Sanctification - Black Reign
85%
Here we have a death metal band from Sweden that’s already famous to me before even hearing their music. Formed in 2001, the band has released one full length before undergoing some line-up changes, making the line-up even more all-star and of high quality. Read on to find out more.
Let me try and guide you through the line-up real quick. On vocals we have a guy named Magnus Broberg, once the vocalist for the early Hypocrisy albums, long-time singer for Dark Funeral and also involved in other projects like Dominion Caligula, God Among Insects and Demonoid. Well he joined after the recording of this album that is. Guitarist Tomas Elofsson is or was also active in bands like In Battle, God Among Insects and Those Who Bring The Torture, while other guitarist Markus Evardsson is affiliated with In Battle, Souldrainer and Endless Torture to name a few. Originally the record was to be drummed by Tony Laureano (Dimmu Borgir, Nile) as session work, but he couldn’t make it so they got Nils Fjellström (who was the bands original drummer up till 2007) from bands like In Battle, Aeon, Souldrainer and Dark Funeral to take up the job. All in all a typical Swedish band with members being in several successful, internationally known bands.
As one can expect from a line-up like this, it sounds as tight and brutal like it should. With a production from Tommy and Peter Tägtren (who also mixed) and a mastering by Dan Swäno you really can’t go wrong anyway. I’m not even going to take the effort to elaborate about this record. It’s simple as eating pie; this is one hell of a decent piece of Swedish death metal. If you like the style, don’t even bother checking it out before buying. Just purchase the item, go home, crank up the stereo and start rampaging through the furniture. Simply great fucking death metal, the way it should be. Fast, brutal, tight, quality stuff. Bang your head!
