Sartegos/Portais/I, Voidhanger Records/2023 Compilation ALbum Review

 

  Spain's  Sartegos  has  returned  with  a  collection  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  compilation  album  "Portais"  which  will be  released in  December  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records  and  consists  of  their  2010  and  2011  demos  and  songs  from  their  vinyl  splits.

  Wind  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  and  ritualistic  sounding  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Vocals are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams while  dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  drum  beats  are  programmed  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  real  drums.

  A  lot  of  the  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  along  with  all  of   the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Keyboards  also  return  on  the  intros  and  outros  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized,  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  Satanism,  occultism  and Mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection f rom  Sartegos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sangue  do  Carneiro"  "Mortualha"  "A  Chegada  do  Inominavel"  and  "Ele Viu  As  Suas  Maos".  8  out  of  10.

  https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/portais  

 

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Sartegos/O Sangue Da Noite/Blood Harvest/I, Voidhanger Records/2019 CD Review

  Spain's  Sartegos  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  satanic  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "On  Sangue  Da  Noite"  which  will  be  released  in  November  as  a  joint  effort  between  Blood  Harvest  and  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.  When  the  music  speeds  up  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  emtal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very dark  and  melodic  style.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  melodic  chants  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  synths  also make  a  brief  return  on  a  few  songs  back  keeping  the  main  focus  on  a  heavier  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Galician  and  cover  Satanism,  Baphomet,  Occultism  and  Galician  folklore  and  myths.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sartegos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  satanic  and  occult  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sangue  e  Noite"  "Arqueiro"  and  "Baphomet  no  Rashulmat".  8  out  of  10.

http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/o-sangue-da-noite 

  

Sartegos/Balmog/Caverna Abismal/2017 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  7  inch  between  Spain's  Sartegos  and  Balmog  2  bands  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  will  be  released  in  December  by  Caverna  Abismal  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  with  Sartegos  who  continues  their  raw  and  satanic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  fire  burning  and  ritualistic  synths  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  deep  growls and  grim  black  metal  screams.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  song  more  of  a  raw  feeling  which  is  also  6  minutes  in  length  and  the  song  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Sartegos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  satanic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Balmog  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  satanic  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  and  raw  sound  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  track  being  6  minutes  in  length  and  the  song  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Hate,  Darkness  and  Anti  Human  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Balmog  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  satanic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  satanic  and  occult  black  metal.  8  out  of  10. 

sartegos@hotmail.com

balmogrevelation@gmail.com

Ysengrin/Sartegos/Resvrrezionespiritval/Caverna Abismal Records/2017 Split LP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Ysengrin  and  Spain's  Sartegos  called  "Resvrrezionespiritval"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Caverna  Abismal  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Ysengrin  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  ambient  style  keyboards  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  riffs  and   the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls,  black  metal  screams  and  clean  singing.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them while  the  keyboards  also  bring  in  a  very  occult  and  horror  movie  orientated  atmosphere  and  female  vocals  are  also  used  briefly  and  most  of  their  tracks  are  slow  and  epic  in  length  and  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  speeding  up  briefly  which  also  gives  the  song  a  raw  touch  along  with  a  few  blast  beats,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Hermetic,  Esoteric,  and  Alchemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ysengrin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black/doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of t he  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Solar  Birth".

  Next  up  is  Sartegos another  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  avant  garde  style  synths  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  style  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  few  growls.

  Throughout  their  side  of  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  most  of  their  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  dark  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sartegos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Umha  Danca  De  Estralas  Negras".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  occult  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Ysengrin/3540258539
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sartegos/3540304232           

Sartegos Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Hello, these days I'm working on new tracks for a future split with Balmog and any future releases that may come next. Besides that, I'm waiting for the Sartegos/Ysengrin split 12” vinyl to be released through I, Voidhanger in Europe and Nuclear War Now! In America.
The past year has been a little bit inactive for the band, as I moved to London and stayed there for more than one year, but now I'm back on track again.

2.So far you have released 2 demos and an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on all of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
The music is a mixture of Black and Death Metal inspired in the beginning by bands like Demoncy, early Tiamat, Mortuary Drape, Mayhem, Profanatica, early Rotting Christ and Varathron, Mystifier, Acheron, etc.
“A Serpe do Escarnio”, our first demo tape, is probably the one which is more different from the other two releases. Some of the riffs included there are not really into the same style of the second demo and the EP.  Also, drums are not real in this release. I used a drum machine. Sound achieved here is good for what it is, but a bit artificial due to the drum machine.
“Mortualha”, the second demo tape, is more organic and drums are played by a human, which makes all more real and compact. This demo is also darker and more obscure than the previous one.
“As Fontes do Negrume” is the band's first MLP and so far it is the best Sartegos release. Production is better and fits more our purposes and the selection of tracks was carefully chosen. To sum it up: it is better than the demos in all aspects, I would say.

3.Your lyrics cover some Satanic, Luciferian and Occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the black arts?
I am interested in occultism and satanism, but to some extent. I mean, I'm not a practitioner and I don't follow the guidances of any particular sect, path or group. From time to time I like to read about these subjects but they don't take all of my time. I'm interested in other things and I have to say also that Sartegos lyrics deal with more things than only the Occult and Satanic topics.

