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Sabbat > Karmagmassacre > Reviews
Sabbat - Karmagmassacre

Damn close to perfection - 98%

hardturdbutthurt, October 30th, 2013

The Japanese are excellent at everything. When it comes to music, they deliver top-notch copies of European and American acts, often technically better than the originals, but lacking in soul. Sabbat are a great exception. They undoubtedly are brilliant musicians, but that's not what they're out there to prove. Instead, it's all about soul, or, if you prefer, enthusiasm.

Venom are obviously the main inspiration, with their ridiculous looks, tongue-in-cheek satanism and simple, catchy riffs. But while Venom haven't shined much since their pioneering years in the early 80s, Sabbat keep unleashing one killer record after the other, culminating in 2003's "Karmagmassacre".

I've rarely had as much fun listening to a record as I had with "Karmagmassacre". The sound is more than acceptable, all instruments being fully discernable in the sonic hailstorm, while leaving a raw edge to the music. Every single riff and solo is outstanding, and there's just enough variation to make every song stand out on it's own. You'll find straightforward thrashers ("I'm Your Satan", "Black Magical Circle of Witches") alongside more elaborate, virtuosic compositions ("Brother of Demons", "The Letter from Death"), but never are the band's technical abilities allowed enough room to eclipse the overall catchiness of the songs. What matters here is that you bang your head, and you will.

Another component that makes this album so enjoyable are the vocals. There are two singers, and both have a hellishly weird (and funny) Japanese accent. Gezol, besides being an animal on the bass, growls and shrieks on most songs, but the highlight here are guitarist Temis Osmond's maniac, high-pitched screams on
"Plasmas Goat" (on some versions of the album), "Registry of Dark Side" (on other versions) and "The Letter from Death". A shame that Temis has by now left the band.

The way everything fits together here is absolutely brilliant, and calling it black thrash doesn't fully do it justice. Picking out highlights is difficult, but it'll probably be "Black Magical Circle of Witches", "Brother of Demons" and "Possession of the Reaper". If you fancy Venom, Hellhammer, Tormentor and the likes, you will fucking love this, as Sabbat are the quintessence of those bands' work. If you don't, give it a try anyway. It would be a shame not to, with an almost perfect album.

Sabbat - Karmagmassacre - 100%

vorfeed, August 29th, 2004

Artist: Sabbat
Album Title: Karmagmassacre
Label: RIP / Iron Pegasus

This is the tenth full-length release from Sabbat, the classic Japanese thrashing black metal band.

Sabbat are one of those bands where every release is sterling. These guys' shopping lists are probably more metal than 90% of everything else out there. When I make up my yearly best-of lists, they're really more like "the best of everything else that isn't Sabbat", assuming that Sabbat put out a full-length album that year.

Now that the requisite worshipful blather is out of the way, I can review Sabbat's newest album. This one is a good deal better than "Satanasword", which is surprising considering how great that one was. Sabbat's songwriting is in full effect here. "The Letter From Death" is my favorite Sabbat song since "Den of Hades" from Karisma. The eerie, slow intro is just genius, and the concept, vocals, and music are all equally excellent. The other songs are nearly as good, too. "The Answer Is Hell" is a ripping opener, and "In League With Devils" has a catchy chorus and bass line that harks back to the early days of Sabbat.

There are two versions of this album, each with different cover art, and one different song. I prefer the Iron Pegasus version, since I like "Registry of Dark Side" a bit better than "Plasmas Goat", but if you're as rabid about Sabbat as I am, you'll probably get both, anyway.

There isn't much more I can say about this one. If you have the money for just one album from the last few years, Karmagmassacre should be among the finalists. Highest recommendations.

Standout tracks: "Brothers of Demons", "In League With Devils", "The Letter From Death"

Review by Vorfeed: http://www.vorfeed.net