the unrelenting rapid-fire drumming. They mostly dip into the lower end of the spectrum during slower passages, then revert back to insane treble abuse during faster passages.

The songs here are universally quite long, ranging from 5 to 9 minutes in length. The listener's attention span is easily maintained though, since the balance between violent chaos and structured precision is always kept at a tense level. Some sections approach complete instability, while others simply hammer away with unrelenting force.

The best thing about the production is that often the mix (or possibly mastering) seems to “squash” the sound, resulting in a feeling of gravitational suction, as if the entire thing is going to collapse on itself and leave a black hole in its wake. The best examples of this effect are the deranged onslaught of “Stalingrad” and the epic title track “Dodengang”, while “Imminence War Death” and “Ravager” represent the more “soaring” epic side of Sammath's approach. The vocals, meanwhile, are completely insane, a deranged orcish screech which rattles through the cacophony in a flurry of gargled blood and hatred. Obviously this makes the lyrics quite incomprehensible, but I assume they're all about crushing everything that lives and burning the squelched remains.

How this band managed to slip under my radar for so long is anyone's guess, but I'll certainly be making an effort to acquire a proper copy of this release along with their older albums (this being the third so far). Highly recommended for those who like a bit of deathly violence injected into their grim black metal but who also prefer the rawness and natural sound to remain intact. Rest assured there's no overproduction or cheesy typewriter-click drum triggers here, just a nasty black metal tank, rolling over your fucking head.

October 28th, 2006