4.Also you write a lot of your lyrics in Galician, what was the decision behind using this language instead of English or Spanish'?
Well, the reason behind using Galician instead of English or Spanish is just that Galician is my native language; the language I speak everyday. This makes easier for me to write the lyrics the way I want. Why should I use then English or Spanish? You might think that only a few people can understand the lyrics and that with English I would reach way more people but the truth is that if people is really interested in the lyrics, they can ask me for translations and I will be happy to provide them. Moreover, Galician is very similar to Portuguese (actually, they should be the same language) so a lot of people can understand the lyrics actually.
By the way, ALL Sartegos lyrics are in Galician.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sartegos'?
Sartegos is a galician word which means sarcophagus. A “sartego” is a medieval coffin made of stone and you can see a lot of them still at some churches here in Galicia. I chose the name because of the connection with death and the beyond, and also because of how it sounds.

6.Originally the band was a solo project but now is a duo, what was the decision behind adding another member and also are there any plans to expand into a full line up in the future?
The reason why I decided to recruit a drummer after the first demo was basically because I wanted real drums in Sartegos recordings, and I cannot play drums. Also, I wanted to start regular rehearsals, cause I was bored with playing the tracks alone on my guitar.
I don't have any plans to recruit any more members for the moment. Some people keep on asking me if I would be up to recruit some session members to play some live shows but to be honest, I never liked the idea of session members on itself. Right now, if someone is going to join the band, this has to come naturally and I would need the right feeling with the person in question, not a mere session member.

7.According to one interview you also have worked with a music zine, are you still involved with this zine these days?
Yeah, I worked with Apokatastasis zine for a while and as far as I know, the zine is dead since some years ago. Basically I wrote a couple of reviews for the first issue (the best one, in my opinion), and did some interviews and reviews for the second one. But the mastermind behind Apokatastasis was my comrade Karles.
For me, writing for a zine was ok for a while, but after I did it, I found out it was not really my thing, you know.

8.The last recording was released by both Bloody Productions and Caverna Abissmal Records, do you feel these 2 labels have given your band a great amount of support?
You are forgetting here I, Voidhanger records, who released the vinyl version (Bloody Productions released the CD and Caverna Abismal/Egg of Nihilism released the tape).
All three labels did the hell of a job and I'm really happy with their efficient and good work. Besides, the communication with all of them has been always clear, so no complain about them at all. I'm very grateful for the support given.

9.There has been no music released in the last 2 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time period?
Actually, Sartegos last MLP was released on November 2013, so it's a year and a half now since that.
Just after that release, I moved to London and stayed there for more than one year, so things got a bit stagnant for Sartegos and rehearsals had to stop for obvious reasons but anyway, during that period I managed to record two new songs for that split 12” with Ysengrin I mentioned before. During that period I didn't compose any new tracks besides those two but now I'm back again and new riffs and ideas are coming to my mind. Also during that period the first Sartegos t-shirts were printed by the mexican Mors Omnibvs and the tape version of “As Fontes do Negrume” was re-released by Caverna Abismal with an embroided patch as a bonus.
I have to say that I prefer to take my time doing things with the band. No rush or self-imposed schedules. This is about creativity, not a job. I prefer quality over quantity.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
So far, the feedback has been good and positive, I would say. Reviews usually are very good and some people into the Black/Death Metal underground seems to really like Sartegos. I got feedback from different places such as Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, South and Central America, Europe and the United States.
Besides that, Bloody Productions sold out 1000 copies of the cd version of our MLP in one year, and Caverna Abismal sold out 200 copies of the tape in a few months and re-released a few more soon after that. To be honest, I didn't expect such a good response.

11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The next move will be to record one track for a split 7” with Balmog, and then I guess I will focus on composing tracks for a full lenght, but I know this will take some time, maybe a few years.
Musically I think I will continue exploring the same paths as those on “As Fontes do Negrume” but always taking one step further.

12.What are you currently listening to nowadays?
Well, these days I'm listening to Stargazer “A Great Work of Ages”, Merciless “The Awakening”, Sargeist “Let the Devil In”, some King Crimson, Sadistic Intent “Ancient Black Earth”, etc. Right now the theme song from True Detective tv series is playing here on the computer and soon Grave Miasma's “Odori Sepulcrorum” LP will start spinning on the turntable.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
If you liked Sartegos previous releases, keep your eyes open for the upcoming split with Ysengrin, which should be out during Summer. The two tracks included are two of the band's best efforts so far.
If you are interested in the band, just write me at:
sartegos@hotmail.com

Sartegos/As Fontes do Negrume/ Caverna Abismal Records/2015 Cassette Re-Issue Review

  Sartegos  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  satanic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "As  Fontes  do  Negrume"  which  was  re-issued  on  cassette  in  2015  by  Caverna Abismal Records.

  Medieval  torture  sounds  along  with  an  evil  and  epic  atmosphere  start  off  the  ep  and  after  th e intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  dark,  raw  and  heavy  black/death  metla  direction  that  also  incorporates  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  they  also  add  in  demonic  growls  and  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  at  time s the  music  has  almost  a  bestial  black/death  metal  feeling  while  never  quite  getting  as  brutal  as  that  style  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  add  more  of  a  raw  atmosphere  to  the  songs  while  some  of  the  slower  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  old  school  doom/death  metal  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  ritualistic  soundign  synth  outro..

  Sartegos  goes  back  to  the  early  90's  era  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  the  darkest  parts  of  both  genres  from  that  era  together  to  create  some  evil  and  raw  sounding  music,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sartegos  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lostregos  Sob  As  Tumbas"  and  "Coroado  Seja  (Trono  Aureo)".  8  out  of  10.