Scitalis
"Doomed Before Time"
Vendetta Rec. 2022
Scitalis is a
young band from Umeå, Sweden, formed just three years ago, and "Doomed
Before Time" is their debut full-lenght. I met the band somewhat by
chance, on the occasion of a concert in my hometown, and as their music sounded
interesting, I decided to check out their recordings from a physical medium as
well. On the said album we get eight tracks in the climate of Swedish black
metal. In their compositions, the quartet classically combines cold aggression
with predatory melody. The album is dominated by fast tempos with tremolo
riffing driving under the skull, being like an intense blizzard, hitting with
all its force straight in the eyes. At the same time, you can hear that the
band places great emphasis on variety, as the chords change quite often, even
if they are accompanied by a leitmotif looped in the background. The gentlemen
do not shy away from tempo changes either, but even these slower parts are not
devoid of venom. It can be said that some passages, such as the opening
"Eye of Leviathan" or the short interlude in "Beneath"
sound even mystical and mysterious, which definitely deepens the sinister
atmosphere of the lot. Similar in tone are the vocals. Without unnecessary
experimentation, they are based on a harsh shriek, full of hatred and
aggression. If to this we add the classic Scandinavian sound of the second wave
period, the result is a very coherent album, which is a true black metal
monolith, devoid of weak points. One might say that it's all been played
before, that there's nothing revelatory here. Because there isn't, and that's
probably not what its authors had in mind. You can hear that Scitalis live what they create and everything flows
naturally from their black hearts. Where does this certainty come from? Well,
from the fact that nothing here is pushed by force and the album is listened to
in one breath. If names such as Dawn, Sacramentum, Naglfar, or even our native
Mgła, are close to your taste, then Scitalis will be just for you, and you can
confidently put "Doomed Before Time" next to the aforementioned names
on your shelf.
-
jesusatan
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